Carnlough Harbour

About

Located at the foothills of Glencoy – one of the nine Glens of Antrim, and on the shores of Carnlough Bay, this sheltered and compact harbour is the focal point of Carnlough village.

The harbour is used by pleasure boats and small fishing boats and offers opportunities for sea angling. Pleasure cruises are also available with Carnlough Bay Boat Tours.

Carnlough Harbour is one of the must see stop offs along the Causeway Coastal route for Game of Thrones® fans. Fans will recognise the stony staircase leading down to the sea, filmed as part of the Free City of Braavos Canal, where Arya Stark crawled up from the waters after being stabbed by the Waif. (Season 6)

The harbour was originally built by a local landowner Phil Gibbons and extended by the Marchioness of Londonderry in the middle of the last century. As owner of large collieries in Durham, England, where she mainly resided, she saw the need for a harbour to cope with Carnlough's developing limestone export trade. You can also discover more about the Marchioness and Carnlough's unique industrial history, at the Heritage Hub in Carnlough Town Hall.

On a harbour wall, you will find a special memorial plaque to 'Paddy the Pigeon.' Paddy was one of 30 pigeons used by the Royal Air Force during World War 2 to deliver coded messages across the Channel during the Normandy landings of 1944, setting the record for the fastest crossing of just under five hours. His owner came from Carnlough and Paddy the pigeon was given the PDSA Dickin Medal for bravery - commonly known as the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. Paddy lived for 11 years, and is still the only Irish recipient of the medal.