| Lough Beg | |
|---|---|
| Loch Beag (Irish) | |
  Lough Beg | |
| Location | Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°47′50″N 6°28′30″W / 54.79722°N 6.47500°W |
| Basin countries | Northern Ireland |
| Official name | Lough Neagh & Lough Beg |
| Designated | 5 January 1976 |
| Reference no. | 74[1] |
Lough Beg (from Irish Loch Beag 'little lake'[2]) 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.[3] 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.[4] It is one of the main Irish breeding areas for the scarce Garganey.
- ^ "Lough Neagh & Lough Beg". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Toner, Gregory: Place-Names of Northern Ireland, Volume Five, County Derry I, The Moyola Valley, page 76. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University Belfast, 1996. ISBN 0-85389-613-5
- ^ Philip's (1994). Atlas of the World. Reed International. p. 19. ISBN 0-540-05831-9.
- ^ "Lough Beg National Nature Reserve". Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 20 March 2020.