Lough Hyne

Lough Hyne, known in Irish as Loch Oighinn meaning 'lake of the cauldron,' is a fully marine sea lough located approximately five kilometers southwest of Skibbereen in West Cork, Ireland. Designated as Ireland's first Marine Nature Reserve in 1981, it also holds the distinction of being Europe's first statutory marine nature reserve. This remarkable half-square-kilometer body of water supports an extraordinary density of marine life, with over 1,850 species recorded within its sheltered waters, representing approximately 75 percent of all marine species found in Ireland and making it one of the most studied marine sites in Europe.