Hidden Lake, Ballina/Killaloe, County Clare

sarah332 · 05-08-2014 7:25pm #1

Does anybody know where the "blue lagoon" in the kilaloe/ballina area is? Any directions would be much appreciated

kerry4sam · 06-08-2014 8:43pm

sarah332 wrote: »

Does anybody know where the "blue lagoon" in the kilaloe/ballina area is? Any directions would be much appreciated

Thread moved from our Travel 'Things to do in' forum to the Clare forum where it would be better suited as it is localised.

Thanks,
kerry4sam

blowin3 · 06-08-2014 10:09pm

I was there once many years ago. If you find out where the slate quarries are and its there. Its an old mine shaft that was flooded and divers use it for practice. My memories is head out of Ballina for Nenagh and its up there some where along that road. But it is pure blue water and you can swim there.

Lady Chatterton · 06-08-2014 10:38pm

It appears to be in Portroe (just outside Ballina).

Just found these on You Tube

blowin3 · 06-08-2014 10:47pm

Fair dues MrsD thats the one on Youtube. Its up a country rd where the slate quarries are. I am sure a sat.nav should get you there but its well known in the area.

999/112 · 06-08-2014 11:01pm

blowin3 wrote: »

I was there once many years ago. If you find out where the slate quarries are and its there. Its an old mine shaft that was flooded and divers use it for practice. My memories is head out of Ballina for Nenagh and its up there some where along that road. But it is pure blue water and you can swim there.

I think you may be referring to Portroe Quarry.
https://www.google.ie/maps?q=52.862611,-8.358547&num=1&t=h&z=18
A while since I have been there. If memory serves me correct, one can be dived to a depth of 38 meters, the other to a depth of somewhere between 40 & 50 meters???
Used to go there in the winter, when the sea was rough, my god it was cold! :eek:

Mrs D007 has even added video clips while I was searching google maps for the location ..... you have loads of info now!

fryup · 09-08-2014 10:10am

but is it suitable for swimming? a flooded mine shaft sounds a bit dodgy

anyone test the water for cleanliness etc?

blowin3 · 09-08-2014 10:43am

I swam in it and no I would not say its safe stick to life guarded beaches if that is your worry. But one thing I do know the water was damn cold. No I doubt anyone tested it as it would not be a recommend swimming spot and don't think divers worry to much about such things .

Lady Chatterton · 09-08-2014 11:26am

fryup wrote: »

but is it suitable for swimming? a flooded mine shaft sounds a bit dodgy

anyone test the water for cleanliness etc?

Only for experienced divers.

Neon_Lights · 09-08-2014 11:33am

fryup wrote: »

but is it suitable for swimming? a flooded mine shaft sounds a bit dodgy

anyone test the water for cleanliness etc?

Have swam in it... never had any adverse affects .. the only thing i would say is there is a big ledge you can jump off if youre brave enough and a narrow margin between shallow and deep water

Neon_Lights · 09-08-2014 11:34am

kerry4sam wrote: »

Thread moved from our Travel 'Things to do in' forum to the Clare forum where it would be better suited as it is localised.

Thanks,
kerry4sam

Its actually in tipperary... d'oh

Lady Chatterton · 09-08-2014 1:20pm

Neon_Lights wrote: »

Its actually in tipperary... d'oh

Yes, it's in Tipperary but it's not far from the Clare border. Killaloe & Ballina are twin towns with many businesses on the Tipp side choosing to use the Clare address for marketing purposes and to avoid confusion with the Ballina in Co. Mayo.

Neon_Lights · 09-08-2014 1:27pm

MrsD007 wrote: »

Yes, it's in Tipperary but it's not far from the Clare border. Killaloe & Ballina are twin towns with many businesses on the Tipp side choosing to use the Clare address for marketing purposes and to avoid confusion with the Ballina in Co. Mayo.

I know i lived there for 5 years.... sigh ....but the blue lagoon is firmly in tipperary... its nearly nenagh

locum-motion · 09-08-2014 10:18pm

MrsD007 wrote: »

...with many businesses on the Tipp side choosing to use the Clare address ... to avoid confusion with the Ballina in Co. Mayo.

Surely 'Ballina, Co. Clare' and 'Ballina, Co. Tipperary' are both equally likely to be confused with 'Ballina, Co. Mayo', aren't they?

As in, 'not-very-likely-unless-someone-isn't-paying-atttention-or-is-really-thick'!

Neon_Lights · 09-08-2014 10:22pm

locum-motion wrote: »

Surely 'Ballina, Co. Clare' and 'Ballina, Co. Tipperary' are both equally likely to be confused with 'Ballina, Co. Mayo', aren't they?

As in, 'not-very-likely-unless-someone-isn't-paying-atttention-or-is-really-thick'!

Write a 600 word essay on how the irish postal service being non privatised makes it a paradigm of intelligent civil servants and efficiency

blowin3 · 09-08-2014 10:25pm

locum-motion wrote: »

Surely 'Ballina, Co. Clare' and 'Ballina, Co. Tipperary' are both equally likely to be confused with 'Ballina, Co. Mayo', aren't they?

As in, 'not-very-likely-unless-someone-isn't-paying-atttention-or-is-really-thick'!

Sort of thought the same myself but I did not want to annoy MrsD

A2LUE42 · 09-08-2014 10:33pm

I grew up there and one day after crossing the bridge and just before Molly's pub a car stopped and asked where Lough Derg was. I thought they were joking. I looked over my shoulder and indicated that the lake was the watery substance between the hills. They then asked where holy island was. Told them that Mountshannon would be the best place to arrange a boat out to the island.

They seemed surprised and asked about the pilgrimages to the island and how regular the boats were and showed me the leaflet they had

Ugh.. Penny dropped ... They are looking for the one in Donegal. They were well and truely in the wrong place.

locum-motion · 09-08-2014 10:35pm

Neon_Lights wrote: »

Write a 600 word essay on how the irish postal service being non privatised makes it a paradigm of intelligent civil servants and efficiency

Although I live in Ennis, I'm a native of Blackrock, Co. Louth. (Note I did not say "Blackrock, Dundalk", for Blackrock is not in Dundalk) There are (at least) 3 other Blackrocks in Ireland, the 2 best known of which are in Cork and Dublin. It is not uncommon for envelopes addressed to "Blackrock, Co. Louth" to arrive eventually with other handwriting saying 'Not Cork' or 'Not Dublin' or even both on them. Then sometimes there are also stickers from An Post saying "Delay caused by incomplete postal address - Please use 'Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth'"

To which the natural reaction is - of course - an exasperated shout of "But Blackrock is not IN Dundalk and it phucking says Co Louth right there on the envelope, you incompetent baxtards"

[Less than 600 words, but that's all you're getting]

Lady Chatterton · 09-08-2014 11:02pm

locum-motion wrote: »

Surely 'Ballina, Co. Clare' and 'Ballina, Co. Tipperary' are both equally likely to be confused with 'Ballina, Co. Mayo', aren't they?

As in, 'not-very-likely-unless-someone-isn't-paying-atttention-or-is-really-thick'!

No not really.

They use the address - Ballina, Killaloe, Co. Clare so there is no confusion.

Mr. G · 10-08-2014 9:06pm

locum-motion wrote: »

Although I live in Ennis, I'm a native of Blackrock, Co. Louth. (Note I did not say "Blackrock, Dundalk", for Blackrock is not in Dundalk) There are (at least) 3 other Blackrocks in Ireland, the 2 best known of which are in Cork and Dublin. It is not uncommon for envelopes addressed to "Blackrock, Co. Louth" to arrive eventually with other handwriting saying 'Not Cork' or 'Not Dublin' or even both on them. Then sometimes there are also stickers from An Post saying "Delay caused by incomplete postal address - Please use 'Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth'"

To which the natural reaction is - of course - an exasperated shout of "But Blackrock is not IN Dundalk and it phucking says Co Louth right there on the envelope, you incompetent baxtards"

[Less than 600 words, but that's all you're getting]

Makes no sense.

A lot of our post has those stickers on them with Ennis written onto them. I don't live in Ennis (not near it either), yet we have to put it on it. Don't understand why, but you will find An Post will put it on your address if you go to find an address on their website.
For example, if you put an address in for Ennistymon, you will come back with Ennis at the end of the address. I don't get it

Lady Chatterton · 10-08-2014 11:40pm

Mr. G wrote: »

Makes no sense.

A lot of our post has those stickers on them with Ennis written onto them. I don't live in Ennis (not near it either), yet we have to put it on it. Don't understand why, but you will find An Post will put it on your address if you go to find an address on their website.
For example, if you put an address in for Ennistymon, you will come back with Ennis at the end of the address. I don't get it

I think it's because all the post comes through the Ennis Mail Centre in the Gort Road first. In Killaloe, our post comes from Limerick Mail Centre so occasionally we'll have Limerick stickers on our letters.

Drop the Ball · 11-08-2014 12:10pm

There is no Post office in Ballina, the local post office is in Killaloe hence Ballina, Killaloe, Co.Clare is the official "postal" address.

Just know which county your are in at any one time and you won't piss off any locals

:);)

Kess73 · 11-08-2014 11:22pm

Drop the Ball wrote: »

There is no Post office in Ballina, the local post office is in Killaloe hence Ballina, Killaloe, Co.Clare is the official "postal" address.

Just know which county your are in at any one time and you won't piss off any locals :);)

Or just refer to it as Limerick, and you will unite the locals on both sides of the bridge.

killwill · 15-08-2014 8:36pm

Some Ballina families actually use Ballina, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary as they refuce to have Killaloe on it!!!!!
ANd as said above the only reason for having Killaloe on the Ballina addresses is simply because there is no post office in Ballina.
Some use Ballina, Killaloe, Co. Tipperary too. The county they use is irrelevant as it gets there all the same.

Fries-With-That · 16-08-2014 4:26pm

The towns land of Cloneybrien, Portroe, Co Tipperary has a postal address of Cloneybrien Killaloe. I think the slate quarry also had a postal address of Killoran Killaloe,this would be why people would think the area was part of Co Clare.

sarah332 · 16-08-2014 11:07pm

Thanks for all your repliesðŸ˜€ but i still cant find this lagoonðŸ˜•.... can anyone give more detailed directions at all??

blowin3 · 16-08-2014 11:32pm

sarah332 wrote: »

Thanks for all your repliesðŸ˜€ but i still cant find this lagoonðŸ˜•.... can anyone give more detailed directions at all??

Have you got a sat nav? Do you see link for Google maps showing the exact location on this tread. If you can't find it with all that information I am lost as well.:rolleyes:

999/112 · 17-08-2014 11:06pm

sarah332 wrote: »

Thanks for all your repliesðŸ˜€ but i still cant find this lagoonðŸ˜•.... can anyone give more detailed directions at all??

https://www.google.ie/maps?q=52.862611,-8.358547&num=1&t=h&z=18

999/112 · 17-08-2014 11:12pm

Fries-With-That wrote: »

The towns land of Cloneybrien, Portroe, Co Tipperary has a postal address of Cloneybrien Killaloe. I think the slate quarry also had a postal address of Killoran Killaloe,this would be why people would think the area was part of Co Clare.

The slate quarried here was known as "Killaloe slate". [I think]
I am also lead to believe it was pleasing to the eye and weathered the elements very well.

Not sure on this, but I think it may have been exported [via the river Shannon] to other countries ..... maybe some local can confirm this???

Fries-With-That · 18-08-2014 4:53pm

999/112 wrote: »

The slate quarried here was known as "Killaloe slate". [I think]
I am also lead to believe it was pleasing to the eye and weathered the elements very well.

Not sure on this, but I think it may have been exported [via the river Shannon] to other countries ..... maybe some local can confirm this???

I don't know about other countries but this is an interesting link.

http://www.slateearth.com/section653292.html

Hidden Lake, Ballina/Killaloe, County Clare

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