Ireland's Loughareema Lake Plays Mind Games By Randomly Vanishing

You may have encountered instances when you could have bet your life about something you had seen or done, but yet when you revisited, either the thing had vanished or the chore, left undone. If you happen to visit Ireland you may encounter the same feeling at the Loughareema Lake - However, in this case it is not your mind playing games with you, but the lake itself, which seems to sporadically appear and disappear.

Located along a coastal road, few miles away from the seaside town of Ballycastle, the magical lake has become somewhat legendary and a big tourist draw. However, there is nothing magical about why it disappears.The reason as you may have guessed by now, is to do with the area's rock structure.

Turns out that the rock underneath the ground happens to be an extremely porous form of limestone similar to the chalk that you use to create works of art on your sidewalk. Ordinarily this would still not cause the lake to disappear completely because the topsoil would be able to retain at least some water permanently. However, in the case of the Loughareema Lake, part of the topsoil has eroded and created almost a spiral drain leading right to the porous limestone which, is where the water vanishes into, most days.

But just like any drain, this one too gets clogged up with peat, especially following heavy rains. Hence, the water has no choice but to remain on the topsoil and turn into a lake! However, the peat does not stay forever and when it does clear, the water drains away quickly, causing the lake the magically disappear!

Though the locals are now aware of its tricks, and have even built a road that sits on a higher elevation for when the lake does magically re-appear, it hasn't prevented them from warning visitors about the scary myth attached to it.

According to folklore, in a bid to get to the train station in a rush, a Colonel by the name of John Magee McNeille attempted to cross the lake when it was in its fullest glory in 1898. Unfortunately, he misjudged the depth and he along with his coachman and horses drowned. If the residents of Ballycastle are to be believed, on nights when the lake is full, a phantom coach and its passengers still haunt the area - Nobody seems to have had the courage to verify if this indeed is the case, but it does make for some fun discussions!

Resources: Geekquinox, odditycenteral.com