
Magheramorne is a small village, on the southeastern shore of Larne Lough, which is situated on the northeast coast of Ireland. Located approximately two miles from the Lough's entrance it provides a secluded anchorage offshore of the grounds of the local sailing club.
Magheramorne Point is a good anchorage that affords complete shelter and protection from all conditions except the north when it might become a little choppy and uncomfortable on account of the fetch across the Lough. Access is straightforward as the lough may be accessed day or night, at any stage of the tide and in all reasonable conditions. Outside of the harbour, navigation aids become scarce so good visibility will be required to pick up the leading marks.
Keyfacts for Magheramorne Point
Last modified
December 15th 2022 Summary
A completely protected location with attentive navigation required for access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
This anchorage area off the southern shore of Larne Lough, about midway between Magheramorne's disused cement works pier and the artificial island.
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
.
- Approach directions to the Lough are available in Larne Harbour
.
- Track down along the deep water channel that follows the western side of Islandmagee’s shoreline to about midway between the Larne Lough buoy and the Ballydowan mooring area.
- Pick up the transit close west of the cement works and follow the old channel marks in line at 176.5° T, to the mooring area.
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 Magheramorne Point for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Mill Bay - 0.5 nautical miles ENE
- Ballydowan - 0.6 nautical miles NNE
- Larne Harbour - 1.3 nautical miles NNW
- Ferris Bay - 2 nautical miles NNW
- Brown’s Bay - 2.1 nautical miles N
- Portmuck - 2.2 nautical miles NE
- Whitehead - 4.7 nautical miles SSE
- Ballygalley Bay - 5.7 nautical miles NNW
- Carrickfergus Harbour & Marina - 6.7 nautical miles SSW
- Greenisland - 8.1 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 ENE
- Ballydowan - 0.6 miles NNE
- Larne Harbour - 1.3 miles NNW
- Ferris Bay - 2 miles NNW
- Brown’s Bay - 2.1 miles N
- Portmuck - 2.2 miles NE
- Whitehead - 4.7 miles SSE
- Ballygalley Bay - 5.7 miles NNW
- Carrickfergus Harbour & Marina - 6.7 miles SSW
- Greenisland - 8.1 miles SSW
What's the story here?

Image: Michael Harpur
Magheramorne is a small hamlet in the Larne Area Plan situated west of Magheramorne Quarry. This part of the Lough has the Magheramorne Quarry in the backdrop and former Blue Circle cement works with a defunct pier and small basin on the foreshore. The jetty is now closed to shipping since 2002 and Blue Circle (now Lafarge) moved to Belfast harbour. It remains home to the Blue Circle Cruising and Sailing Club.

Image: Michael Harpur
The sailing club have a clubhouse, wooden jetty, vast slipway and mooring area immediately offshore. The club may be contacted on
How to get in?

Image: Michael Harpur
Keep to the channel along the shore of Islandmagee until a ¼ of a mile after the Larne Lough yellow buoy that is passed to starboard in depths of no less than 4 metres.
Larne Lough - Buoy Yellow Fl.Y.5s position: 54° 49.901' N, 005° 46.481' W

Image: Michael Harpur
The many moored local craft off, close west off Dalaradia Point, and the old disused Magheramorne Point cement works will have long since been seen across the lough just a mile southward. The area is reached through an old commercial channel that runs across the shallow lough to the remains of the cement works pier. Although no longer maintained it still has at least 2 metres of water. Magheramorne closed to commercial traffic in January 2002 when dredging ceased, and any buoys marking the channel were removed in August 2004. But it is still easily located.

Image: Michael Harpur
Close west of the cement works two alignment leading marks supporting the channel, both marked on Admiralty Chart 1237, should be seen to be closing as the head of the channel is reached. They are situated on the foreshore close west of the cement works basin.
Front Mark - triangle pointing up on telegraph pole, 9 metres position: 54° 48.928’N, 005° 46' 049’W
The rear mark has a downward pointing triangle, elevation 12 metres, set back 60 metres from the front mark. They come into alignment a ¼ of a mile after the Larne Lough yellow buoy after the Magheramorne Point cement works should be seen to have opened behind the small artificial island in the middle of the lough. The following waypoint will help find the alignment at the north end of the channel and there may be a club danbuoy in the vicinity:
Magheramorne Leading Marks Alignment - Waypoint: 54° 49.740' N 005° 46.183' W

Image: Michael Harpur
Once in line, at 176.5° T, follow the ¾ of a mile-long channel to the mooring area. Stick to the marks as it is only 50 metres wide. This passes the small artificial islet, a bird sanctuary, 100 metres to starboard.

Image: Michael Harpur
Why visit here?
Magheramorne derives its name from the Gaelic 'Machaire Morna' meaning 'plain of Morna'. The origin of the name 'Morna' is uncertain and it is thought most likely to be a tribal name. Before being known as Magheramorne it has the ancient Irish name of a 'Thuaithe' or 'Tuath' meaning 'petty kingdom'.
Image: Public Domain
For a time the area was also called 'Domnach-morin agro de Mag-damorna', shortened to 'Domhnach-mor. This Latin and Gaelic name broadly means 'the big Sunday place of the Morna plain' and it refers to an ancient church and monastic settlement that was once here. The precise site of this early church has not been located today, but it is believed to have been founded by St Patrick who brought Christianity to Ireland and who is the patron saint of the nation. This church would have been the church that 'Setna' and 'Briga Comgall' prayed in and the one where they baptised their son. Born here in the year 517, twenty years after the death of St Patrick, he was to become the famous St Comgall who has been celebrated since as one of Ireland's most illustrious monastery founders of the 6th century.
Comgall served as a soldier in his early life but left to study Christianity. He then went to live on a small island on Lough Erne, accompanied by a few friends who followed a severe form of monastic life. This austere life and contemplation prepared him to fulfil the main task of his life which was to be the foundation of the great monastery of Bangor. Founded in the year 558 he built the large and famous monastery to his designs of austerity and extreme discipline. Nevertheless, the monastery has attracted 8,000 monks by the time of St Comgall's passing and 30,000 monks were to come through it in the following centuries. It became the largest and most influential of Irish monastic establishments and a prototype for future monasteries and centres of missionary work. Although St Comgall founded other Irish monasteries, for instance, Cell-Comgail, none reached Bangor's prominence that was described as one of 'the lights of Celtic Christianity' bringing 'a light to the world'.

Image: Michael Harpur
Today Magheramorne is a tiny hamlet of fewer than 100 people. The settlement is dominated by a disused quarry and the Blue Circle Cement Company works. For over two hundred years coasters came and went at a steady rate to its quay importing and exporting various cargoes basalt and chalk and in latter days cement from the works. After the quarry was worked out the kilns continued the production of cement well on into the 1990s. After this ended the Magheramorne berth was still used by shipping until 2002 when it too finally closed. These two hundred years of industrial quarrying, the associated quarry spoil heaps on the steep slopes replete with decaying industrial installations, have taken their toll on the Magheramorne landscape and degraded part of the landscape west of Larne Lough. All who come ashore here to confront the area's remorseless scars and many remnants of those days.

Image: Michael Harpur
However, plans are afoot for a major development that includes 450 environmentally-friendly homes, restaurants, retail units, a community centre, a hotel, a harbour-side tourist point with a viewing tower, boating facilities, a chandlery, and much more. So perhaps Magheramorne's story may yet take another direction. Those familiar with the HBO television series 'Game of Thrones' will be interested to know the old quarry has itself been engaged in telling another far-fetched tale in the meantime. In season one of the series, this was the primary set for 'Castle Black' and the 'Wall'. The Antrim Plateau near Cairncastle is also extensively used in the series.

berth
Image: Michael Harpur
From a boating perspective, set away on the sheltered southern waters of Larne Lough, Magheramorne provides another escape from the hustle and bustle of Larne. But unlike other out-of-the-way alternatives, it comes with the facilities of the local boat club situated next to the slip. It also has the convenience of public transport and, being on the mainland side of the lough, has the town within easy reach.
What facilities are available?
There is a concrete slip and a clubhouse ashore with all facilities including showers. The club welcomes visitors and there is usually some sort event on Saturday nights. Magheramorne is a small village where buses are available to Larne, a distance of 5 kms, plus there is a hotel half a mile away. Magheramorne is located 3 kms south of Glynn along the main A2 Shore Road.There’s also a very posh hotel about half a mile up the road towards town.Any security concerns?
Never a problem known to have occurred at Magheramorne.With thanks to:
Terry Crawford, local boatman of many decades.An overview of the mooring area and Dalaradia Point
An overview of the old disused factory area
About Magheramorne Point
Magheramorne derives its name from the Gaelic 'Machaire Morna' meaning 'plain of Morna'. The origin of the name 'Morna' is uncertain and it is thought most likely to be a tribal name. Before being known as Magheramorne it has the ancient Irish name of a 'Thuaithe' or 'Tuath' meaning 'petty kingdom'.

Image: Public Domain
For a time the area was also called 'Domnach-morin agro de Mag-damorna', shortened to 'Domhnach-mor. This Latin and Gaelic name broadly means 'the big Sunday place of the Morna plain' and it refers to an ancient church and monastic settlement that was once here. The precise site of this early church has not been located today, but it is believed to have been founded by St Patrick who brought Christianity to Ireland and who is the patron saint of the nation. This church would have been the church that 'Setna' and 'Briga Comgall' prayed in and the one where they baptised their son. Born here in the year 517, twenty years after the death of St Patrick, he was to become the famous St Comgall who has been celebrated since as one of Ireland's most illustrious monastery founders of the 6th century.
Comgall served as a soldier in his early life but left to study Christianity. He then went to live on a small island on Lough Erne, accompanied by a few friends who followed a severe form of monastic life. This austere life and contemplation prepared him to fulfil the main task of his life which was to be the foundation of the great monastery of Bangor. Founded in the year 558 he built the large and famous monastery to his designs of austerity and extreme discipline. Nevertheless, the monastery has attracted 8,000 monks by the time of St Comgall's passing and 30,000 monks were to come through it in the following centuries. It became the largest and most influential of Irish monastic establishments and a prototype for future monasteries and centres of missionary work. Although St Comgall founded other Irish monasteries, for instance, Cell-Comgail, none reached Bangor's prominence that was described as one of 'the lights of Celtic Christianity' bringing 'a light to the world'.

Image: Michael Harpur
Today Magheramorne is a tiny hamlet of fewer than 100 people. The settlement is dominated by a disused quarry and the Blue Circle Cement Company works. For over two hundred years coasters came and went at a steady rate to its quay importing and exporting various cargoes basalt and chalk and in latter days cement from the works. After the quarry was worked out the kilns continued the production of cement well on into the 1990s. After this ended the Magheramorne berth was still used by shipping until 2002 when it too finally closed. These two hundred years of industrial quarrying, the associated quarry spoil heaps on the steep slopes replete with decaying industrial installations, have taken their toll on the Magheramorne landscape and degraded part of the landscape west of Larne Lough. All who come ashore here to confront the area's remorseless scars and many remnants of those days.

Image: Michael Harpur
However, plans are afoot for a major development that includes 450 environmentally-friendly homes, restaurants, retail units, a community centre, a hotel, a harbour-side tourist point with a viewing tower, boating facilities, a chandlery, and much more. So perhaps Magheramorne's story may yet take another direction. Those familiar with the HBO television series 'Game of Thrones' will be interested to know the old quarry has itself been engaged in telling another far-fetched tale in the meantime. In season one of the series, this was the primary set for 'Castle Black' and the 'Wall'. The Antrim Plateau near Cairncastle is also extensively used in the series.

berth
Image: Michael Harpur
From a boating perspective, set away on the sheltered southern waters of Larne Lough, Magheramorne provides another escape from the hustle and bustle of Larne. But unlike other out-of-the-way alternatives, it comes with the facilities of the local boat club situated next to the slip. It also has the convenience of public transport and, being on the mainland side of the lough, has the town within easy reach.
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:
Mill Bay - 0.3 miles ENEBallydowan - 0.4 miles NNE
Larne Harbour - 0.8 miles NNW
Ferris Bay - 1.2 miles NNW
Brown’s Bay - 1.3 miles N
Coastal anti-clockwise:
Ballygalley Bay - 3.5 miles NNWGlenarm - 6.8 miles NW
Carnlough - 7.9 miles NW
Red Bay Pier (Glenariff Pier) - 11 miles NNW
Cushendall - 11.2 miles NNW
Navigational pictures
These additional images feature in the 'How to get in' section of our detailed view for Magheramorne Point.











Detail view | Off |
Picture view | On |
An overview of the mooring area and Dalaradia Point
An overview of the old disused factory area
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