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Located on the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal, the northern extremities of the lough are marked by [[Fanad|Fanad Head]] with its lighthouse and Dunaff Head. Towns situated on the [[lough]] include [[Buncrana]] on Inishowen and [[Rathmullan]] on the western side. At the southern end of the lough lies [[Letterkenny]].
In the south of the lough a number of islands (Burt, [[Inch Island|Inch]], Coney, Big Isle) were [[polder]]ed and the land reclaimed during the 19th century for agriculture and the [[Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway]] constructed embankments on the line from [[Derry]] to Letterkenny. These reclaimed lands are now [[wetlands]] associated with [[wildlife conservation]] and [[birdwatching]], and support over 4,000 [[whooper swan]]s and thousands of [[greater white-fronted goose|Greenland white front]], [[barnacle goose|barnacle]], [[Greylag goose|greylagg]] and [[brent goose|brent]] geese.{{
The lough is known for its wildlife-watching (dolphins, porpoise, seabirds, migratory geese and swans) and diving on a number of ship wrecks,{{sfn|Pierce|2011|loc=Irish Times}} including {{SS|Laurentic|1908|6}} sunk by a German [[Naval mine|mine]] (possible [[torpedo]]), which went down with 3,211 ingots of gold of which 3,191 were recovered.{{sfn|Scoltock|2016|loc=synopsis}}
==History==
The lough, and the [[Grianán Ailigh]] hill fort (early fortification and palace dating from 2000–5000 BC) at its southeastern bend, were recorded on [[Ptolemy]]'s [[Geography (Ptolemy)|map of the world]]. It has a number of early [[Stone Age]] monuments and [[Iron Age]] fortifications along its shores, as well as a number of [[shell midden]]s dated to approximately 7000 BC.{{sfn|Kimball|1998|p=163}}
Swilly was the departure point for the '[[Flight of the Earls]]' in 1607. This event, which followed a failed uprising in September 1607, saw [[Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone]], and [[Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell]] (the last [[Gael]]ic chieftains in Ireland at that time), set sail from [[Rathmullan]] with ninety of their followers.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.donegal.ie/venue-and-organization/flight-earls-heritage-centre | publisher = Donegal.ie | title = Flight Of The Earls Centre}}</ref>{{sfn|Dundurn|2000|p=78}}
During a gale on 4 December 1811, the [[Royal Navy]] 36-gun {{sclass
[[File:Martello Tower - geograph.org.uk - 1353269.jpg|thumb|A Martello tower that sits on the banks of Lough Swilly.]]
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During the First World War, the lough was used by the Royal Navy as an anchorage for elements of the [[Grand Fleet]], an amalgamation of the pre-war Home and Atlantic Fleets, under [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe|Sir John R. Jellicoe]] and a gathering/staging point for Atlantic convoys.{{sfn|Friel|2015}}{{sfn|Dundurn|2000|p=18}} During this period a boom was placed across the lough between Macamish Point and Ned's Point, supported by a number of [[Naval trawler|trawlers]], to prevent [[U-boat]] attacks. After the [[Irish War of Independence]] the lough was also one of the [[Treaty ports (Ireland)|Treaty Ports]] specified in the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] until its final handing over at Fort Dunree in 1938.{{sfn|Dundurn|2000|p=18}}
According to exhibits at Fort Dunree, during [[World War II]] Irish troops manned the guns there with explicit instructions to fire at any ship that might threaten Irish neutrality by entering the natural harbour. There was reportedly only one serious incident, when a Royal Navy ship entered the lough and did not initially respond to signals that it should turn back. However, the ship turned around before Irish forces fired upon it.{{
==References==
===Notes===
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===Sources===
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==See also==
{{
*[[List of loughs in Ireland]]
*[[Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Swilly}}
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