Unparalleled Natural Beauty

Kindrum Lough is situated 22 km north of Milford on the Fanad Peninsula, Co. Donegal and comprises Kindrum Lough and the smaller Fallaneas Lough. The catchment of these loughs contains rounded hills with outcropping schists. The whole site lies close to the sea and receives some wind-blown sand and salt spray, particularly on those areas of grassland nearest to the sea on the north side of the site. Kindrum Lough is a lowland oligotrophic lake, a habitat that is listed on Annex I of the EU habitats Directive. Its stony bottom is in sharp contrast to the nearby machair lakes, which lie on sand.

A partial fringe of Common Reed (Phragmites australis), occurs in the bays of Kindrum Lough, with a more extensive area of reedswamp, which also contains Great Fen-sedge (Cladium mariscus), Common Sedge (Carex nigra) and Slender Sedge (Carex lasiocarpa), at the south-western end. A wet area of fen, rich in sedge species andquatic herbs occurs between this reedbed and Fallaneas Lough. Fallaneas Lough contains a diversity of marginal vegetation types, including fen, rushy fields and azel (Corylus avellana) scrub. Its outflow flows into Kindrum Lough.

Two rare, Red Data Book plant species have been recorded from Kindrum Lough: Slender Naiad (Najas flexilis) and the stonewort, Nitella spanioclema. The former is listed on Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive, while the latter is an extremely rare species that is endemic to Ireland, where it has been recorded only from Kindrum Lough and another nearby lough.

The lake also supports a population of Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus), a Red Data Book fish species. Up to 40 Whooper Swan, a species listed on Annex I of EU irds Directive have been recorded from the site. Tufted Duck also occur here.

Kindrum Lough is used as a reservoir but the drawdown appears to be quite small. The surrounding semi-improved fields are used for grazing of sheep and cattle. Further improvement of these fields could lead to a reduction in the quality of the water on the site and threaten the survival there of the rare plant and fish populations.

Kindrum Lough is of considerable conservation significance as a lowland oligotrophic lake, a habitat that is listed on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive, and also for the presence of rare fish and plant species, one of which is listed on Annex II of this directive.

Note: the above information is abstracted from reports produced by the National Parks and Wildlife Services and Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaelteacht and Inland Fisheries Ireland.