| St. John's Lough | |
|---|---|
| Loch Eoin (Irish) | |
  Location in Ireland | |
| Location | County Leitrim |
| Coordinates | 54°2′25″N7°51′47″W / 54.04028°N 7.86306°W /54.04028; -7.86306 |
| Primary inflows | Shannon–Erne Waterway |
| Primary outflows | Shannon–Erne Waterway |
| Catchment area | 22.56 km2 (8.7 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Surface area | 1.46 km2 (0.56 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| References | [1][2] |
St. John's Lough (Irish:Loch Eoin),[3] also known asSt. John's Lake, is an irregularly shapedfreshwater lake located in southCounty Leitrim, in northwest of Ireland.[4] The lake forms part of the widerShannon–Erne Waterway tourist attraction. The ecology of John's Lough, and theShannon-system, is threatened by pollution andinvasive species such ascurly waterweed,zebra mussel, andfreshwater clam.[5][6]
Named afterIrish:Eóin Baiste, meaning "John the Baptist", the lake is therefore named "the lake of John".[3][7]
St. John's Lough is a shallow freshwater lake 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west ofBallinamore,[2] covering a surface area somewhere between 1.46 km2 (0.6 sq mi)[1] and 1.89 km2 (0.7 sq mi).[8] Saint John's Lough extends fromBallyduff Bridge in the north-east, before dividing into three broad reaches separated by narrow passes, or straits. The "Derrymacoffin Pass" connects theBallinamore canal and northern lake portion to the central John's lough, and the "Muckross Pass" connects the central lough to the southern lough.[9] The catchment area comprises Forestry (2%), pasture (55%), and other agriculture (43%), according toCORINE data.[10] TheR208 regional road follows the lakes northern boundary, crossing theBallinamore canal atBallyduff Bridge.
Fish present in John's Lough include "roach-bream hybrids",Roach,Perch,Bream (1-2lbs), andPike.[2][11] The pike population is the "native Irish strain" (Irish:liús meaning 'IrishPike') not the other EuropeanPike strain (Irish:gailliasc meaning 'strange or foreign fish').[5] The water quality was reported to be satisfactoryc. 2001 – c. 2003 with amesotrophic rating.[12][n 1]
Repeated instances of significant illegal dumping and littering has been reported in recent years.[14][15]
Four ancientcrannogs were reported at St. John's Lough.[16][n 2] Thecrannogs were probably occupied during at least the13th or the early 14th century, and lands surrounding John's Lough were covered by woodland during theMiddle Ages.[18]
The following archaeological artefacts were recovered at Saint John's Lough in the 19th century,c. 1843 – c. 1852, and now preserved at theRoyal Irish Academy museum, or at theNational Museum of Ireland-
According to theAnnals of the Four Masters an ancient church standing on the northern shore of Saint John's Lough (nearby where the Yellow River ["An Gheirgthigh"] enters the Lough atIrish:Tuaim Luascáin, meaning 'Tomloskan') was destroyed in 1244AD.[3]
The primaryhuman settlements around St John's lough isFenagh village andBallinamore town.