The Straits of Moyle (Sruth na Maoile in Irish and Scottish Gaelic) or Sea of Moyle is the name given to the narrowest expanse of sea in the North Channel between north-eastern Northern Ireland's County Antrim and the south-western highlands of Scotland's Mull of Kintyre. The narrowest part of the strait is between the Mull of Kintyre and Torr Head, where its width is 19 kilometres (12mi; 10nmi),[7] making it possible to see across in clear weather conditions. The straits gave their name to Moyle District Council, a local government area in Northern Ireland, and are famed in Irish Celtic mythology through their association with the Children of Lir.
In the 1800s, this strait was sometimes referred to in general terms as the "Irish Channel".[8][9][10] In the 19th century, Alexander Keith Johnston's suggested name St. Patrick's Channel had currency, but it was rejected by the hydrographic department.[11]
The Irish Long Distance Swimming Association (ILDSA) has provided authentication observers for swimmers attempting to cross the approximately 35-kilometre (22mi) span between Northern Ireland and the Mull of Galloway. According to the ILDSA, this was first accomplished in 1947 by Tom Blower.[12] The first two-way crossing was completed by a six-person relay team on 28 July 2015.[13]
The World Open Water Swimming Association note that the North Channel, which it also refers to parenthetically as the North (Irish) Channel, is part of the Ocean's Seven series.[14] This is a set of seven long-distance open-water swims considered the marathon swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge.[citation needed]
In February 2020, the Prime Minister's Office announced that it had initiated work to examine the feasibility of a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.[17] The transport route with the shortest sailing distance is that between Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula (about 220km (140mi) from Glasgow via minor roads) and Ballycastle, County Antrim (about 90km (56mi) from Belfast). Campbeltown is on the eastern side of the Kintyre peninsula, but the western side is only about 16 kilometres (10mi) from Torr Head coast to coast.[18]
The shortest route between Glasgow and Belfast is the route used by the existing ferry service, that via Portpatrick/Stranraer (about 150km (93mi) from Glasgow) and Larne (about 35km (22mi) from Belfast), a coast-to-coast distance of 45 kilometres (28mi).[19] This route would require the bridge towers to be erected through Beaufort's Dyke, a 200–300m (700–1,000ft) deep trench, heavily contaminated by 'large quantities' of munitions ('small arms, high explosives and incendiary devices')[20][21] and nuclear waste that had been dumped until 1950s.
The then-First Minister of ScotlandNicola Sturgeon said her mind was not closed to the idea but added "if he [the prime minister] has got £20 bn to build such a bridge going spare at the moment – that could be spent on more important priorities".[17]
