Lough Lene
Encyclopedia
Lough Lene is a lake situated in north County Westmeath, Ireland
, between the villages of Castlepollard
, Collinstown
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, stile
s, and mass path
s. Lough Lene also has claims to being the home to kings and Viking
s, such as Turgesius
who had one of his forts upon the hill on the southwest overlooking the lake from the Ranaghan
side, before being killed by Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid
.
(see Children of Lir
).
The lake is described in Lewis's Topographical as being an irregular oval shape, possibly 3.2 km (2 mi) long by 1.7 km (1.1 mi) broad. A freshwater
lake, most sources focus on the clarity of the water, with the term "gin
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
. 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
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
.
An ancient bell was found on Castle Island in 1881 and is now in the National Museum of Ireland
. A half size reproduction of the ancient bell was presented to Dáil Éireann
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
(Chairperson) of Dáil Éireann.
A survey revealed that Nun's Island was a complex stone structure with causeway
-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
s. This work continues today . These Roman-period log-boats were constructed for lake fishing, and were about 8m long, 1.5m wide, and 80 centimetres deep, were made of oak
, yew
, and possibly willow
. The boats were paddle propelled. Other notable constructional features are that they were complex boats: carved; dugout
(extended); mortice-and-tenon; and sewn.
joined the European Union
, 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
by careful management of effluent
from their farm
s. Lough Lene's clear water also acts as a reservoir for many surrounding villages. Collinstown, Richardstown and Glenidan have come together to form a successful GAA
club called the Lough Lene Gaels
.
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.
Jet-skis and water-skiing are prohibited on Lough Lene.
Lough Lene is a deep lake as it plunges to 20m max. in certain parts. It is a clear hard water
lake with marl
deposition
particularly noticeable along long stretches of its shores.
The lake supports a range of pondweed
s that include potamogeton perfoliatatus and p.lucens, Canadian pondweed, 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
such as spike-rush ""(Eleocharis
sp.)jointed rush (Polygonum
persicaria), marsh
pennywort
, (hydrocotyle
vulgaris) and sedges carex
spp are found. A narrow fringe of emigerent plant species dominated by common reed (phragmites
austrailis) and common club-rush (schoenoplectus
lacustris) occures along some stretches of the lakeshore.
Patches of wet woodland
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) with patches of common reed also occurring. These areas support a rich flora
. The ground flora of the wood at the northwestern end of the lake supports a range of sphagnum
moss
es, bilberry
(vaccinium myrtillus
) and heather (Calluna vulgaris). Alder carr occurs on the juttland into the lake at its northwestern side.
Freshwater marsh/fen
vegetation
, with such species as purple moor-grass (Molina careula), bottle sedge (Carex rostata), black bog-rush schoenus nigricans, and marsh minquefoil potentilla palustris
, occurs in certain areas near the lake; one such area supports a population of rare round-leaved wintergreen (pyrola rotundifolia
subsp. rotundifolia).
, Teal
, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe
, Little Grebe
, Tufted Duck
, Grey Heron
, Water Rail
, Mallard
, Goldeneye
, Cormorant
and Wigeon. Upon the surrounding lands are inhabited by Snipe
, Lapwing
and Curlew
. Of particular significance is the Pochard population which, in the winters of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997, there were of national importance averaging 515 individual birds of this population.
Much of the lake shore is accessible to grazing cattle
, goats, sheep and horse
s. 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.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, between the villages of Castlepollard
Castlepollard
Castlepollard is a large village in north County Westmeath, Ireland. Located in the barony of Demifore, in the civil parish of Rathgarve, it lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar.-Name:...
, Collinstown
Collinstown
Collinstown is an expanding village in County Westmeath, situated on the R395 regional road 18 km northeast of the county town of Mullingar. Collinstown is in St Mary's parish and has a population of approaching 700.-Name:...
and Fore
Fore Abbey
Fore Abbey is the old Benedictine Abbey ruin, situated to the north of Lough Lene in County Westmeath, Ireland.Fore village, is situated within a valley between two hills: the Hill of Ben, the Hill of Houndslow, and the Anchorland rise area...
.
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, stile
Stile
A stile is a structure which provides people a passage through or over a fence or boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas or along footpaths to allow access to an adjacent field or area separated by a fence, wall or hedge...
s, and mass path
Mass path
A mass path is a pedestrian track or road connecting destinations frequently used by rural communities, most usually the destination of Sunday Mass. They were most common during the centuries that preceded motorised transportation in Western Europe, and in particular the British Isles; and the...
s. Lough Lene also has claims to being the home to kings and Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, such as Turgesius
Turgesius
Turgesius was a Viking chief active in Ireland who is said to have conquered Dublin. It is not at all clear whether the names in the Irish annals represent the Old Norse Thurgestr or Thorgísl...
who had one of his forts upon the hill on the southwest overlooking the lake from the Ranaghan
Ranaghan
-Introduction:A townland south-west of Lough Lene positioned on high ground where there are a multitude of ringforts, Randoon possibly the most famous fort of the area , is situated between Castlepollard and Collinstown...
side, before being killed by Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid
Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid
Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid was High King of Ireland. The Annals of Ulster use the Old Irish title rí hÉrenn uile, that is "king of all Ireland", when reporting his death, distinguishing Máel Sechnaill from the usual Kings of Tara who are only called High Kings of Ireland in late sources such...
.
Legend & history
The name of the lake has appeared in a variety of ways including Lane, Léin and Leibhinn. Sir Henry Piers 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 LirManannán mac Lir
Manannán mac Lir is a sea deity in Irish mythology. He is the son of the obscure Lir . He is often seen as a psychopomp, and has strong affiliations with the Otherworld, the weather and the mists between the worlds...
(see Children of Lir
Children of Lir
The Children of Lir is an Irish legend. The original Irish title is Clann Lir or Leannaí Lir, but Lir is the genitive case of Lear. Lir is more often used as the name of the character in English...
).
The lake is described in Lewis's Topographical as being an irregular oval shape, possibly 3.2 km (2 mi) long by 1.7 km (1.1 mi) broad. A freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
lake, most sources focus on the clarity of the water, with the term "gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
clear" being used frequently to describe it. It sits approximately 97 metres (312 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
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
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
. 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
A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as Hansel and Gretel. Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as the Morrígan or...
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
Turgesius Island
Turgesius was a Viking leader who is said to have conquered Dublin. The principal island on Lough Lene is named after him.-Conquests The Local view:...
.
An ancient bell was found on Castle Island in 1881 and is now in the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
. A half size reproduction of the ancient bell was presented to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
in 1931 by the widow of a former member of the House, Bryan Cooper
Bryan Cooper (politician)
Bryan Ricco Cooper was an Irish politician, writer and landowner from Markree Castle, County Sligo. He was prominent in Dáil Éireann in the early years of the Irish Free State, having previously served as MP to Westminster for South Dublin County , a seat he subsequently represented in the Dáil...
, and it has since been the bell of the Ceann Comhairle
Ceann Comhairle
The Ceann Comhairle is the chairman of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election...
(Chairperson) of Dáil Éireann.
A survey revealed that Nun's Island was a complex stone structure with causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
-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
Dovetail joint
A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joint technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart , the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front....
s. This work continues today . These Roman-period log-boats were constructed for lake fishing, and were about 8m long, 1.5m wide, and 80 centimetres deep, were made of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
, and possibly willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
. The boats were paddle propelled. Other notable constructional features are that they were complex boats: carved; dugout
Dugout (boat)
A dugout or dugout canoe is a boat made from a hollowed tree trunk. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. Monoxylon is Greek -- mono- + ξύλον xylon -- and is mostly used in classic Greek texts. In Germany they are called einbaum )...
(extended); mortice-and-tenon; and sewn.
Recent times
In more recent times, since the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
joined the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Lough Lene is also known as the first freshwater lake to obtain a Blue Flag
Blue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
for its pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
-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
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
by careful management of effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
from their farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s. Lough Lene's clear water also acts as a reservoir for many surrounding villages. Collinstown, Richardstown and Glenidan have come together to form a successful GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club called the Lough Lene Gaels
Lough Lene Gaels
Lough Lene Gaels is a Gaelic Athletic Association club, based in Collinstown, County Westmeath, Ireland.-Club history:...
.
Water sport activities
Swimming, sailingSailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
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
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
end of the lake.
Jet-skis and water-skiing 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 as it plunges to 20m max. in certain parts. It is a clear hard water
Hard water
Hard water is water that has high mineral content . Hard water has high concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. Hard water is generally not harmful to one's health but can pose serious problems in industrial settings, where water hardness is monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling...
lake with marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
deposition
Deposition (geology)
Deposition is the geological process by which material is added to a landform or land mass. Fluids such as wind and water, as well as sediment flowing via gravity, transport previously eroded sediment, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the fluid, is deposited, building up layers of...
particularly noticeable along long stretches of its shores.
The lake supports a range of pondweed
Pondweed
Pondweed refers to many species and genera of aquatic plants and green algae:*Potamogeton, a diverse and worldwide genus*Elodea, found in North America*Aponogeton, in Africa, Asia and Australasia*Groenlandia, a genus of aquatic plants...
s that include potamogeton perfoliatatus and p.lucens, Canadian pondweed, and a variety of stoneworts (chara
Charales
Charales is an order of pondweeds, freshwater algae in the division Charophyta. They are green plants believed to be the closest relatives of the green land plants. Linnaeus established the genus Chara in 1753.-Description:...
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
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
such as spike-rush ""(Eleocharis
Eleocharis
Eleocharis is a genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. They are known commonly as spikerushes, although spikesedges is a more technically appropriate name and most scientists who study them in earnest refer to them as such...
sp.)jointed rush (Polygonum
Polygonum
Polygonum is a genus in the Polygonaceae family. Common names include knotweed, knotgrass, bistort, tear-thumb, mile-a-minute, and several others. In the Middle English glossary of herbs "Alphita" , it was known as ars-smerte. There have been various opinions about how broadly the genus should be...
persicaria), marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
pennywort
Pennywort
Pennywort is a name given to several completely different plants around the world. In general they all have round leaves and a low-growing habit...
, (hydrocotyle
Hydrocotyle
Hydrocotyle sometimes called water pennywort, Indian Pennywort, Marsh Penny, Thick-leaved Pennywort and even White Rot...
vulgaris) and sedges carex
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
spp are found. A narrow fringe of emigerent plant species dominated by common reed (phragmites
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
austrailis) and common club-rush (schoenoplectus
Schoenoplectus
Schoenoplectus is a genus of about 80 species of sedges with a cosmopolitan distribution. Note that the name bulrush is also applied to species in the unrelated genus Typha...
lacustris) occures along some stretches of the lakeshore.
Patches of wet woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
colonise former areas of cut-away and other low-lying areas close to the lake and are dominated by willows (salix spp.), birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
(betula sp) and alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
(alnus glutinosa) with patches of common reed also occurring. These areas support a rich flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
. The ground flora of the wood at the northwestern end of the lake supports a range of sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es, bilberry
Bilberry
Bilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
(vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinium myrtillus is an almost Holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit, usually simply referred to as "bilberry" or "whortleberry". It is more precidely called Common Bilberry or Blue Whortleberry, to distinguish it from its Vaccinium relatives...
) and heather (Calluna vulgaris). Alder carr occurs on the juttland into the lake at its northwestern side.
Freshwater marsh/fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
, with such species as purple moor-grass (Molina careula), bottle sedge (Carex rostata), black bog-rush schoenus nigricans, and marsh minquefoil potentilla palustris
Potentilla palustris
Comarum palustre , 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, and Asia, particularly the northern regions...
, occurs in certain areas near the lake; one such area supports a population of rare round-leaved wintergreen (pyrola rotundifolia
Pyrola rotundifolia
Pyrola rotundifolia or Round-leaved Wintergreen is a plant species of the genus Pyrola. It is found in the Northeastern United States, as Pyrola americana var. rotundifolia.-External links:*...
subsp. rotundifolia).
Bird life
There are on Lough Lene many bird species, in particular, Mute SwanMute Swan
The Mute Swan is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less...
, Teal
Common Teal
The Eurasian Teal or Common Teal is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian Teal is often called simply the Teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range...
, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
The Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...
, Little Grebe
Little Grebe
The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
, Tufted Duck
Tufted Duck
The Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...
, Grey Heron
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
, Water Rail
Water Rail
The Water Rail is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range...
, Mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
, Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Their closest relative is the similar Barrow's Goldeneye....
, Cormorant
Great Cormorant
The Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
and Wigeon. Upon the surrounding lands are inhabited by Snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
, Lapwing
Lapwing
Vanellinae are any of various crested plovers, family Charadriidae, noted for its slow, irregular wingbeat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. Its length is 10-16 inches. They are a subfamily of medium-sized wading birds which also includes the plovers and dotterels. The Vanellinae are...
and Curlew
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
. Of particular significance is the Pochard population which, in the winters of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997, there were of national importance averaging 515 individual birds of this population.
Much of the lake shore is accessible to grazing cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, goats, sheep and horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s. 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.
