County Armagh is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 1,327 km2 (512 sq mi) and has a population of about 175,000. County Armagh is known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards. The county is part of the historic province of Ulster.
Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh. Lurgan is about 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. It had a population of about 25,000 at the 2011 Census and is within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. For some purposes, Lurgan is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area" along with neighbouring Craigavon and Portadown.
Lough Neagh is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. It is the largest lake in the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles overall, with a surface area of 151 square miles. It supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's water. Its main inflows are the Upper River Bann and River Blackwater, and its main outflow is the Lower River Bann. Its name comes from Irish Loch nEachach[ˌl̪ˠɔx ˈn̠ʲahəx], meaning "Eachaidh's lake". The lough is owned by the Earl of Shaftesbury and managed by Lough Neagh Partnership Ltd.
Craigavon Borough Council was a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. It merged with Armagh City and District Council and Banbridge District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council.
Derrymacash is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is about four miles west of Lurgan, between the M1 motorway and Lough Neagh. It had a population of 629 in the 2001 Census.
Derryadd is a hamlet and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area, on the southern shores of Lough Neagh. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 201 people.
Derrytrasna is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The village is on a plateau surrounded mainly by bogland in the north of the county. It lies between Lough Neagh, Lough Gullion and the River Bann. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 249 people. Derrytrasna is within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area.
Maghery is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southwest shore of Lough Neagh, near Derrywarragh Island, in the northwest corner of the county. As it sits between the estuaries of the rivers Blackwater and Bann, Maghery was of strategic significance in the past.
The Birches is a small village in northern County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is 6 miles northwest of Portadown, close to junction 12 on the M1 Motorway and to the southern shore of Lough Neagh. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 150. It is within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon council area.
Portmore Lough is a small lake in southwest County Antrim, Northern Ireland that drains water into nearby Lough Neagh. It is roughly circular and covers an area of 286 hectares. The Lough and its shoreland is designated a Ramsar site, a Special Protection Area (SPA) and an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). The lough is now part of a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve.
Derrymore is a small village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 243 people. It lies on the shores of Lough Neagh, within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area.
Ashleworth Ham is a 104.73-hectare (258.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is a large area of grassland on the Severn floodplain, north of Ashleworth in Gloucestershire, England. It is registered as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and was notified in 1974 and renotified in 1985. Ashleworth Ham received this designation because it is one of three sites in the Severn Vale where migratory waterfowl winter.
Lough Beg is a small freshwater lake north of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. The lake is located on the border between County Londonderry and County Antrim. 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.
Derrywarragh Island is a boulder clay island on Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. It is linked by a bridge to Maghery, County Armagh. The island is approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) northwest of Portadown. Most of the island is wet grassland. There are also areas of wet woodland, marshes and swamps. The island is also regularly the home of wintering and breeding birds.
Coney Island is an island in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. It is about 1 km offshore from Maghery in County Armagh, is thickly wooded and of nearly 9 acres (36,000 m2) in area. It lies between the mouths of the River Blackwater and the River Bann in the south-west corner of Lough Neagh. Boat trips to the island are available at weekends from Maghery Country Park or Kinnego Marina. The island is owned by the National Trust and managed on their behalf by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Coney Island Flat is a rocky outcrop adjacent to the island. Although Samuel Lewis called Coney Island the only island in County Armagh, Armagh's section of Lough Neagh also includes Croaghan Island, as well as the marginal cases of Padian and Derrywarragh Island.
Bannfoot is a small village in the townland of Derryinver, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It sits where the Upper Bann flows into Lough Neagh. Bannfoot is within the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area.
Maghery Country Park is a park in the village of Maghery, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, on the shores of Lough Neagh. It covers 30 acres (120,000 m2) and includes five km of woodland walks and picnic areas and is used for birdwatching, fishing, and walking. Coney Island lies one km off shore and boat trips are available from the park at weekends. It is an important local amenity and tourist attraction and is managed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
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.
Maiden Erlegh Lakes is a 10.2-hectare (25-acre) Local Nature Reserve Earley, a suburb of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned and managed by Earley Town Council.
