Lough Sheelin
| Lough Sheelin Loch Síodh Linn | |
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| Location | Counties Westmeath, Meath & Cavan |
| Coordinates | 53°48′N 7°19′W / 53.800°N 7.317°WCoordinates: 53°48′N 7°19′W / 53.800°N 7.317°W |
| Lake type | Freshwater lough |
| Primary inflows | River Inny |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
| Max. width | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Surface area | 19 km2 (7.3 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Max. depth | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Islands | 10 |
Lough Sheelin (from Irish Loch Síodh Linn, meaning "lake of the fairy pool") is a limestone freshwater lough (lake) in Ireland located in County Westmeath, County Meath and County Cavan near the villages of Finnea (also spelled Finea) and Mountnugent and the town of Granard, (County Longford).
The lake is naturally populated by brown trout whose native stocks have been depleted in recent years, hence the Central Fisheries Board stocking the lake with farm reared trout for the pleasure of anglers. With an area of 1,900 hectares,[1] Sheelin is the largest lough in both Cavan and Westmeath.[2] In the early 1980s, Trout stocks were estimated at 120,000. Phosphorus originating from intensive agricultural developments has caused a progressive enrichment of the Lough's waters which has led to a substantial decrease in the number of trout. The level of phosphorus in the lake is currently being monitored and is decreasing. Zebra mussels, an invasive species, were first seen in the lake in 2000 and there has since been a huge increase in their population. There is also an abundance of common roach in the lake.
It is also the setting of the song "Lough Sheelin Eviction", made popular by The Wolfe Tones. The lyrics tell the sad but, unfortunately, too typical story of a family being evicted from their home by an unforgiving and merciless landlord. Absentee landlords were common in Ireland and for many landlords the main interest was income rather than the conditions of their tenants. Many landlords realized that they could get a higher income by turning their properties to pasture than to continue with the old practice of collecting rents from tenant farmers. Evictions were the most common way of getting rid of unwanted tenants. In the song the woman, Eileen, dies in the cold and the man is forced to flee his native land in order to find a new home.
See also
- List of loughs in Ireland
References
- ↑ wfdfish.ie, Lough Sheelin
- ↑ "National Fish Stock Assessment Programme". Central Fisheries Board. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
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