Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (), is a sea loch or inlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the Islandmagee peninsula and the mainland. At its mouth is the town of Larne. It is designated as an area of special scientific interest, a special protection area, and a Ramsar site to protect the wetland environment, particularly due to the presence of certain bird species and shellfish.
Name
The lough takes its name from the small medieval territory of Latharna meaning "descendants of Lathair". The older name for the lough was
Loch Ollarbha or
Inbhear nOllarbha, from
Ollarbha, the ancient name of the Larne Water.
Places of interest
Chaine Memorial is on the west side of the entrance to Larne Lough.
Flora and fauna
In 1929, a "Coastal Survey" of the
algae of the north-east of Ireland was begun when a few members of the Botanical Society in The Queen's University of Belfast investigated and mapped the distribution of the
seaweeds. Among the algae recorded was
Ascophyllum nodosum var.
minor Turn.
[ Lynn, M.J. 1960 Coastal survey X (new series) southern end of Larne Lough, Co. Antrim. Ir. Nat. J. 13:159–163.] The northern end was also surveyed.
[ Lynn, M.J. 1961. Coastal survey XI (new series) northern end of Larne Lough, Co. Antrim. Ir. Nat. J. 13:223–227.]
Railway line
The Belfast-Larne railway line brings the line alongside the shore line from Larne Harbour, Larne Town, Glynn, Magheramorne, and Ballycarry, over the section of land linking
Islandmagee to Whitehead railway station then running alongside
Belfast Lough via Carrickfergus and Belfast Lanyon Place to Belfast Grand Central
See also
-
List of loughs in Ireland
-
List of Ramsar sites in Northern Ireland