Erne

Erne (ûrn), river, 72 mi (116 km) long, rising in Lough Gowna, Co. Longford, N Republic of Ireland. It flows NW through SW Northern Ireland, then back through the Republic before entering the Atlantic Ocean at Donegal Bay. Grazing predominates in the Erne basin; Enniskillen is the chief town. In Northern Ireland the river expands to form two large lakes—Upper Lough Erne (10 mi/16.1 km long) and Lower Lough Erne (18 mi/29 km long). An international flood-control scheme (completed 1959) controls the water level in the lakes. Hydroelectricity is produced along the 150-ft (46-m) drop in the river's course between Belleek and Ballyshannon; the lakes are a natural reservoir.

---

Erne

a river in N central Republic of Ireland, rising in County Cavan and flowing north across the border, through Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne and then west to Donegal Bay. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)

---

Erne 

(Lough Erne), a lake in Northern Ireland. Area, 123 sq km; depth, up to 69 m (the deepest lake in Ireland); water level, 46 m. The banks are high and forested. The Erne River flows through the lake, falling into Donegal Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake is navigable.