Maghery Country Park (Maghery)

Where the Blackwater meets the inland sea

Maghery is a small village at the south-west corner of Lough Neagh, and the park is what happens when a river the size of the Blackwater arrives at a lake the size of a small sea. Thirty acres of parkland and woodland run down to the meeting point, with jetties, a slipway and a long open shore.

Five kilometres of woodland walks loop through the site, level and shaded, with picnic areas set out along the way. It is quiet ground — genuinely good for birdwatching, with the reedy margins and the open water pulling in wildfowl and waders through the year — and there is a play park and a multi-use games area for anyone who came to run about rather than look at ducks.

The slipway is the key to the place. Both the River Blackwater and the Lough Neagh canoe trails run through here, so this is a legitimate put-in for a kayak, a paddleboard or a small boat, and there are berths and jetties for anyone arriving by water. Angling is well established off the shore and the jetties.

And then there is the island. Coney Island sits a kilometre out, nine acres of woodland with a Norman motte and a 16th-century stone tower on it, and boat trips run from the park at weekends. Owned by the National Trust, managed by the council, and reachable from a free car park in a village most people drive past — it is one of the better-value adventures in this part of the country.

Free park and parking 5 km of woodland walks Slipway, jetties and canoe trails Birdwatching on the lough Play park and games area Weekend boats to Coney Island

Plan the island trip:

Boat trips to Coney Island run at weekends and by arrangement, from Maghery Country Park or from Kinnego Marina across the water. Fishing trips are also arranged rather than turned up for. Ring ahead through the council or the operator before you travel, especially outside the summer.

What to wear & bring

🧥A proper coatOpen lough shore, and Lough Neagh makes its own weather. Wrapped up, that wind is half the reason to come.

🧺A picnicPicnic areas throughout and no café on site, so bring the flask and the sandwiches.

🔭BinocularsOne of the quieter birdwatching spots on the lough — wildfowl on the water and waders on the margins.

🛶A canoe or boardThe slipway is a proper put-in for the Blackwater and Lough Neagh canoe trails.

What's on at the park

Boat trips to Coney Island run at weekends through the season, from Maghery itself or from Kinnego Marina on the far side of the lough. It is a short crossing to a wooded island with a Norman motte, a stone tower and footpaths through the trees — and no cars anywhere.

Angling and fishing trips are arranged by request. The park is also a stop on the River Blackwater and Lough Neagh canoe trails, so paddlers pass through it steadily in the warmer months. Check the council's listings for what is running before you set out.

Everything before you go

Cost

Free, including parking

Opening

Open all year — open-access parkland

Best for ages

All ages — play park and games area for children, walks and birdwatching for everyone

What's there

30 acres of parkland and woodland, 5 km of woodland walks, picnic areas, a play park, a multi-use games area, jetties, a slipway, a caravan park, and birdwatching along the shore

Toilets

On site

Parking

Free off-street parking within the park, including accessible spaces

Dogs

Welcome under close control at all times — please clean up after them

Accessibility

Accessible parking on site and level main paths along the shore and through the parkland

How long to allow

One to three hours; half a day if you get on the water

Food

No café on site — bring a picnic. Maghery village and the towns around the lough have the nearest options

On the water

Slipway for kayaks, paddleboards and small boats; jetties and berthing; on the River Blackwater and Lough Neagh canoe trails

Coney Island

Owned by the National Trust, managed by the council. One kilometre offshore, around 9 acres. Boat trips run at weekends and by arrangement from Maghery or Kinnego Marina

Getting there

About five miles from the M1, at the south-west corner of Lough Neagh

Address

Maghery Country Park, Maghery, Co Armagh

Questions

Before you go

Is it free?

Yes — the park and the car park are free. Boat trips and angling are arranged and paid separately.

How do we get to Coney Island?

By boat from the park at weekends, or from Kinnego Marina across the water. It is arranged rather than a turn-up service, so ring ahead.

What is on Coney Island?

Around nine acres of woodland with footpaths, a 13th-century Anglo-Norman motte and a 16th-century stone tower. The island was an O'Neill stronghold until 1567, and is now owned by the National Trust.

How long are the walks?

About five kilometres of woodland walks thread through the thirty acres — flat and easy, with picnic areas along the way.

Can we launch a kayak or a paddleboard?

Yes — there is a slipway, and the park sits on both the River Blackwater and the Lough Neagh canoe trails.

Are there toilets and a play park?

Yes, both, along with a multi-use games area. There is no café, so bring what you want to eat.

Can we bring the dog?

Yes — under close control at all times, and clean up after them.

Is there anywhere to stay?

There is a caravan park inside the country park. Contact the council to book.

Getting there

Maghery Country Park is on the shore of Lough Neagh at the village of Maghery, County Armagh, about five miles from the M1. Free off-street parking is inside the park, including accessible spaces, with the walks, the picnic areas, the play park and the slipway all a short distance from it.

Official website Directions on Google Maps See it on our map

Nearby

Make more of the day

Oxford IslandLough Neagh nature reserve and discovery centre Craigavon LakesTwo lakes, watersports and miles of flat path The Loughshore TrailThe cycle route right around Lough Neagh Tannaghmore Gardens & FarmRare breeds and a walled garden nearby

The story

About the park and the island

Everything at Maghery is arranged around a junction. The River Blackwater comes down from Tyrone and Monaghan and empties here into Lough Neagh, and for as long as people have moved through this landscape they have moved through this point. The park is simply the modern, mown version of a very old crossroads.

The proof is out on the water. Coney Island — nine acres, a kilometre offshore — carries a 13th-century Anglo-Norman motte and a stone tower from the 16th century. There was a settlement on it in the Middle Ages and even a small iron industry. The O'Neills held it as a stronghold until 1567, when Lord Deputy Henry Sydney took it, and it was garrisoned as a fort for about a generation after that. Long before any of that, tradition attaches the island to St Patrick, though that is a story rather than a record.

The island's last private chapter came in the 1890s, when James Caulfeild, 7th Viscount Charlemont, bought it and built a summer house there in 1895. In 1946 Fred Storey gave the island to the National Trust, who own it still; day-to-day management sits with the council.

The mainland park came later, and it is a modest, useful thing rather than a grand one: thirty acres, five kilometres of paths, a slipway, some jetties, a play park and a caravan site. That modesty is why it stays quiet. Come on a bright Saturday, take the boat out, walk under trees on an island in the middle of an inland sea, and you will wonder why more people are not here.