Overview
Loch an tSéideáin – ‘the lake of the breezes’ – is a shallow freshwater lake in the Burren, about 15 km north of Ennis and a short walk east of Corofin. 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. The lake sits just 13 m above sea level, and it and its fringing wetland lie within the East Burren Complex Special Area of Conservation and the Corofin Wetlands Special Protection Area.
Birds and fish
Birdwatching is the main reason to come. BirdWatch Ireland runs outings here for the wildfowl that the shallow, nutrient-rich water draws in, and a still early morning from the shore is the best of it. Below the surface the lake holds perch, rudd, pike and stone loach, along with the critically endangered European eel. Angling is by Irish fishing licence, and the usual conservation rules apply through the spawning season.
Visiting
Be clear about what this is and isn’t. There is no visitor centre, no café and no marked lakeshore trail – Atedaun is open, quiet water left largely to itself. Corofin is where to base yourself: it has the parking, the coffee and the toilets, and the lake is a short walk or drive out of the village. Walkers plot their own loops on the quiet lanes around the lough using route apps like Komoot; there is no official waymarked path.
Either way, wear boots. The Burren’s limestone drains fast, but the wet ground close to the shore stays soft long after the lanes have dried out.