| Larne Lough | |
|---|---|
Larne Lough from the air, with Magheramorne in the foreground and Larne and Ballylumford in the background
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  Larne Lough Location of Larne Lough | |
| Location | Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°49′39″N 5°47′24″W / 54.82762°N 5.79011°W / 54.82762; -5.79011 |
| Basin countries | Northern Ireland |
| Designated | 4 March 1997 |
| Reference no. | 895[1] |
Larne Lough, historically Lough Larne (from Irish Loch Latharna),[2] is a sea lochorinletinCounty 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.
The lough takes its name from the small medieval territory of Latharna meaning "descendants of Lathair". The older name for the lough was Loch OllarbhaorInbhear nOllarbha, from Ollarbha, the ancient name of the Larne Water.
Chaine Memorial Tower lighthouse is on the west side of the entrance to Larne Lough.
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.[3] The northern end was also surveyed.[4]
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 IslandmageetoWhitehead railway station then running alongside Belfast Lough via Carrickfergus and Belfast CentraltoBelfast Great Victoria Street railway station.
