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About Lough Carra.jpg

About Lough Carra


Lough Carra, a Marl Lake in Co. Mayo, Ireland, is an exceptionally rare and important habitat. It forms part of the Lough Carra/Mask Complex SAC, and the Lough Carra SPA, and is one of the finest examples of a Marl Lake habitat in Ireland, and in Europe. It is a shallow, predominantly spring fed lake, well known for its turquoise clear waters and the calcareous encrustations on its rocky lake floor and shores. Its shores are fringed with a complex of limestone and wetland habitats, including Limestone Pavements, Orchid rich Grasslands, and Fens, providing homes for a diverse range of key species including the Lesser horseshoe bat, Eurasian Otter, and Common Gull.

EcoEye, The Last Lake (Lough Carra), Feb 2021

EPA, Lough Carra, Dec 2019

JC&WL Geopark, Lough Carra, Jun 2021

LCCA & MCC Heritage Office

The Marl Crust of Lough Carra by Philip Doddy

The Joyce Country & Western Lakes Geopark Project

 

The Joyce Country & Western Lakes Geopark Project commenced in 2020, with its key aim to put in place the resources and structures to achieve UNESCO Global Geopark status for the area surrounding Joyce Country on the Galway-Mayo border and Loughs Mask, Carra and Corrib.

 

Find out more at www.joycecountrygeoparkproject.ie 

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