Water rarely respects a county boundary, and that is the thread running through these seven. The River Foyle forms at Lifford where the Finn and the Mourne meet, then runs about 32 km through Derry to Lough Foyle, a tidal estuary that the UK and Ireland have both claimed outright since 1922. The Greencastle to Magilligan ferry crosses its mouth in about a quarter of an hour, which is the quickest way to take in how wide the estuary is.
Newry sits at the other end of the North, a canal city between the Mournes and Slieve Gullion. The Newry Canal of 1742 was the first summit-level canal in Ireland, and its towpath is now the traffic-free Newry Canal Way. Poyntzpass is strung along that same towpath on the Armagh and Down border, so the two work as a single outing on foot or by bike.
The rest are far apart and each needs its own drive. Lough Allen, the first and quietest of the Shannon’s three big lakes, sits among the old iron-mining hills of Leitrim, with the Miner’s Way on the shore. The River Aherlow runs the floor of the valley between the Galtees and Slievenamuck, and the Suck Valley Way makes a 105km loop on the Roscommon and Galway border. Winter brings the swans and waders to the Foyle; the walking routes are better with long evenings.
Grew from a Cistercian abbey into the port of Ireland's first summit-level canal, with the Mournes, Slieve Gullion and Carlingford Lough on its doorstep.
A tidal estuary claimed outright by both states since 1922, holding the North's second-largest intertidal habitat and more than 500 Whooper Swans each winter.
The first and quietest of the Shannon's three big lakes, set among the iron-mining hills of Leitrim, good for paddling, pike and the Miner's Way.
Formed where the Finn and Mourne meet at Lifford, it runs 32 km through Derry under the Peace Bridge to a wader-rich estuary.
A small village on the flat Newry Canal Way towpath at the Armagh and Down border, with a Victorian station and a market fair from 1790.
7 of 7 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Northern Ireland, various
Newry grew from a 1144 Cistercian abbey into a canal port – the Newry Canal of 1742 was the first summit-level canal in Ireland – and became a city in 2002. The museum at 16th-century Bagenal’s Castle and Thomas Duff’s granite cathedral are the sights in town; the Mournes, Slieve Gullion and Carlingford Lough are the reason to stay longer.
Derry-Londonderry, various
Lough Foyle is a tidal estuary the UK and Ireland have both claimed outright since 1922. Day to day it is Northern Ireland's second-largest stretch of intertidal habitat, filling each winter with more than 500 Whooper Swans, and the Greencastle–Magilligan ferry hops across its mouth in a quarter of an hour.
Northeastern Connacht, various
Lough Allen is the first and quietest of the Shannon's three big lakes, set among the iron-mining hills of Leitrim. You can paddle its sheltered channels, walk the old Miner's Way, fish for its native pike, or thaw out in a lakeside sauna at the adventure centre on the shore.
Northwest Ireland, various
The River Foyle forms where the Finn and Mourne meet at Lifford and runs about 32 km through Derry to Lough Foyle and the sea. Three landmark bridges cross it in the city, including the reconciliation-symbol Peace Bridge, and its broad estuary is one of the North's most important wintering grounds for wading birds. It's also a fast, dangerous river, watched over since 1993 by Foyle Search and Rescue.
Poyntzpass, various
various
Various, various
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