Mourne Mountains

View of the Mountains of Mourne from St. John's Point, County Down.

The Mourne Mountains or Mournes (Irish: Na Beanna Boirche) are a granite mountain range located in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland, the granite are among the best known of the mountains on the island of Ireland. The surrounding area is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is proposed as the first National Park in Northern Ireland. The Mountains of Mourne are partly owned by the National Trust and see a large number of visitors every year. The highest mountain is Slieve Donard at 849 metres (2,786 ft).

The mountains

The Mournes are visited by many tourists, hillwalkers, cyclists and rock climbers. Following a fundraising drive in 1993, the National Trust purchased nearly 1,300 acres (5.26 km²) of land in the Mournes. This included Slieve Donard and nearby Slieve Commedagh, at 767 metres (2,516 ft) the second-highest mountain in the area.

The Mourne Wall, looking towards Hare's Gap.

The Mourne Wall is among the more famous features in the Mournes. It is a 35 km (22 mi) dry-stone wall that crosses fifteen summits, constructed to define the boundaries of the 36 km² (9,000 acre) area of land purchased by the Belfast Water Commissioners in the late 1800s. This followed a number of Acts of Parliament allowing the sale, and the establishment of a water supply from the Mournes to the growing industrial city of Belfast. Construction of the Mourne Wall was started in 1904 and was completed in 1922.

Many of the mountains have names beginning Slieve, from the Irish word sliabh, meaning mountain. As well as many of the well-known mountains such as Slieve Donard, Slieve Lamagan and Slieve Muck, there are a number of other curious names: Pigeon Rock; Buzzard's Roost; Brandy Pad; Percy Bysshe; the Devil's Coach Road; and Pollaphuca, which means "hole of the fairies or sprites".

The Mournes are very popular as a destination for many Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions.

Vegetation and wildlife

Panorama of the Silent Valley Reservoir in the Mourne Mountains.

Aside from grasses, the most common plants found in the Mournes are heathers. Of these, three species are found: the cross-leaved heath (erica tetralix), the bell heather (erica cinerea), and the ling (calluna vulgaris). Other plants which grow in the area are: Bog Cotton, Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea), Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), Marsh St John's Wort, Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum), Wood sorrel and Heath Spotted Orchids.

Sheep graze high into the mountains, and the range is also home to birds, including the common Ravens, Peregrine falcons, Wrens, and Buzzards, and native Meadow Pipits, Grey Wagtails, Stonechats and Snip. The Golden Eagle, a former inhabitant, has not been seen in the Mournes since 1836.

See also

• List of climbing areas in Ireland
• List of mountains in Ireland
• Percy French's song "The Mountains of Mourne"

References

• 'The Mountains of Mourne, A Celebration of a Place Apart', David Kirk, 2002, Appletree Press Ltd, Belfast

External links

• The website of the Mourne Trustees
• The website of the book above under 'References'
• The Mourne Mountains website
• A local family's site with some information about the mountains
• Irish Climbing Online
• Mournes Climbers
• Photos, maps and commentary of the walk around the Mourne Wall
• BBC article about the Mourne Wall
• Google Maps

Coordinates: 54°10′N, 6°05′W

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