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Ulster Aviation Society. Cookies on Companies House services We use some essential cookies to make our services work. Accept analytics cookies Reject analytics cookies View cookies. Hide this message. Cookies on Companies House services We use cookies to make our services work and collect analytics information. Skip to main content. The jetty leads up to a clearing shaded by mature oak, lime and walnut trees, and the air is clean and clear and full of forest birdsong.
First stop is a converted old sand barge that serves as a casual interpretive centre, where you can have refreshments and browse through literature on the history of the island and the lough, and watch a brief documentary on the on-going regeneration activities. We still need to get rid of the sycamore trees — they're a weed — before they take over the Island, and plant more silver birch, oak, ash and willows, and we want to replace the Spanish bluebells that were once planted here inadvertently, with indigenous ones.
We're trying to restore it to its former glory and that also meant bringing in a ratcatcher for 18 months to rid the place of vermin, which had feasted on the eggs laid by birds along the shore.
She did a great job — we got rid of the foxes that were killing the fowl too. They'd come over from the mainland on the ice when the lough froze over.
Various locals skated over to the island during the big freezes, including my Uncle Francie in the late Fifties, and my second cousin, well-known businessman Danny Moore, in The temperature is at the other end of the scale for my most recent trip, but the lofty trees provide a cool canopy against the scorching sun, as Mr Savage takes us up some gently sloping wooden steps to the central ridge of the island.
The leafy ground is as soft underfoot as a shag-pile carpet, its soil well hydrated by the surrounding fresh water. As a consequence, it's abundantly fertile. A short traipse along a tranquil pathway takes us to another clearing and a well-tended lawn leading up to a squat round tower, site of the monastic settlement on the island 1, years ago, before the Viking invasion. Brass fastening pins, thought to be from the monks' robes, have been excavated there and an application has been made by the Lough Neagh Partnership for an extensive archaeological dig.
The tower is just over 40ft high and is constructed from rounded stones from the shore. The monks retreated to the top of the originally much higher tower when the island was under threat from the various warring Irish kings and tribes. In front of it, the brick walls of the front of Lord O'Neill's early s summer house remain intact, the imprint of his coat of arms still visible.
Anyone with their own vessel is welcome to visit all year round. The Association in common with other wildlife reserves have a strict no dogs policy except for trained working dogs guide dogs etc. Anyone wishing to camp over or visit with a group please contact us. RBLNA is a voluntary body of waterways enthusiasts with members whose interests are boating, natural and built heritage, conservation, bird watching, wildlife, history, archaeology and fishing.
The Company has a board of directors who oversee the projects that the Company undertakes. The projects are usually managed by a project manager reporting to the directors. The Association is always looking for volunteers to help with various projects on Rams Island, large and small. Contact the project manager michael ramsisland. The Island, its buildings and its wildlife have suffered over the years from various factors mainly influenced by man including the introduction of non native invasive species and of course the ravages of time.
There has been no one caring for the Island for quite a long time. To educate all about the diverse natural and built heritage of Rams Island and the Lough Neagh Wetlands. These three aims will take a long time to achieve but with all the volunteers working on the Island they are slowly becoming reality. We have also received donations from the general public. The Department for Communities have been a great help during the Covid Crisis.
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