Glencar Lake
| Glencar Lough Loch Ghleann an Chairthe |
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West towards Benbulbin
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 Location in Ireland
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| Location | County Leitrim, County Sligo |
| Coordinates | 54°20′22″N 8°23′9″W / 54.33944°N 8.38583°WCoordinates: 54°20′22″N 8°23′9″W / 54.33944°N 8.38583°W |
| Lake type | Glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | Glencar Waterfall, Diffreen River |
| Primary outflows | Drumcliff River |
| Catchment area | 41.22 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.6 km (0.4 mi) |
| Surface area | 1.15 km2 (0.44 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | 28 m (92 ft) |
| References | |
Glencar Lough (Irish: Loch Ghleann an Chairthe, meaning "lake of the glen of the pillar stone"), locally known as Glencar Lake, is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It covers an area of 1.15 square kilometres (0.4 sq mi) and lies mostly in County Leitrim with a smaller part in County Sligo. Glencar Waterfall is located near the lake's north shore on the Leitrim side.
Glencar Lough lies in the Glencar Valley, between the Dartry Mountains to the north and the mountain range including Cope's Mountain to the south. The lake is located about 10 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of Sligo and about 15 km (9 mi) west of Manorhamilton. It is 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long from west to east and 0.6 km (0.4 mi) wide. The lake has two crannogs (artificial islands): one at the western end near the Drumcliff River outlet and the other at the eastern end near the Diffreen River.
Glencar Lough is primarily fed by Glencar Waterfall, on the lake's northern shore, and by the Diffreen River, entering at the lake's eastern end. Sruth in Aghaidh an Aird also flows out to the northern shore, just west of the Glencar Waterfall outflow. The lake drains west into the Drumcliff River, which in turn flows into Sligo Bay. Lake depth is greatest near the southern shore with a shallower shelf at the northern shore.
Fish present in Glencar Lough include salmon and brown trout. Bird life includes tufted duck, pochard and goldeneye. These are migratory species which winter at the lake.
The water quality was reported to be excellent c. 2001 – c. 2003 with an oligotrophic rating. The ecology of Glencar Lough, and other Irish waterways, remain threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.
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