Lough Derg (Shannon)
| Lough Derg | |
|---|---|
| Loch Deirgeirt | |
Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates | 52°59′N 8°19′W / 52.983°N 8.317°W |
| Type | Freshwater lake |
| Primary inflows | River Shannon |
| Primary outflows | River Shannon |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 38.6 km (24.0 mi) |
| Max. width | 12.9 km (8.0 mi) |
| Surface area | 130 km2 (50 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Max. depth | 36 m (118 ft) |
| Water volume | 0.887 km3 (0.213 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 0.15 years |
| Shore length1 | 179,000 m (587,000 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 33.5 m (110 ft) |
| Settlements | Garrykennedy, Portumna, Killaloe & Ballina, Dromineer, Terryglass |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
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Lough Derg, historically Lough Dergart (Irish: Loch Deirgeirt), is a freshwater lake in the Shannon River Basin, Ireland. It is the third-biggest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh and Lough Corrib) and the second largest lake in the Republic of Ireland.
It is a long, narrow lake, with shores in counties Clare (south-west), Galway (north-west), and Tipperary (to the east). It is the southernmost of three large lakes on the River Shannon; the others being Lough Ree and Lough Allen. Towns and villages on Lough Derg include Portumna, Killaloe & Ballina, Dromineer, Terryglass, Mountshannon and Garrykennedy.
The lake's name evolved from the Irish Loch Deirgdheirc. This was one of the names of The Dagda, the father of gods and men in Irish mythology, and literally means "red eye".
Lough Derg has many islands including Inis Cealtra or Holy Island.