Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
An extensive lake system, extending from Portumna south to Killaloe in Counties Tipperary, Clare, Offaly and Galway. In the previous European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989) the site included only Church Island, but the area has been expanded to incorporate the whole of Lough Derg and its islands. Lough Derg is used by anglers and for recreational boating.
Cygnus olor winters in numbers of national importance (327 birds, 1995).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threat to the lake is nutrient pollution, due to increasing input from adjacent farmland and from adjoining towns. The lake is also under increasing pressure from amenity development, with the construction of lakeshore holiday homes, hotels, marinas and jetties.
National None
International High11,989 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Lough Derg [River Shannon], 11,989 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lough Derg (River Shannon) (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lough-derg-(river-shannon)-iba-ireland on 24/11/2024.
