A few short miles west of the N 7
which joins Limerick and Dublin, lies the largest of
the Shannon's Lakes; Lough Derg. Where the river
ends and the Lake begins, are nestled two towns,
Killaloe is on the Clare side of the river, and
Ballina is on the Tipperary shore.
This area was one of the first
parts of Ireland to be inhabited and it is easy to
see why. Its remarkable beauty and charm lay claim
to a special place in the hearts of all Irish
people. Once Killaloe was the capital of Ireland and
the great hall of Kincora was Ireland’s Camelot.
The mighty deeds of the ancient King Brian Boru are
told by his kinsfolk to this day. Now the King is
gone but his kingdom remains and its welcoming
citizens like to think that they make royalty of
their visitors.
The great Irish saints came here
too and this was a site of great ecclesiastical
importance. Great churches adorn the towns and these
architectural gems give today’s visitor some idea
of how important this place was in times past.
This is a special place in a rich
and rare land. An enchanting domain whose spell has
been cast on millions of visitors over thousands of
years.
Lough Derg is
Ireland's greatest inland water resource. It is a
natural reservoir for the country’s largest and
oldest hydro-electric scheme while simultaneously
providing a water wonderland, with its thousands of
acres for countless water based pastimes.
