Blessington Lake
| Pollaphuca Reservoir Taiscumar Pholl an Phúca |
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Pollaphuca Reservoir
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| Location | County Wicklow |
| Coordinates | 53°8′N 6°31′W / 53.133°N 6.517°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary outflows | River Liffey |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
Coordinates: 53°07′01″N 6°35′14″W / 53.11694°N 6.58722°W Poulaphouca, officially Pollaphuca (Irish: Poll an Phúca, meaning "the Púca's hole"), is the name of a waterfall and bridge on the River Liffey between County Wicklow and County Kildare. It is primarily known for its hydroelectric generating station and artificial lake, known as Poulaphouca Reservoir, Poulaphouca Lake, or Blessington Lake. The once famous Poulaphouca Waterfall has little water running over it any longer because of the hydroelectric project.
The reservoir at Poulaphouca has been designated as a Special Protection Area by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and is of international importance for its greylag goose population. The reservoir was created in the late 1930s and early 1940s by damming the River Liffey as part of a collaboration between the Electricity Supply Board and Dublin City Council to build a second hydroelectric station in Ireland while the reservoir could be used to supply water to the Dublin region.
A waterfall immediately west of the bridge, renowned as a beauty spot from at least the 18th century, was lost with the construction of the Poulaphouca Reservoir. The waterfall, marked as 'Poolapooka - a remarkable cataract' on Noble & Keenan's map of 1752, is depicted and described in the Post-Chaise Companion of 1786, when Ballymore parish was still within Dublin:
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