Carlingford Lough

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Carlingford Lough (Loch Cairlinn in Irish) (Cairlinn being shortened form of "Cathair Linn" literally translated as "City of the Pool") is a sea loch that forms part of the international border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south.

On the northern side, in County Down, are the coastal towns of Warrenpoint and Rostrevor, backed by the Mountains of Mourne, and on the southern side are Omeath, Carlingford and Greenore, all on the Cooley peninsula in County Louth.

On 3 November 1916 two steamers, the SS Connemara and the SS Retriever, collided and sank in the loch with the loss of 94 lives.

Carlingford Lough is a popular venue for sea angling and yachting. The northern shores contain mudflats and salt marsh, so provide winter feeding areas for the Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Branta bernicla hrota. At the mouth of the lough are several small rock and shingle islands which are breeding areas for terns, which feed in its shallow waters.

[edit] Ghost Ship

It is believed a ghost ship can be seen on Carlingford Lough the night before a disaster it was apparently seen the night before the the crash between the Connemara and the Retriever