View of Lough Allen
A photo of Lough Allen, Co. Leitrim.
View of Lough Allen
View of Lough Allen
A photo of Lough Allen, Co. Leitrim.
Lough Allen
The River Shannon is the largest river in Ireland and Great Britain combined, and is an ideal passageway for boat transport. Its source is in the Cuilcagh Mountain in Co. Fermanagh. It flows into Lough Allen, and is 344 kilometres long.
Lough Allen is the first in the chain of lakes into which the River Shannon expands. At around 13 kilometres long and 5 kilometres wide, it is so big that it almost divides the county of Leitrim in two. It is surrounded by mountains to the east and west and is brimming with fish, particularly pike.
Hidden History
The water level of Lough Allen is controlled by sluice gates. This is because the lake serves as a reservoir for the ESB power station, Ardnacrusha. In dry weather the gates are opened to allow water to flow to the power station. This causes the water level in the lake to go down dramatically. This happened many years ago and parts of the lake were revealed for the first time in centuries, and lots of amazing artefacts were uncovered.
Miles of golden sand were revealed, where the water had been. At the lake edge were found stone axes, flint knives and choppers, all of which were used to chop down the great forests that covered the area in ancient times. Crannógs were found just south-east of the lake. This gave archaeologists an insight into how early settlers lived around the lake.
Sweathouses
Sweathouse
Photo of a Sweathouse at Cleighranmore, between Drumshanbo and Ballinaglera.
Courtesy of Leitrim County Library.Sweathouse
Courtesy of Leitrim County Library.
Courtesy of Leitrim County Library.
Sweathouse
Photo of a Sweathouse at Cleighranmore, between Drumshanbo and Ballinaglera.
Courtesy of Leitrim County Library.An interesting feature of the area surrounding Lough Allen is the remains of sweathouses. Many cultures around the world have a tradition of using sweat houses. In the Native American tradition, they are called sweat lodges and are used both for spiritual purposes and for physical healing.
The highest concentration of sweathouses in Ireland can be found around Lough Allen. Sweathouses were beehive-shaped buildings that worked liked saunas. They were used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a treatment for rheumatism and arthritis. The heat inside the buildings was thought to relieve the patients' symptoms.