Unique wildlife resource
Lough Neagh, 
the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles covering 150 sq miles / 300 sq kms, is one of the earliest known inland sites of prehistoric man in Ireland. It was formed in the aftermath of the last ice age when waters from several rivers flowed into a basin surrounded by the Mourne and Sperrin Mountains and the Antrim Plateau.
The area around Lough Neagh is also one of the most important bird habitats in Western Europe. A haven for wildlife and home to a wealth of flora and fauna, the lough is a unique and valuable natural resource, It offers a very productive eco-system, which supports thousands of wildfowl and a large-scale eel fishing industry.
Fishing still represents one of the major industries on the Lough and its famous for silver eels and the indigenous species of freshwater herring, known as the pollan. Eels are now exported live to markets throughout the UK and Europe.
Traditional Remedies and Healthy Living
Muintir Na Mointeach Community Group (translated literally as "the People of the Bog"), exists to address the social, cultural environmental and economic needs of an area, known as Washingbay, which is located on the south-western shore of Lough Neagh.
This group’s new healthy living centre aims to provide access to a range of conventional and complementary health practices as well as traditional remedies and cures that have been practiced for centuries. The traditional cures have particular association with the local ‘holy river’ which runs close to the new centre and is believed to have healing and restorative properties.