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

Located in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland, the granite Mountains of Mourne (or Mourne Mountains; or Na Beanna Boirche in Irish) 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 Mourne Mountains are partly owned by the National Trust and see a large number of visitors every year; their highest mountain is Slieve Donard at 849 m (2786 ft). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2802x1467, 408 KB) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2802x1467, 408 KB) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... County Down, (An Dún in Irish) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, covering an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles). ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th... For an explanation of these and other terms like Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Great) Britain, and United Kingdom, see British Isles (terminology). ... This is a list of those areas of Northern Ireland that have been designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales A national park is a reserve of land, usually owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... Slieve Donard (Sliabh Domengard in Irish) is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland at 850 metres. ...

The mountains

The Mountains of Mourne are visited by many tourists, hillwalkers, cyclists and rock climbers. Following a fundraising drive in 1993, the National Trust purchased nearly 5.26 km² (1300 acres) of land in the Mournes. This included Slieve Donard and nearby Slieve Commedagh, at 767 m (2516 ft) the second-highest mountain in the area. A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Hillwalking or fellwalking is the recreational practice of hiking in mountainous terrain. ... A cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ...

The Mourne Wall

The Mourne Wall is among the more famous features in the Mournes. It is a 35 km (22 mile) dry-stone wall that crosses 15 summits, constructed to define the boundaries of the 36 km² (9000 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. View of the mountains and mourne wall. ... View of the mountains and mourne wall. ... The Mourne Wall is a wall which is build around the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. ... It has been suggested that Rock fence be merged into this article or section. ... The Water Service is a water company that operates in Northern Ireland. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ...

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 "pool of the fairies" or "sprite". by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with wings. ... The term sprite is a general term referring to a number of legendary creatures. ...

View of Slieve Lamagan

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See also

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

This is a list of articles about climbing areas and regions associated with climbing. ... This is a list of mountains and mountain ranges on the island of Ireland. ... The lyrics to the song The Mountains of Mourne were written in 1896 by the 19th Century Irish musician Percy French. ...

External links

• 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