Biodiversity, nature and wildlife in Loughrea

By Janice Fuller

Loughrea is a vibrant town in east Galway. Situated on the northern edge of Lough Rea (the ‘GreyLake’), the town is fortunate to have many natural amenities as well as a rich built heritage.

The lake has a beautiful Blue Flag beach and popular swimming area. The local angling club work hard to protect the lake’s aquatic habitats and fish population. There is a tennis club and playground located on the northern edge of the lake, and walking routes through Corry’s field and around the town.

Much of the town centre is located within a moat built in medieval times and which can still be seen today. The built heritage in the town can be enjoyed on a self- guided walking tour, which takes in Loughrea’s Medieval Town Gate which dates to the 15th century, St. Brendan’s Cathedral, St. Brendan’s Church of Ireland (now the library), the Carmelite Abbey and more.

The town also has a thriving Irish language community, supported by Gaeilge Locha Riach, which promotes Irish-language activities and events in the town.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of all living things- plants, animals, microbes and fungi. Biodiversity also refers to the places where plants and animals live (habitats), and the complex interactions among living things (the web of life), and their relationship with the environment (ecology).

Biodiversity has many benefits for local communities by providing natural recreational amenities (e.g. parks and green spaces, walking and biking routes, picnic spots, places for fishing and angling), local educational resources and environmental protection. Allowing room for nature and wildlife in our towns and villages makes them more attractive and interesting, protects our environment, and improves our quality of life.

Nature and Wildlife in Loughrea

The focal point of the town, Lough Rea is a beautiful lake set in the foothills of the Slieve Aughty mountains. The underlying geology is Carboniferous limestone and therefore the lake is a hard-water lake. Water transparency is very high in the lake, which is fed by springs and a small stream, and water quality is good.

Many birds overwinter on the lake and others nest in and around the lake in the summer. In fact, Lough Rea is has internationally and nationally important bird populations (e.g. Shoveler, Tufted duck and Coot) and as a result is designated for nature conservation as a Special Protection Area.

Lough Rea is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation as hard water lakes, such as Lough Rea, in good condition, are rare in a European context. There is also a range of other wetland habitats around the lake, which add to the diversity of the site. These include wet woodland, reed swamp, wet grassland and fen. Otters are regularly seen by anglers on the lake and in summer the wetlands fringing the lake are teeming with dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, snails and much more.

Corry’s field on the northern shore of the lake is a popular natural amenity with locals and visitors alike. Walkers can be seen on the trails through the wetland in all weathers. Some beautiful wetland flowers can be spotted in summer such as yellow flag and purple loosestrife.

There are several small islands on the lake, at least four of which are crannogs. Some of the islands are now underwater indicating that water levels have changed over time. Finds of stone and wood foundations, wooden piles, dug-out canoes and a range of artifacts indicate that the crannogs on Lough Rea date from about 500 - 1600 AD. Finds of stone axes and a chert arrows head on Shore Island suggest an earlier occupation date of c. 2000 BC for this crannog.

The Walks is a walkway that runs parallel with the main street in Loughrea. It is unsure when it was constructed but it was in existence by 1791 when the first detailed map of the town was drawn. The walk was referred to as ‘The Mall’. It is along The Walks that the town moat can be seen at its best. Loughrea’s defences, including the moat, fell out of use in the 1690s after the last wars of the 17th century were settled at Aughrim and Limerick. The usefulness of the town moat as a drainage channel for Lough Rea ensured its maintenance. The moat and the Loughrea River, which flows out of the lake near the Cathedral, meet near O’Dea’s Hotel and flow on into the Dunkellin River, which meets the sea at Kilcolgan. Many mature trees line the walks.