Carlingford Loughkeepers hold latest meeting

In the autumn of 2024, a steering group – the Carlingford Loughkeepers – was formed in Newry with a view to establishing a group to protect the Lough and to challenge any group or organisation not acting in the interest of the wellbeing of the Lough.

There followed a public meeting in Newry and subsequently, on April 26, a meeting was held in Omeath.

A spokesperson said following the meeting: "We had an attendance of 60 people from around the Lough, North and South.

“We formed a committee of 13 people and can co-op more as needed. We also compiled a list of interested persons for subgroups.

“We hope the subgroups will look at water and air quality; taking account of climate change and the impact of fishing, farming; industrial development and other practices; promote biodiversity, through monitoring, education and research; [and] promote networking among the many groups already working in this area.

“Where bad practices are found, we will hope to challenge these, and make the information available in the public domain.”

They plan to include beach clean-ups, rocky shore forage, bird counts and litter pick-ups as well as citizen science and biological recording of local biodiversity, and will also work towards wildlife rescue, for which they need training and funding.

“We wish to work alongside officials to enhance and improve habitat for biodiversity,” they added.

“If you are interested in our group, look out for us on Facebook & Instagram in the coming weeks or contact our secretary at [email protected]”