Fairhead and Murlough Bay ASSI

Situated on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland, the tall cliffs of Fair Head and Murlough Bay ASSI stand over 200m above the sea below. The combination of local climatic factors, soil type, topography and historical management have produced a wide variety of habitats across the site. These habitats, important in their own right, provide the ideal conditions for a large number of rare plants, mosses, lichens, fungi and invertebrates. Peregrines nest in a number of locations on the cliffs and are often seen soaring overhead.

Fair Head and Murlough Bay ASSI also contains a wide range of geology over a reasonably small area. The three main classes of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) can all be seen within the site.

Much of the cliff top is covered in a mosaic of wet and dry heath with the typical heathland species of Heather and Bilberry. Cross-leaved Heath occurs in the wetter areas, with Bell Heather associated with the drier areas around the rock outcrops. Within this Heather landscape are two important lakes. Lough Doo and Lough na Cranagh are amongst the best examples of unpolluted lakes in Northern Ireland. The distinctive plant species found in the lakes include Shoreweed, Quillwort, Blunt-leaved Pondweed and Translucent Stonewort. The lakes also have important areas of associated fringing fen with Bogbean, Marsh Cinquefoil and Bottle Sedge.

The cliffs tower over a mosaic of grassland, woodland and scree. An area of woodland hugs the cliff base from Fair Head south towards Murlough Bay. Birch, Hazel and Ash dominate the canopy of this boulder strewn woodland. The ground is carpeted with a variety of flowering plants and ferns, including Sanicle, Wood Avens, Primrose, Hard Fern and Hay-scented Buckler-fern. This woodland and the other woodland blocks throughout the site contain a range of rare plants and invertebrates. Woods take a very long time to develop into mature systems because they have a complex structure and many of the plants are slow to grow and spread. It is therefore vitally important that all remaining areas of woodland are retained and new areas are encouraged to regenerate, although not at the expense of other species-rich habitats.

At the base of the cliffs above Murlough Bay, a scarce grassland type can be found, called species-rich calcareous grassland. This area is especially herb and sedge rich, with Fairy Flax, Wild Thyme and Glaucous Sedge found throughout. In areas the ground is flushed with base-rich water and species such as Fragrant Orchid, Grass-of-Parnassus and the rare Yellow Saxifrage are found. Many of these plants are only found in grasslands where traditional forms of land management are used. The use of artificial fertilisers, herbicides or the application of manure or slurry would cause a reduction in plant numbers on the site. When soils become more fertile, grasses tend to thrive, growing faster and taller. Smaller plants such as orchids are not able to compete with the tougher grasses and as a result are lost.

Site Related Documents

Site Map (.PDF 1.68Mb) and Citation Document (.PDF 3.44Mb)