
Ballydowan is a small village, on the eastern shore of Larne Lough, which is situated on the northeast coast of Ireland. Located about a mile and a half within the lough it provides a secluded anchorage adjacent to a local mooring area.
The anchorage at Ballydowan affords good protection in the enclosed waterway of Larne Lough, but it is somewhat exposed to a fetch that can develop across the large expanse of water to the northwest. Access is straightforward as Larne Lough may be approached day or night, at any stage of the tide and in all reasonable conditions. Outside of the harbour, navigation aids become scarce but the trek down to the anchorage is via a deep channel with no obstructions, where it is simply a matter of passing along the shoreline to Ballydowan.
Keyfacts for Ballydowan
Last modified
July 18th 2018 Summary
A good location with straightforward access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
This anchorage is within Larne Lough and off Islandmagee’s western shore. The position is immediately south of the small spit of headland extending south from Ballydowan upon the lough’s eastern shore.
What is the initial fix?
The following Larne Harbour Initial Fix will set up a final approach:

What are the key points of the approach?
Offshore details are available in the northeast Ireland’s Coastal Overview for Malin Head to Strangford Lough
.
- Approaches to bay can be found in the Larne Harbour
entry.
- Track down along the deep water channel that follows the western side of Islandmagee’s shoreline to Ballydowan.
Not what you need?
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Below are the ten nearest havens to Ballydowan for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Mill Bay - 0.5 nautical miles SE
- Magheramorne Point - 0.6 nautical miles SSW
- Larne Harbour - 0.9 nautical miles NW
- Brown’s Bay - 1.6 nautical miles N
- Ferris Bay - 1.6 nautical miles NNW
- Portmuck - 1.7 nautical miles NE
- Whitehead - 4.9 nautical miles SSE
- Ballygalley Bay - 5.4 nautical miles NW
- Carrickfergus Harbour & Marina - 7.3 nautical miles SSW
- Greenisland - 8.7 nautical miles SSW
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Mill Bay - 0.5 miles SE
- Magheramorne Point - 0.6 miles SSW
- Larne Harbour - 0.9 miles NW
- Brown’s Bay - 1.6 miles N
- Ferris Bay - 1.6 miles NNW
- Portmuck - 1.7 miles NE
- Whitehead - 4.9 miles SSE
- Ballygalley Bay - 5.4 miles NW
- Carrickfergus Harbour & Marina - 7.3 miles SSW
- Greenisland - 8.7 miles SSW
How to get in?

After entering the harbour continue south past Ballylumford Power Station and its pier, between the L-shaped ‘A’ wharf and No.7 buoy, and then along the western shore of Islandmagee. Here the eastern shore of the inner Lough is covered by a gravelly foreshore that dries up to 200 metres off. Outside of this, there is a 200 metres wide channel that carries 6 metres of water for half a mile. Close after the Larne Lough yellow buoy is passed to starboard it falls to 4 metres and then to about 2 metres abreast of Ballydowan.
Larne Lough - Buoy Yellow Fl.Y.5s position: 54° 49.901' N, 005° 46.481' W
Ballydowan is approximately a mile and a half from the main harbour and will be readily located by the local boats moored there.
Why visit here?
Ballydowan derives its name from the Gaelic Baile Uí Dhubháin. Baile means ‘town’ Uí Dhubháin of the family Dhubháin. The name is derived from the Gaelic word dubh meaning "black" with Dhubháin been anglicised to ‘Dowan’ and often in other places ‘Gowan’.Ballydowan was originally a lime kiln and its disused remains are still visible ashore. Today it is a quiet out of the way village on the rural Islandmagee peninsula. Curiously, and in the relatively modern history of 1710 and 1711, arrests were made in the area that led to Ireland's last ever witch trial in Carrickfergus when eight women were convicted of witchcraft. They were sentenced to one year's imprisonment and were each to be pilloried four times.
From a sailing perspective, situated on the sparsely populated western shore of Islandmagee, this anchorage is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of Larne. Anchored off behind the gentle gradients on Islandmagee’s western shore, on the sheltered waters of Larne Lough, it makes for the perfect hideaway.
What facilities are available?
There are no facilities at Ballydowan and little or nothing ashore apart from an old disused lime kiln. There is a village a mile inland towards the east coast which has a small shop and café.Any security concerns?
Never a problem known to have occurred in Ballydowan.With thanks to:
Terry Crawford, local boatman of many decades. Photography with thanks to Eric Jones, Albert Bridge and Robert Ashby.

About Ballydowan
Ballydowan derives its name from the Gaelic Baile Uí Dhubháin. Baile means ‘town’ Uí Dhubháin of the family Dhubháin. The name is derived from the Gaelic word dubh meaning "black" with Dhubháin been anglicised to ‘Dowan’ and often in other places ‘Gowan’.
Ballydowan was originally a lime kiln and its disused remains are still visible ashore. Today it is a quiet out of the way village on the rural Islandmagee peninsula. Curiously, and in the relatively modern history of 1710 and 1711, arrests were made in the area that led to Ireland's last ever witch trial in Carrickfergus when eight women were convicted of witchcraft. They were sentenced to one year's imprisonment and were each to be pilloried four times.
From a sailing perspective, situated on the sparsely populated western shore of Islandmagee, this anchorage is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of Larne. Anchored off behind the gentle gradients on Islandmagee’s western shore, on the sheltered waters of Larne Lough, it makes for the perfect hideaway.
Other options in this area
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Alternatively here are the ten nearest havens available in picture view:
Coastal clockwise:
Larne Harbour - 0.6 miles NWFerris Bay - 1 miles NNW
Brown’s Bay - 1 miles N
Portmuck - 1.1 miles NE
Whitehead - 3 miles SSE
Coastal anti-clockwise:
Mill Bay - 0.3 miles SEMagheramorne Point - 0.4 miles SSW
Ballygalley Bay - 3.4 miles NW
Glenarm Bay and Harbour - 6.6 miles NW
Carnlough Bay and Harbour - 7.8 miles NW
Navigational pictures
These additional images feature in the 'How to get in' section of our detailed view for Ballydowan.

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Picture view | On |
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