Editing Geography of Ireland (section)

===Rivers and lakes===
{{see also|List of rivers of Ireland|List of loughs of Ireland}}
[[File:NunsTurgesius Castle isles Lough Lene.JPG|thumb|left|[[Lough Lene]], County Westmeath|alt=See caption]]
Waterbodies accounted for around 2% of the land area of Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland are over {{convert|74000|km}} of rivers and streams, more than {{convert|125000|ha}} of lake and over {{convert|3000|ha}} of reservoirs; these are not evenly distributed—over 30% of the watercourse length is found in Counties Cork, Donegal and Mayo, while Counties Mayo and Galway hold over 40% of the total lake area. Almost all of the reservoir area lies in just two counties, Wicklow (2/3) and Cork (1/3).<ref>{{cite book|title="Ecosystem accounts – Rivers and Lakes by Extent" |year=2018 |last=Sharkey |first=Nova |publisher=Central Statistics Office}}</ref> In Northern Ireland, Lough Neagh is by far the leading source of water.<ref name="LNeagh_NIWater">{{Cite web |title=Your water is safe to drink |url=https://www.niwater.com/news-detail/12350/Your-water-is-safe-to-drink/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Northern Ireland Water |archive-date=4 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404165315/https://www.niwater.com/news-detail/12350/Your-water-is-safe-to-drink/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[River Shannon]], at {{convert|360.5|km|mi|abbr=}} in length, is the longest river in Ireland and Britain. With a drainage area of {{convert|16865|km2|sqmi|0|abbr= on}},<ref>{{cite book|title= Biology and Management of European Eel (''Anguilla anguilla'', L) in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland|chapter-url= http://europeaneel.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/chapter-2-study-area.pdf|chapter= Chapter 2: Study Area|access-date= 7 September 2014|archive-date= 7 September 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140907173249/http://europeaneel.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/chapter-2-study-area.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref> the [[Shannon River Basin]] covers one-fifth of the island. The Shannon crosses 11 counties and divides the west of Ireland from the south and east. The river develops into three large lakes along its course, [[Lough Allen]], [[Lough Ree]], and [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]].<ref name="OSIFAQS" /> The River Shannon enters the Atlantic Ocean at [[Limerick]] city along the [[Shannon Estuary]].<ref name="AtlasforSchools" />

Other major rivers include the [[River Liffey]] and its leading tributary, the [[River Dodder]], and the nearby [[River Tolka|Tolka River]], [[River Slaney]], the Three Sisters (the Rivers [[River Nore|Nore]], [[River Suir|Suir]] and [[River Barrow|Barrow]]), [[River Lee (Ireland)|River Lee]], [[River Erne]], [[River Foyle|Foyle River]], [[River Bann]], [[River Lagan]], and [[River Boyne]].<ref name="AtlasforSchools" /> There are also multiple River Blackwaters, the most significant being the [[Munster Blackwater]].<ref name="AtlasforSchools" /> The river with the greatest output volume is the Shannon but the second-greatest volume is in the short but powerful [[River Corrib]].<ref name="Ospar Convention 2009">{{citation |last=Mac Cárthaigh |first=Micheál |title=Comprehensive study of Riverine Inputs: Details of hydrometric stations, sampling stations: Table 2 |page=17 |publisher=Irish Environmental Agency |location=Dublin |date=January 2011 |url=http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/flows/Hydrometric%20Data%20for%20the%202009%20OSPAR%20Report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228153452/http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/flows/Hydrometric%20Data%20for%20the%202009%20OSPAR%20Report.pdf |archive-date=28 February 2021}}</ref>

[[Lough Neagh]], in Ulster,<ref name="OSIFAQS" /> is the largest lake in Ireland and Britain with an area of {{convert|392|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}. The largest lake in the [[Republic of Ireland]] is Lough Corrib {{convert|176|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}. Other large lakes, besides the three major Shannon examples, include the two linked lakes known as [[Lough Erne]], [[Lough Mask]] and Lough Corrib, and [[Lough Conn]].<ref name="AtlasforSchools" /><ref name="OSIFAQS" />