Lough Rea
Lake in County Galway, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lough Rea (Irish: Loch Riach, lit. 'speckled lake'),[2] also Loughrea Lake, is a lake in Ireland, located south of Loughrea, County Galway.[3]
LocationCounty Galway, Ireland
Coordinates53.189684°N 8.576302°W
Lake typenatural freshwater lough
Primary outflowsLoughrea River
Town Moat
| Lough Rea | |
|---|---|
| Loch Riach (Irish) | |
Aerial view over Loughrea town towards the lake. | |
  Lough Rea Location in County Galway | |
| Location | County Galway, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53.189684°N 8.576302°W |
| Lake type | natural freshwater lough |
| Primary outflows | Loughrea River Town Moat |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 2.61 km (1.62 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.68 km (1.04 mi) |
| Surface area | 3.01 km2 (740 acres) |
| Surface elevation | 81 m (266 ft) |
| Islands | Ash Island, Shore Island, Blake's Island, Barrack Island, Middle Island, Long Island, Switch Island, Stone Island North, Stone Islands South, Island McCoo |
| Settlements | Loughrea |
| References | [1] |
Wildlife
Lough Rea is stocked with three-spined stickleback, ninespine stickleback, eel, perch, brown trout, rudd and pike.[4]
In folklore
In the tradition of other Dindsenchas myths, according to Irish tradition, Lough Rea was formed after a battle fought between pre-Christian deities, who took the form of deer. The force of their battle causing a well to burst and the lake to form.[5]
Another popular piece of folklore says that there was once a town where the lake is today, but the town was submerged underneath the water.[citation needed]