Oxford Island

Last updated August 03, 2024

Oxford Island is a National Nature Reserve and public recreation site on the southern shores of Lough Neagh at Lurgan, County Armagh. The site covers 282 acres (113 hectares) and is owned and maintained by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Much of the area is designated as a National Nature Reserve due to its wide variety of natural habitats. The purpose of all work on the island is to maintain biodiversity and to provide a recreation area for everyone.

History

In 1846 the water level in Lough Neagh was lowered artificially for the first time, and Oxford Island became a peninsula. Under the Craigavon New City Plans, Oxford Island was acquired as a site for public recreation. At that time most of the land was cultivated or grazed so that any natural vegetation cover was eradicated. Since the acquisition by Craigavon Borough Council in the late 1960s, many thousands of mixed woodland trees have been planted, the Lough shore allowed to develop naturally and the meadows have largely reverted to species rich grassland.

Activities and facilities

Lough Neagh Discovery Centre: Built in 1993, the building contains 3 conference rooms, a cafe with great views of Lough Neagh, a gift and craft shop, a Tourist Information Point along with information on the local conservation and heritage. The Lagan Canal Trust also runs its operations out of the building.
Kinnego Marina: The marina has 190 fully sheltered public berths as well as a caravan and camping park. The Lough Neagh Sailing Club in Northern Ireland, established in 1877, operates out of Kinnego Marina.
Walking: The Island contains multiple trails which span a distance of 4 miles.
Art space: An artist’s studio allowing visitors to see artists at work and workshops.
Enterprize Barge: A restored Lagan Canal lighter which houses an exhibition on inland waterways.

Management

In order to maintain biodiversity the site is carefully managed. Some of the grassland areas are cut for hay, while others are left for grazing by rare breeds including the Irish Moiled and Dexter cattle. Ongoing efforts to remove alien invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam which can threaten to take over from other native species including removing scrub from part of the shore line to enable the reed beds to flourish.

Flora

Oxford Island contains a wealth of both rare and common wild plants. These include

Hyacinthoides non-scripta (common bluebell)
Silene dioica (red campion)
Orchids
Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle)
Lychnis flos-cuculi (ragged robin)
Butomus (flowering rush)

Fauna

Butterflies and moths

The following butterflies reside at the reserve:

Large white (Pieris brassicae)
Small white (Pieris rapae)
Green-veined white (Pieris napi)
Wood white (Leptidea sinapis)
Orange tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina)
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria)
Common blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
Small copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
European peacock (Aglais io)

About 60 species of moth have also been recorded.

Freshwater fish

Lough Neagh is famous for its fish. Some species include:

Winter birds

Lough Neagh attracts many species of bird and is designated as a Special Protection Area under EU legislation. It is especially noted for large numbers of wintering wildfowl which migrate from areas such as Iceland, Scandinavia and Siberia. These birds include:

Summer birds

The following are some species of bird that arrive in the area during summer months:

Other fauna

Lough Neagh is famous for the Chironomidae (Chironomid midge fly). This small insect lives for most of its life in the water feeding on dead plant material. After about a year it rises to the surface where it changes into a pupa which then becomes the adult fly. Billions of flies perform a mating dance, swarming above the treetops around the Lough. The adult flies live for only a few days and are completely harmless as they have no mouth parts. The Chironomid is an important food source for many of the other species of animals.

Related Research Articles

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Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and roughly 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Belfast. The town is linked to Belfast by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. Lurgan had a population of about 28,634 at the 2021 UK census, and falls within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. For certain purposes, Lurgan is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", along with neighbouring Craigavon and Portadown.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bannfoot</span> Village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland

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The Lagan Canal was a 44-kilometre (27 mi) canal built to connect Belfast to Lough Neagh. The first section, which is a river navigation, was opened in 1763, and linked Belfast to Lisburn. The second section from Lisburn to Lough Neagh includes a small amount of river navigation, but was largely built as a canal. At its peak it was one of the most successful of the Irish canals, but ultimately it was unable to compete with road and rail transport, and the two sections were closed in 1954 and 1958. The central section from Sprucefield to Moira was destroyed by the construction of the M1 motorway in the 1960s. Responsibility for most of its remains passed first to the Department of Agriculture and then to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, although the section between Aghalee Bridge and Lough Neagh, including the final ten locks, passed into private ownership. There is an active campaign to re-open the canal, including reinstatement of the central section.

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External links

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