Overview
Loch an tSéideáin, ‘the lake of the breezes’, is a shallow freshwater lake in the Burren, about 15 km north of Ennis and near Corofin in County Clare. It is small: roughly 1 km long and 0.6 km wide, nowhere deeper than 7 m and averaging barely 2 m. What makes it worth knowing is not its size but its plumbing. The River Fergus runs straight through the lake, arriving from Lough Inchiquin upstream and carrying on south, with more water fed in from Lough Cullaun. Atedaun is one link in a chain of Burren loughs that also takes in Lough George and Muckanagh Lake.
Like much of the Burren, the ground here drains through limestone rather than over it, so the lake breathes with the weather. After a wet spell the water climbs; in drier months it drops back, leaving a dark line of turlough moss to show how high it had been.
Corofin Wetlands
The NPWS site account identifies Lough Atedaun as part of the Corofin Wetlands Special Protection Area, together with Lough Inchiquin, Lough Cullaun and the River Fergus floodplain. The lake and its fringing wetland also lie within the East Burren Complex Special Area of Conservation.
Birds
Birdwatching is the reason to come. The shallow, nutrient-rich water draws in waterbirds, and a still early morning is the best time to look. Watch from public routes and give the birds space, especially on the shallows.
Visiting
Atedaun is open, quiet water left largely to itself, and this page does not give a lakeshore route. Leave reeds, wet ground and private banks undisturbed. For a nearby walk, choose a route with a designated public start, and wear boots, because the wet ground close to the shore stays soft long after the lanes have dried out.