Lough Ennell

About Lough Ennell

Lough Ennell (Irish: Loch Ainninn) lies just south of Mullingar in County Westmeath, off the N52 on the Mullingar–Kilbeggan road. It is roughly 6.5 km long and 2 km wide, covering about 12 km² (close to 3,000 acres). It sits in a limestone basin, which keeps the water alkaline and unusually clear — one of the clearest lakes in the Midlands — and is designated a Special Area of Conservation for its habitats and birdlife.

The lake is the reason Belvedere exists where it does: Robert Rochfort positioned his 1740 villa deliberately to command the lake views from its principal rooms. To this day the estate's eastern boundary runs along the shore. If you reach the lake through the estate, see our woodland & lakeshore walks guide; this page covers Lough Ennell as a whole, including the public access points beyond Belvedere.

Walks Around Lough Ennell

There are two ways to walk the lake. Through Belvedere House, the estate's signed trails run along a long stretch of shoreline with unobstructed westward views — paid admission, but the most scenic and best-maintained access. Beyond the estate, Lilliput and the public lakeshore amenity areas on the southwest shore offer free shoreline walks, picnic spots and simple access to the water, about 15 minutes from Mullingar. The shoreline is at its best in the early morning and the last hour of daylight, when the low light runs straight across the open water.

Fishing on Lough Ennell

Lough Ennell is one of Ireland's renowned wild brown trout fisheries. Its trout have a distinctive shape and colour — closer to a summer salmon in form and a sea trout in colouring — and a reputation for fighting hard. The lake holds a piece of angling history: it produced Ireland's record lake brown trout at 26 lb (11.8 kg). Pike and perch are also present.

Bird Watching

As a Special Area of Conservation in a limestone basin, Lough Ennell supports significant bird populations year-round, in the open water, the shallow bays and the reedy margins:

• Great crested grebe — present most of the year, often fishing the shallows; one of Ireland's most elegant waterbirds.
• Grey heron — a constant at the shoreline, standing motionless or flying low over the water.
• Kingfisher — less common but present in the calmer bays; a flash of electric blue low over the water.
• Wintering wildfowl — ducks, swans and waders use the lake and its margins through the colder months.

Bring binoculars — the open water gives long sightlines, and the Belvedere lakeshore in particular has sheltered spots to watch quietly. The estate's woodland also supports red squirrels and occasional barn owl sightings at dusk.

Swimming & Watersports

There is a lakeshore beach and amenity area at Lilliput on the southwest shore, used for swimming, paddling and watersports, with boat hire nearby. Bathing-water quality at the lake has varied in the past, so check the latest official status on beaches.ie or with the local authority before swimming, and take the usual open-water precautions. The lake is also used for kayaking and other small-craft activity in the calmer bays.

Lough Ennell & Gulliver's Travels

Here's the connection almost nobody tells you. Jonathan Swift — author of Gulliver's Travels — was a regular guest of the Rochfort family, the same family who built Belvedere, at their house at Gaulstown near the lake. Local tradition holds that Swift, out on a boat on Lough Ennell, looked back to shore and saw how tiny the people appeared at a distance — the spark for the diminutive Lilliputians. The southwest shore, then called "Nure," became known as "Lilliput" after the book was published, and the name has stuck ever since. The lake that Belvedere overlooks may well have helped name one of the most famous imaginary places in English literature. More on the family in our history of Belvedere.

Getting to Lough Ennell

The lake lies off the N52 south of Mullingar. The most scenic access is through Belvedere House on the R392, about 5 km south of Mullingar town — free parking on-site, roughly 90 minutes from Dublin via the N4/M4. Public lakeshore access at Lilliput is on the southwest shore, about 15 minutes from Mullingar. See the visitor information page for full directions and the things to do guide to build a day around the lake.