Lough Barra (Irish: Loch Beara)[4] is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in north County Donegal in the valley along the Gweebarra fault.

Lough Barra
Loch Beara (Irish)
Lough Barra location in Ireland
Lough Barra location in Ireland
Location in Ireland
LocationCounty Donegal
Coordinates54°57′26″N 8°6′19″W / 54.95722°N 8.10528°W / 54.95722; -8.10528
Primary inflowsRiver Barra
Primary outflowsGweebarra River
Catchment area19.68 km2 (7.6 sq mi)
Basin countriesIreland
Max. length1.4 km (1 mi)
Max. width0.8 km (0.5 mi)
Surface area0.63 km2 (0.24 sq mi)
Average depth4.4 m (14 ft)
Max. depth11.6 m (38 ft)
Surface elevation90 m (300 ft)
References[1][2][3]

Geography

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Lough Barra is about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Letterkenny, just outside the southwest corner of Glenveagh National Park.[3] It measures about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) long and 1 km (0.6 mi) wide.[2]

Hydrology

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Lough Barra is fed mainly by the Barra River entering at its northern end. The lake drains southwards into the Gweebarra River.[2] The lake, like other area lakes, is oligotrophic.[5]

Natural history

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Fish species in Lough Barra include brown trout, salmon and the critically endangered European eel.[3] Lough Barra is part of the Cloghernagore Bog and Glenveagh National Park Special Area of Conservation, which also includes Lough Beagh.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Free, Gary; Little, Ruth; Tierney, Deirdre; Donnelly, Karol & Caroni, Rossana (2006). A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes (PDF) (Report). Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). p. 10. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Lough Barra" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Water Framework Directive Fish Stock Survey of Lough Barra" (PDF). Inland Fisheries Ireland. July 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Loch Beara/Lough Barra". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Cloghernagore Bog and Glenveagh National Park SAC" (PDF). National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland). Retrieved 3 February 2016.
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