Lough Lene ( Irish: ''Loch Léinn'') is a lake situated in north

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

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 ...

, between the villages of

Castlepollard Castlepollard ( or ''Cionn Toirc'') is a village in north County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland. It lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar. Name The name ''Castlepollard'' comes from the name of a castle or fo ...

Collinstown Collinstown () is a village in north County Westmeath, situated on the R395 regional road overlooking Lough Lene. It lies northeast of the county town of Mullingar and (as of the 2016 census) had a population of 356. Toponymy The Irish name ...

and Fore. It possesses a rich and varied history. It also boasts the existence of prehistoric burial sites, old ruins, many ancient village-type communal circular dwellings locally called

ringforts Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales ...

, stiles, and

mass path A mass path is a pedestrian track or road connecting destinations frequently used by rural communities, traditionally leading to a church celebrating Sunday Mass. They were most common during the centuries that preceded motorised transportation i ...

s. Lough Lene also has claims to being the home to kings and

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

s, such as

Turgesius Turgesius (died 845) (also called Turgeis, Tuirgeis, Turges, and Thorgest) was a Viking chief active in Ireland during the 9th century. Turgesius Island, the principal island on Lough Lene, is named after him. It is not at all clear whether the nam ...

who had one of his forts upon the hill on the southwest overlooking the lake from the

Ranaghan Ranaghan is a townland and archaeological site in County Westmeath, Ireland. Introduction It is south-west of Lough Lene on high ground where there are a multitude of ringforts. Randoon (Randún), possibly the most famous fort of the area, is ...

side, before being killed by Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid.

Legend & history

The name of the lake has appeared in a variety of ways including Lane, Léin and Leibhinn.

Sir Henry Piers Sir Henry Piers 1st Baronet (1629–1691), of Tristernagh Abbey, County Westmeath, Ireland was an Anglo-Irish landowner, soldier, Member of Parliament, Sheriff of Counties Longford and Westmeath, Sheriff of St Johnstown, and an antiquarian. ...

believed the lake's name translated as Lake of Learning, tying in with his translation of Fore as the Town of Books. However, other sources seem more inclined to the tradition that the lake was named after the daughter of the fabled Manannán mac Lir (see

Children of Lir The ''Children of Lir'' ( ga, Oidheadh chloinne Lir) is a legend from Irish mythology. It is a tale from the post-Christianisation period that mixes magical elements such as druidic wands and spells with a Christian message of Christian faith ...

). The lake is described in Lewis's Topographical as being an irregular oval shape, possibly long by broad. A

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

lake, most sources focus on the clarity of the water, with the term "

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis''). Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...

clear" being used frequently to describe it. It sits approximately 97 metres (312 ft) above sea level and covers approximately 500 hectares. It plays a vital part in local life from being the water supply for Collinstown to playing an essential part in the social, historical and recreational life of the area. Nun's Island on Lough Lene was once the site of a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. Baile na gCailleach, the old Irish name for the town of Collinstown, when translated means "the town of the veiled women, or "the town of the old

hag HAG is a Swiss maker of model trains. The company was founded by Hugo and Alwin Gahler on 1 April 1944 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The Gahler brothers originally manufactured model trains in O scale but due to competition, particularly by Märk ...

s". This was an irreverent name which referred to the nuns of the convent on the island. The two other islands are Castle Island, and

Turgesius Island {{Infobox settlement , name = Turgesius Island , other_name = {{pad top italic, Inis Thuresius , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = , image_caption = , pushpin_map = Irelan ...

. An ancient bell was found on Castle Island in 1881 and is now in the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

. A half size reproduction of the ancient bell was presented to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

in 1931 by the widow of a former member of the House, Bryan Cooper, and it has since been the bell of the

Ceann Comhairle The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...

(Chairperson) of Dáil Éireann. A survey revealed that Nun's Island was a complex stone structure with

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

-like features, while Castle Island showed the best potential, with a large assemblage of worked timbers. Two logboats were also recovered in 1968, one with

dovetail joint A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (ten ...

s. This work continues today. These Roman-period log-boats were constructed for lake fishing, and were about 8 m long, 1.5 m wide, and 80 centimetres deep, were made of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

, and possibly

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

. The boats were paddle propelled. Other notable constructional features are that they were complex boats: carved; dugout (extended); mortice-and-tenon; and sewn.

Recent times

In more recent times, since the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

joined the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, Lough Lene is also known as the first freshwater lake to obtain a Blue Flag for its pollution-free water. This has been allocated with remarkable regularity to Lough Lene due to the surrounding agricultural communities' commitment to preserving this water resource and habitat for fish and

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

by careful management of

effluent Effluent is wastewater from sewers or industrial outfalls that flows directly into surface waters either untreated or after being treated at a facility. The term has slightly different meanings in certain contexts, and may contain various pollut ...

from their farms. Lough Lene's clear water also acts as a reservoir for many surrounding villages. Collinstown, Rickardstown and Glenidan have formed a GAA club called the Lough Lene Gaels.

Water sport activities

Swimming, sailing and windsurfing are popular. Dressing-rooms and picnic areas are available to tourists at the point locally referred to as "the Cut" about 2 km north from the Collinstown cross-roads. "The Cut" is situated on the east end of the lake. Due to the excellent quality and remarkable clarity of the water together with the safe access at "the Cut" the lough is a very popular bathing and swimming location suitable for families and experienced swimmers/Triathletes alike. Local Triathlon clubs and Meath Masters Swimming Club train and hold events here regularly. In Summertime average water temperatures are around 17c, sometimes a few degrees higher during periods of good weather. One of the more popular training swims is out to Turgesius Island a distance of exactly one mile from the slipway at the cut. Whilst a "safe" lake in the sense that access and egress are easy, during periods of moderate or stronger, due westerly winds swimming can become very challenging as waves can quickly form and swimmers are advised to stay close to shore. In 2022 a permanent "swim trail" of 5 large swimmers buoys was laid out along the North Shore in a 750m course, (1500 return) to encourage the safe participation of more swimming. More buoys were also installed in the separate designated bathing area.

Jet-ski A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" whe ...

s and

water-skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

are prohibited on Lough Lene.

Special areas of conservation

The European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43EEC) requires member states of the EU to protect wildlife areas. The ''European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1977'', as amended, implements the directive in the Republic. Lough Lene is a deep lake, which is deep in some parts. It is a clear hard water lake with

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

deposition particularly noticeable along long stretches of its shores. The lake supports a range of pondweeds that include ''

Potamogeton perfoliatus ''Potamogeton perfoliatus'' (claspingleaf pondweed, perfoliate pondweed, redhead grass) is a perennial aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae occurring in both standing and flowing freshwater habitats. It is widely distributed globally, oc ...

'' and '' P. lucens'', Canadian pondweed (''Elodea canadensis''), and a variety of stoneworts ('' Chara'' spp., such as ''C. pedunculata'' and ''C. curta'') which are marl or hard-water lake indicators. A stony shore line fringes much of the lake, where there are

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

such as spike-rush ''(

Eleocharis ''Eleocharis'' is a virtually cosmopolitan genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἕλειος (''heleios''), meaning "marsh dweller," and χάρις (''charis'' ...

'' sp.) jointed rush (''

Polygonum persicaria ''Persicaria maculosa'' (syn. ''Polygonum persicaria'') is an annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Common names include lady's thumb, spotted lady's thumb, Jesusplant, and redshank. It is widespread across Eurasia from Iceland sou ...

''),

marsh pennywort ''Hydrocotyle vulgaris'', the marsh pennywort, common pennywort, water naval, money plant, lucky plant or copper coin, is a small creeping aquatic perennial plant native to North Africa, Europe, the Caucasus and parts of the Levant. Description ...

(''Hydrocotyle vulgaris''), and sedges ('' Carex'' spp.). A narrow fringe of emigerent plant species dominated by common reed ('' Phragmites australis'') and common club-rush ('' Schoenoplectus lacustris'') occurs along some stretches of the lakeshore. Patches of wet

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

colonise former areas of cut-away and other low-lying areas close to the lake and are dominated by willows ('' Salix'' spp.), birch ('' Betula'' sp.) and alder (''

Alnus glutinosa ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations whe ...

'') with patches of common reed also occurring. These areas support a rich

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

. The ground flora of the wood at the northwestern end of the lake includes a range of peat mosses ('' Sphagnum'' spp.),

bilberry Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is ''Vaccinium myrtillus ...

(''

Vaccinium myrtillus ''Vaccinium myrtillus'' or European blueberry is a holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry. It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortle ...

'') and heather (''

Calluna vulgaris ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wid ...

''). Alder carr occurs on the juttland into the lake at its northwestern side. Freshwater marsh/

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

vegetation, with such species as purple moor-grass (''

Molinia caerulea ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of grass that is native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, it grows best in acid so ...

''), bottle sedge ('' Carex rostrata''), black bog-rush (''

Schoenus nigricans ''Schoenus nigricans'' is a species of sedge known by the common names black bog-rush''Schoenus ni ...

''), and marsh cinquefoil (''

Potentilla palustris ''Comarum palustre'' (syn. ''Potentilla palustris''), known by the common names purple marshlocks, swamp cinquefoil and marsh cinquefoil, is a common waterside shrub. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout North America, Europe, ...

''), occurs in certain areas near the lake; one such area supports a population of rare round-leaved wintergreen ('' Pyrola rotundifolia'' subsp. ''rotundifolia'').

Bird life

There are many bird species on Lough Lene, in particular,

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is ofte ...

pochard Pochard is a common name used for several species of diving ducks: *Four species in the genus ''Aythya'': ** Common pochard, ''Aythya ferina'' ** Baer's pochard, ''Aythya baeri'' ** Ferruginous pochard, ''Aythya nyroca'' ** Madagascar pochard, '' ...

, great crested grebe, little grebe,

tufted duck The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern ...

, water rail,

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

, goldeneye,

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...

and

wigeon The wigeons or widgeons are a group of birds, dabbling ducks currently classified in the genus ''Mareca'' along with two other species. There are three extant species of wigeon, in addition to one recently extinct species. Biology There are t ...

. The surrounding lands are inhabited by

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a near ...

, lapwing and curlew. Of particular significance is the pochard population which, in the winters of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997, there were numbers of national importance averaging 515 individual birds of this population. Much of the lake shore is accessible to grazing cattle, goats, sheep and horses. Unpolluted hard-water lakes such as Lough Lene are becoming increasingly rare in Ireland and in Europe and are of a type that is listed upon the Annex of the E.U. Habitat Directive.

Crayfish

Lough Lene had a notable population of fresh water crayfish, a species that is listed on Annex II of the E.U. Habitats Directive. This species disappeared from Lough Lene in 1987 following an outbreak of crayfish fungus plague. The species was re-introduced and breeding was recorded in 1995. Since then, a further outbreak of the crayfish fungus plague has once again led to the disappearance of the species from Lough Lene.

Gallery

File:NunsTurgesius Castle isles Lough Lene.JPG,

Turgesius Island {{Infobox settlement , name = Turgesius Island , other_name = {{pad top italic, Inis Thuresius , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = , image_caption = , pushpin_map = Irelan ...

viewed from

Randoon Randoon (Randún) is a Turgesius Viking fortress located southwest of Lough Lene in Ireland. The fortress is situated upon a hill in Ranaghan, dominating by its height all other ringforts in the area, and overlooking Lough Lene between the town ...

. File:Wind-surf Lene.jpg,

Windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

on the lough. File:Lough Lene bathing pier.jpg, Lough Lene bathing pier

External links and references

Westmeath County Council information;laws, etc

Ordnance Survey of Ireland (maps no. 41 and no.42)

Lough Lene Monks Boat

Associated L.Lene boat text

Lough Lene Gaels

Community pages

The Cut, Lough Lene

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em

Lene Lene is a feminine given name common in Denmark and Norway. People called Lene *Lene Alexandra, Norwegian singer *Lene Demsitz, Danish long jumper *Lene Elise Bergum, Norwegian actress *Lene Brøndum, Danish actress *Lene Espersen, Danish politicia ...

Archaeological sites in County Westmeath Stone Age Europe