Lough Oughter
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Lough Oughter () is a lake, or complex of lakes, in
County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...
covering more than . The complex of lakes lies on the
River Erne The River Erne ( , ga, Abhainn na hÉirne or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border. ...
, and forms the southern part of the Lough Erne complex. The lakes are bounded roughly by
Belturbet Belturbet (; ) is a town in County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the N3 road (Ireland), N3 road, around north of Cavan town and from Dublin. It is also located around south of the border with Northern Ireland, between the c ...
in the north,
Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...
town to the east,
Crossdoney Crossdoney () is a village and townland in County Cavan, Ireland. The village is on the R154 regional road where it terminates at a junction with the R198. Peculiarly, all buildings in the village sit on one side of the road, and this gives ri ...
to the south and Killeshandra to the west.


Geography and ecology

A 1977 report by ''An Foras Forbartha'' (precursor to the Environmental Protection Agency) describes Lough Oughter as the "best inland example of a flooded drumlin landscape" in Ireland, and details the varied biological communities of the area. According to a National Parks and Wildlife Service summary of the site, there is nowhere else in the country with such "mixture of land and water occur over a comparable area", with many species of wetland plants, which are common to Lough Oughter, characterised as "infrequent elsewhere". The number of whooper swans which winter in the area represents about 3% of the total European population while the lake also houses 10% of the estimated breeding total of Great Crested Grebes in the Republic, having become almost extinct in the 19th century. As an angling lake, Lough Oughter is designated as a suitable wetland for inclusion in the
Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...
List of Wetlands of International Importance. The Lough Oughter complex, along with Killykeen Forest Park, are designated Natura 2000 habitats, Special Areas for Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA) under EU legislation. Lough Oughter is part of the UNESCO
Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark The Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark formerly known as the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is centred on the Marble Arch Caves and in 2001 it became one of the first geopa ...
. The main threats to the quality of the site, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, are water pollution sources like run-off from fertiliser and slurry applications, and sewage discharge which have raised the nutrient status of some lakes to hypertrophic. Afforestation has also resulted in some loss of wetland habitat and feeding grounds for some wintering birds.


Recreation and tourism

The Lough Oughter complex of lakes and wetlands is an
ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...
destination.
Killykeen Forest Park Killykeen Forest Park straddling Lough Oughter is situated in County Cavan, Ireland approximately five miles from Cavan town. Responsibility for the upkeep of Killykeen is through the state's commercial forestry service Coillte together with ...
, managed by Coillte, is a woodland of located five miles from Cavan town, and sitting alongside the Lough Oughter system.


Historic settlement

Trinity Island, located on Lough Oughter, was once home to a monastic settlement, and a friary on the island dates from the 12th or 13th century. Following the arrival of the Anglo Normans, Clogh Oughter Castle was also built in the area, also in the 13th century. It stands on a tiny island in Lough Oughter, and is circular in construction. Measuring approximately 15.5 metres in outside diameter, it is almost 18 metres high. The nearest shore is approximately 130 metres away, close to the narrowest part of the lough at Inishconnell Rinn Point. During the seventeenth century, the castle changed hands several times and was one of the last defended castles to hold out during the Confederate Wars. Before this, Clogh Oughter Castle was used as a prison, and the Anglican Bishop of Kilmore,
William Bedell The Rt. Rev. William Bedell, D.D. ( ga, Uilliam Beidil; 15717 February 1642), was an Anglican churchman who served as Lord Bishop of Kilmore, as well as Provost of Trinity College Dublin. Early life He was born at Black Notley in Essex, and ...
was held hostage here. Irish Confederate general Eoghan Ruadh Ó'Néill is reputed to have died here in 1649 and was secretly brought to Trinity Island for burial. The castle was captured in 1653 and its walls breached by cannon shot. It has remained unoccupied ever since. During the late nineteenth century, water levels on Lough Oughter were lowered to alleviate flooding of low lying farmland. However, a 2008 proposal by
Waterways Ireland Waterways Ireland ( ga, Uiscebhealaí Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Watterweys Airlann'') is one of the six all-Ireland North/South Ministerial Council, North/South implementation bodies established under the Belfast Agreement ...
suggested that levels be raised to facilitate tourism and allow pleasure boats to gain access into the lough via the River Erne from Belturbet to Killashandra.


See also

* List of loughs in Ireland *
Eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oughter, Lough Lakes of County Cavan Glacial lakes Ramsar sites in the Republic of Ireland