Dundrum Bay

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Dundrum Bay
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Dundrum Bay
Type Bay
Inner Dundrum Bay Dundrum Inner Bay from the Public Green next to Marlough Quay - geograph.org.uk - 2174679.jpg
Inner Dundrum Bay

Dundrum Bay (Old Irish Loch Rudraige) is a bay located next to Dundrum, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is divided into the Outer Bay, and the almost entirely landlocked Inner Bay. They are separated by the dune systems of Ballykinler to the north and Murlough to the south.

Walter Harris, a surveyor, wrote in 1744 that the 'North and South Tides meeting off this Bay and breaking upon St John's Point occasion a greater eddy or suction inwards than in other places; for many ships have found themselves embayed.' [1] Local historian John W Hanna described in the 1860's how 'not a foot of the shore from St John's Point to Annalong but has from time to time been strewn with the broken masts and timbers of Royal and merchant ships.' [1] The bay was home to the SS Great Britain for a year having run aground on a sandbar in 1846. [2] The worst lost of life was 74 crew and 11 fishing boats on 13 January 1843. [1]

The Dundrum Coastal Path, a part of the larger Lecale Way, is a hiking trail that winds along the fronts of the bay; the trek is often visited by birdwatchers. [3] The Blackstaff River, Ardilea, Moneycarragh and the Carrigs River all empty into the bay. [4] The inner bay comprises extensive tidal mud and sand flats and is important for wintering wildfowl. [5]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Down</span> County in Northern Ireland

County Down is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of 961 sq mi (2,490 km2) and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangford Lough</span>

Strangford Lough is a large sea loch or inlet in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet in Ireland and the British Isles, covering 150 km2 (58 sq mi). The lough is almost fully enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is linked to the Irish Sea by a long narrow channel at its southeastern edge. The main body of the lough has at least seventy islands along with many islets (pladdies), bays, coves, headlands and mudflats. Historically it was called 'Lough Coan', while 'Strangford' referred to the narrow sea channel. It is part of the 'Strangford and Lecale' Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Strangford Lough was designated as Northern Ireland's first Marine Conservation Zone in 2013, and has been designated a Special Area of Conservation for its important wildlife.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Lough</span> Large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clough</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dundrum Castle</span> Ruined castle at Dundrum, County Down, Northern Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murlough Nature Reserve</span> Northern Irish nature reserve

Murlough Nature Reserve lies on the coast of County Down in Northern Ireland, situated close to Newcastle. It has views of Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains and Dundrum Bay. Its 6,000-year-old sand dune system has been managed by the National Trust since 1967, when it became Ireland's first nature reserve. Grid ref: J414351.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecale</span> Place in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Lecale is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. In the Middle Ages it was a district or túath in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the Anglo-Norman Earldom of Ulster. Later it became a barony, which was split into Lecale Lower and Lecale Upper by 1851. Its largest settlement is the town of Downpatrick. Other settlements include Ardglass, Killough and Strangford. The peninsula has a high concentration of tower houses. Much of it is part of the 'Strangford and Lecale' Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint John's Point, County Down</span> Cape on the coast of Ireland

Saint John's Point or St. John's Point is a cape at the southern tip of the Lecale peninsula of County Down Northern Ireland, separating Dundrum Bay from Killough Harbour, which forms its northern extremity. The cape is mostly surrounded by the Irish Sea and derives its name from a now ruined church dedicated to Saint John, being recorded here since at least 1170. A well known beacon in the north-eastern Irish Sea, St. John's Point Lighthouse, built in 1844, sits near its southern tip and, at 40 m (130 ft), is the tallest lighthouse in Ireland.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Lomas, Barbara (2019). "Shipwrecks of Dundrum Bay". Lecale Review. 17.
  2. "Dundrum bay shipwreck site located". ssgreatbritain.org. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  3. "Walks - Dundrum Coastal Path". walkni.com.
  4. "Dundrum Bay". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. "Earth Science Conservation Review - Dundrum Bay and Murlough". habitas.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021.

Coordinates: 54°13′N5°46′W / 54.217°N 5.767°W / 54.217; -5.767