Lough Inagh () is a freshwater lake in the Inagh Valley, in

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

, in the west of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Geography

Lough Inagh is located about east of

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...

on the R344 road in the Inagh Valley. The

Twelve Bens , photo=Boats and mountains, Roundstone (6047965086).jpg , photo_caption= View of the range from Roundstone village. , region = Connacht , region_type = Provinces of Ireland , translation = The peaks of Beola , language = Irish language ...

range lies to the west of the lake, with Derryclare and Bencorr directly overlooking the lake. The bulk of the

Maumturks , photo=View south to Knocknahillion from Letterbreckaun.jpg , photo_caption= Maumturk Mountains: looking south from Letterbreckaun towards Knocknahillion and Binn idir an dá Log. , country=Republic of Ireland , region = Connacht , region_t ...

range and its long central spine lies to the east of the lake, with two highest peaks of

Letterbreckaun Letterbreckaun () is one of the Maumturk Mountains of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. At , it is the second-tallest of the Maumturks, the 129th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, and 159th–highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam li ...

and Binn idir an Dá Log , also overlooking the Lough. Lough Inagh is fed from several mountain streams in the area, but most importantly from the ''Gleninagh River'' that starts high up in the ''Gleninagh Valley'' on the slopes of

Benbaun Benbaun () is a mountain in County Galway, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 88th highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mo ...

and Bencollaghduff, and the ''Tooreennacoona River''. After flowing into Lough Inagh, the river flows into Derryclare Lough, and then into Ballynahinch Lake, where it eventually joins the Owenmore River where is flows into Bertraghboy Bay.

Fishing

Lough Inagh is noted for its lake and river fishing with spring salmon,

grilse Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus '' Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus ''Oncorhynchu ...

and sea trout (depending on season), and the fishing is mostly done from boats, however, the lake is too big for rowing and an outboard motor is recommended (there are a couple of submerged rocks so caution should be taken). The Lough and its fishing rights are privately owned and controlled by local fishing lodges in the Inagh Valley. Irish fishing author, Peter O'Reilly, said about Lough Inagh that "This lough will take more than one day to explore adequately, for it can be one of the best".

Scenic location

The lake is a popular scenic location and to the west, gives views directly into the large deep southerly corrie between Derryclare and Bencorr ( ga, Log an Choire Mhóir, meaning "wood of the big corrie"), as well as the smaller corrie between Bencorr and Bencorr North Top ( ga, Log an Choire Bhig, meaning "wood of the small corrie"). It also looks into the Derryclare Wood and Derryclare Nature Reserve, which lie at the base of the two corries as they meet the Lough. The northernmost end of the Lough, just beside Bencorrbeg , has views into the Gleninagh Valley ( ga, Gleann Eidhneach, meaning "Valley of Ivy"), from which the Lough derives its name; the south wall of the valley is the impressive Carrot Ridge rock-climbing location, while at the head of the valley are Bencollaghduff , and the highest peak in the

range,

at .

Gallery

File:Derryclare, Bencorr & Benbaun from lower south ridge of Letterbreckaun.jpg, Lough Inagh from slopes of

, with Derryclare (l), Bencorr (c), and

(r) File:Twelve Bens across Lough Inagh.jpg, Derryclare (l), Bencorr (c), Bencorr North Top (r), and two ''Log an Choire'' corries File:Lough Inagh, Inagh Valley from Letterbreckaun.jpg, Lough Inagh and the

, viewed from the

File:Lough Inagh, Connemara, Ireland.jpg , Lough Inagh and Lissoughter (back, right), viewed from Knockpasheemore File:Twelve Bens from Lough Inagh.jpg, Looking west over Lough Inagh to Derryclare and Bencorr– Bencorr North Top, and the two ''Log an Choire'' corries

Bibliography

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References

{{IrishTrails

Inagh Inagh ( ; ) is a village and civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated 14 km west of Ennis on the Inagh River. It contains the villages of Inagh and Cloonanaha. Location The parish is part of the barony of Inchiquin. The ''Pa ...