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Lough Neagh

Lough Neagh is situated in the centre of Northern Ireland with five of the Province’s six counties touching its shores. It is the biggest Lough in the British Isles and the third biggest lake in Europe.

Legend has it that Lough Neagh was created by the Irish Giant Finn McCool who scooped out the Lough basin to toss it at a Scottish rival that was fleeing Ulster by way of the Giants Causeway. The piece of land fell into the Irish Channel and formed the Isle of Man.

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Access to Antrim Castle Gardens (left) and Clotworthy House is via the Randalstown Road. The impressive 17th century water gardens are one of the earliest of their kind remaining in the British Isles. The site contains an ancient motte, a spectacular and unique parterre, long canal, round pond and paths through the demesne, as well as remnants of Antrim Castle.
Clotworthy House, a flourishing Arts Centre, was built in the 1840s as the stable block for Antrim Castle of which only an Italianate tower survives in the Castle Gardens.
Please note, these gardens are undergoing work during 2011 and 2012 which will evenutally transform them into a visitor attraction of national significance.

Ardboe High Cross, (right) which dates to the ninth/tenth century AD, is all that now remains of a sixth century monastery, which was established at Arboe by St. Colman Muchaidhe
This is one of the finest examples of the Irish High Cross in Ulster, and can be found at Ardboe (Arboe/Ard Bo - height of the cow) County Tyrone, located on a small hillock close to the west shore of Lough Neagh. Nearby is a graveyard and in the north west corner of the graveyard stands a dead beech tree-stump, said to have been blessed by a monk. A number of coins have been embedded into the tree trunk - which eventually killed the tree - each coin indicates a wish, or prayer for a cure. To remove a coin from the tree will transfer the illness to whoever removes the coin. The practise of leaving a coin at the tree in return for a wish is still practised by local children. the ghost of a small grey monk is said to wander through the church ruins in the graveyard.

The Lough Neagh Discovery Centre (left) is situated within the breathtaking Oxford Island National Nature Reserve just off the M1 motorway.and is the starting point for any visit to Oxford Island or Lough Neagh. There are 8 km of walks and nature trails accessible in all seasons, five bird watching hides, picnic areas, a paddling pool and children's play area. The richness of the wildflower meadows, woodlands, shoreline and open water means that there is always something special to see. Information panels throughout the Reserve maximise the visitor's enjoyment of this valuable site.