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Lough Beg () is a small freshwater lake north of Lough Neagh in
Lough Beg () is a small freshwater lake north of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
. The lake is located on the border between County Londonderry
County Londonderry (Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulste ...
and County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
. The Lower Bann flows into it from Lough Neagh at the southern end and continues on its route to the sea from the northern end. Church Island which is on the lake was the site of a pre-Viking monastery and during the summer it is normally reachable by foot. Due to the area's many rare plants and it being a stopping point for migrating birds the area was protected as the Lough Beg National Nature Reserve. It is one of the main Irish breeding areas for the scarce Garganey
The garganey (''Spatula querquedula'') is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and across the Palearctic, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), Banglad ...
.
Church Island
Church Island is from Bellaghy; it is not a true island as it is usually accessible by foot, since the water in the lough has receded following the dredging of theRiver Bann
The River Bann (from ga, An Bhanna, meaning "the goddess"; Ulster-Scots: ''Bann Wattèr'') is one of the longest rivers in Northern Ireland, its length, Upper and Lower Bann combined, being 129 km (80 mi). However, the total lengt ...
in the 1930s. The church is reputed to date back to the time of Saint Patrick when he navigated the River Bann and founded a settlement. It has no spire, but there is a separate spire built beside it, erected so that Bishop Harvey, in the late 18th century, could see the spire from his home in Bellaghy. There is a famous stone, the Bullaun Stone, with a hollow that fills with water, which is said to have been worn down by the saint as he prayed. Pilgrims come to the island each year, on the first Sunday in September, to celebrate the feast of Saint Thaddeus.
Ramsar site
Lough Neagh and Lough Beg are a nature reserve and have been designated as aRamsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
** hooded lady's tresses orchid grows here, the Lough Neagh basin being one of the few locations in Ireland where it occurs.
Lough Beg National Nature Reserve
] {{authority control Lakes of County Antrim, Beg Beg Northern Ireland Environment Agency properties Nature reserves in Northern Ireland Protected areas of County Antrim Protected areas of County Londonderry Ramsar sites in Northern Ireland
See also
*List of loughs in Ireland
This is an alphabetical list of loughs (lakes) on the island of Ireland. It also shows a table of the largest loughs. The word '' lough'' is pronounced like ''loch'' () and comes from the Irish ''loch'', meaning ''lake''.
According to the Enviro ...
* The Strand at Lough Beg by Irish Poet Seamus Heaney
Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.
from his book of Poems Field Work
Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduc ...
References
External links
*Northern Ireland Environment AgencyLough Beg National Nature Reserve
] {{authority control Lakes of County Antrim, Beg Beg Northern Ireland Environment Agency properties Nature reserves in Northern Ireland Protected areas of County Antrim Protected areas of County Londonderry Ramsar sites in Northern Ireland