Cloonee and Inchiquin Loughs, Uragh Wood, Special Area of Conservation in County Kerry, Ireland

Cloonee and Inchiquin Loughs is a protected area in County Kerry containing two freshwater lakes bordered by native hardwood forests. The site spans roughly 115 hectares and encompasses diverse woodland habitats with oak, birch, and other natural tree species throughout.

Uragh Wood has been protected as a nature reserve since 1982. A Special Area of Conservation was later designated, covering the wood, the lakes and the surrounding valley in Tuosist. The site is part of the Natura 2000 network.

The site's name links two lake groups with Uragh Wood, the oak woodland that gives the Natura 2000 area its protected status. Uragh Wood has been a nature reserve since 1982, and the wood, lakes and surrounding valley were later included in a Special Area of Conservation. The lakes themselves are named individually: the Salt Lake, Lower, Middle and Upper Cloonee Loughs, and Gleninchaquin Lake.

The site lies in a valley at Tuosist in County Kerry, with the Cloonee Loughs and Gleninchaquin Lake among the main waters. Access is on foot; paths run through the woodland and past the lakes. The terrain is uneven in places, so wear footwear suited to wet ground.

The location supports the Kerry slug and lesser horseshoe bat, two uncommon species rarely encountered elsewhere in Ireland. These animals depend on the undisturbed woodland and lake conditions to survive and thrive.