Lough Corrib
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| Lough Corrib | |
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| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Surface area | 200 km² |
Lough Corrib (Loch Coirib in Irish) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib / Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest loch in the Republic of Ireland and the second largest in the island of Ireland after Lough Neagh and it covers some 200 sq km. Loch Coirib is a corruption of Loch nOirbsean, which according to placename lore is named after the Danann navigator Orbsen Mac Alloid (commonly called Manannán Mac Lir, "The Son of the Sea," for whom the Isle of Man is named.) In Irish the loch is also called An Choirib ("the Corrib").
Sir William Wilde wrote a book on the lake, first published in 1867.
The first canal in Ireland was cut in the 12th century. Known as The Friar's Cut, it allowed boats to pass from Lough Corrib to the sea at Galway.
Lough Corrib is also infested with the aggressive non-native, invasive weed Lagarosiphon major. Lough Corrib is also infected with the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium. In Spring 2007 the public water supply in Galway city, which is fed from the Corrib, was found to have serious quality problems leading to health problems.
