| Lough Ennell | |
| Image Bathymetry: | Castletown_Geoghegan_detail_map_01.JPG |
| Pushpin Map: | Island of Ireland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | none |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Ireland |
| Location: | Westmeath |
| Coords: | 53.45°N -32°W |
| Lake Type: | glacial lake |
| Inflow: | River Brosna |
| Outflow: | River Brosna |
| Catchment: | 117.62km2 |
| Basin Countries: | Ireland |
| Length: | 6.5km (04miles) |
| Width: | 2km (01miles) |
| Area: | 11.56km2 |
| Max-Depth: | 30m (100feet) |
| Elevation: | 81m (266feet) |
Lough Ennell [1] is a lake near the town of Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is situated beside the N52 road, off the Mullingar/Kilbeggan road.[2] The lake is part of the Lough Ennell Special Protection Area.[3] It is 6.5km (04miles) long by 2km (01miles) wide,[3] with an area of about 12km2.[4] Lough Ennell has a large area of shallow water with nearly two-thirds of its area being less than 25 feet (8 m) and almost half of it being under 10feet deep. The lake produced Ireland's largest ever lake brown trout at 26 lbs (11.8 kg).[5] [6]
The main river flowing into Lough Ennell is the River Brosna, which enters on the Mullingar side of the lake and exits on the opposite side at Lilliput. Lilliput and Lilliput House were frequently used by Jonathan Swift as a holiday home and place to write, local tradition states that Jonathan Swift was in a boat on the lake when he looked back at Lilliput and noticed how small the people looked at that distance, hence the inspiration for his most famous book Gulliver's Travels. Lilliput at the time was called "Nure" however after the publication of Gulliver's Travels locals began to refer to the lakeshore as Lilliput, the name stuck and today the area is known as Lilliput.
The loughside has a caravan and camping park, boat hire facilities, hotels and restaurants and a fishery. Belvedere House is also an attraction and is managed by the County Council, it hosts a number of sporting and cultural events annually such as concerts and triathlons.
Lough Ennell fishery is part of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board's Midland Fisheries Group of managed waters. Brown trout and pike are the main catches.[5] In recent times it appears that stocks of both game and coarse fish in the lake have been declining. There is speculation locally as to the reason for this. In 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency declared the water quality at Lilliput beach on the Lough as "poor".[7]