Loughareema, also known as the Vanishing Lake, is located on the coast road, just a few miles from the seaside town of Ballycastle in Ireland. The lake sits on a leaky chalk-bed with a “plug hole” that often becomes jammed with peat causing the Loughareema depression to fill, especially during heavy rain. When the plug clears, the lake drains rapidly underground. A passerby who is not aware of the lake and its disappearing act would never even know it existed in the first place.
Interestingly, the road to Ballycastle runs right through the lake, though the modern road sits high enough to avoid flooding, unlike the original. It is quite possible that even the road engineers who built road were fooled by the lake’s trickery. In former days the route was frequently under water, sometimes for weeks on end, making crossing treacherous.
It was during one particularly bad state of flooding in 1898, a certain Colonel John Magee McNeille, anxious to catch the 3 pm train from the town, persuaded his coachman to drive a covered wagon pulled by two horses through the lake. When they reached the middle of the lake, the cold water reached the bellies of the horse who became nervous. The coachman used the whip, the horse went rearing up on its back legs and turned to the side. The Colonel, his coachmen and the two horses soon succumbed to the treacherous, cold waters.
Since that fateful day many people have reported seeing a phantom carriage pulled by two horses and ridden by a military man on the lonely shores of Loughareema.
The road has been raised about the maximum flood level, and just in case, a stone wall has been erected on each side of the road as it approaches the Lough so that no-one can ever meet the same watery end as Colonel McNeille did on the afternoon of 30 September 1898.
Loughareema, nearly full. Photo credit
Loughareema, empty. Photo credit
Loughareema and the new elevated road through it. Photo credit
Sources: Atlas Obscura, Google Sightseeing, Socyberty
Is this the same as a turlough. These occur in east Galway. The limestone underneath the subject areas has dissolved enough to allow the water-table to create a lake following very heavy rains. If the rains end the water- table drops and the lake fades away. T A G
ReplyDeleteAgain I see one of the wonders of my country Northern Ireland being promoted as being in Ireland. This saddens me as Northern Ireland has without any doubt the most beautiful scenery especially in County Antrim. Before we go all "Its the same country, island" Ulster was the first country on the island and fought against the Gealic invaders or Irish as we know them. So Northern Ireland was never part of Ireland and I wish people would stop telling us that we are. The English would refuse to be called Welsh or Scottish, the Cypriots are both Greek and Turkish, Gibraltar is not Spanish.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you all get the point.
I think you are confused... Anyway that typical 'northern irish person' syndrome. Always pissing on things in attempt to mark their territory. On the island of Ireland, we are Irish :) have a nice day.
DeleteIs Chang a traditional Northern Irish surname?
DeletePaul, what history of Ireland where you taught at school? The province of Ulster also contains Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal, these counties are not part of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland was formed in 1921, as part of the PARTIONING of Ireland. I have no idea where the notion Uslter was the first "country" and fough the Gealic invaders - please provide some evidence of this as any of the documented, peer reviewed, history of Ireland differs from this. Greatly.
ReplyDeleteWow I was just going to ask who would need to be cited if I were to allow my son to use this in his Research Paper of Ireland for school AND THEN I READ THE COMMENTS. Personally I think the country of Ireland as a whole is a beautiful place PERIOD. If your from Ireland I would think you should be proud to call such a beautiful place home. I absolutely do not understand where the vemon for your argument stems from Chang. btw Chang sounds more Asian than Irish so I agree with you there Anonymous. But as far as your argument Chang that sounds about as stupid as it would if I tried to say I'm from South North America or the southern United States of America but that the south is the true grand king of shit and the north is nothing. When in all actuality the north and the south makes up the whole of the UNITED States of America. Just like without IRELAND Northern Ireland wouldn't be shit except Northern. Who the fuck is Northern? Fuck if I know but apparently Chang is so kudos to that asshole at least now I know not to waste my time visiting Northern Ireland unless I want to see all the dickbags it has to offer.
ReplyDelete