Wildlife reserves · Northern Ireland
Magilligan
Magilligan is a peninsula at the mouth of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is an extensive 79,000-acre (32,000-hectare) coastal site, part military firing range and part nature
Malcolm Neal — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 2 h–4 h
- Best time of year
- Autumn & winter (migration & wildfowl)
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Magilligan is a peninsula at the mouth of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is an extensive 79,000-acre (32,000-hectare) coastal site, part military firing range and part nature reserve, and is home to HM Prison Magilligan. The tip of the peninsula, which lies less than a mile from Greencastle in County Donegal, is known as Magilligan Point. The two are linked by a ferry service.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Magilligan is a peninsula at the mouth of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is an extensive 79,000-acre (32,000-hectare) coastal site, part military firing range and part nature reserve, and is home to HM Prison Magilligan. The tip of the peninsula, which lies less than a mile from Greencastle in County Donegal, is known as Magilligan Point. The two are linked by a ferry service.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The peninsula historically belonged to a district known as "MacGilligan's Country", which formed a major part of the barony of Keenaght. Magilligan served as the base line for triangulation for the mapping of Ireland in the 19th century. Colonel Thomas Colby chose Magilligan due to the flatness of the strand and its proximity to Scotland which, along with the rest of Britain, had been accurately mapped in previous decades. A straight line precisely 30533 feet was measured from North Station to Ballykelly in 1828, from which all other references were measured. The survey finished in 1846 when County Kerry was mapped.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 55.1870, -6.9580
- District
- Causeway Coast and Glens
- Postcode
- BT49 0LR
- Parliamentary constituency
- East Londonderry
Sources
- wikipedia: Magilligan (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Magilligan?
- Magilligan is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (postcode BT49 0LR).
- Is Magilligan free to visit?
- Yes, Magilligan is free to enter.
- How do I get to Magilligan?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode BT49 0LR. It sits within the East Londonderry parliamentary constituency.
- Are dogs allowed at Magilligan?
- Most wildlife reserves allow dogs on lead only, with restrictions during ground-nesting bird season (March-July). Check signage at the reserve.