The Mourne Wall – built in the early 20th century – runs up the western and southern slopes of the mountain, joining a small stone tower at the summit. Also on the summit are the remains of two ancient burial cairns, one of which is the remains of the highest known passage tomb in Ireland. In Irish mythology the mountain was associated with the mythical figures Boirche and Slángha. It was later associated with, and named after, Saint Donard, who was said to have made the summit his hermitage. Up until the 1830s, people would climb the mountain as part of a yearly pilgrimage, which may have originally been a Lughnasadh (harvest) ritual. Royal Engineers camped on the summit for four months in 1826 as part of the Ordnance Survey's Principal Triangulation.
Slieve Donard sits at the northeastern edge of the Mournes, overlooking Newcastle and Dundrum Bay. It has two lesser summits on the seaward side – Millstone Mountain (460 m),[9] and Crossone (540 m). Two glens separate Slieve Donard from the neighbouring mountains of Slieve Commedagh (to the northwest) and Chimney Rock Mountain or Slieve Neir (to the south).[2] Slieve Commedagh, at 767 m (2,516 ft), is the second-highest of the Mourne Mountains.[10]
The mountain is an easy climb although the path is very eroded at places. The most popular route begins at Donard Forest on the north side of the mountain and follows the Glen River and then the Mourne Wall to the summit. In recent years a stone path has been made on the steepest parts of the mountain. The summit has views of the coast, and as far afield as Belfast Lough, 30 miles (50 kilometres) north, Dublin Bay, 55 miles (90 kilometres) south, and the Isle of Man.
Burial cairns
On the summit are the remains of two prehistoric burial cairns. The Great Cairn is at the highest point and measures about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high, 36.5 m (119 ft 9 in) from north to south and 43 m (141 ft) from east to west. It appears to have been a Neolithicpassage tomb, dating to 3300–3000 BC. It is the highest known passage tomb in Britain and Ireland.[11] The Lesser Cairn lies 210 metres to the northeast, overlooking Newcastle. It measures about 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) high, 18 m (59 ft) from north to south, and 16 m (52 ft) from east to west. It appears to have been an Early Bronze Age multiple-cist cairn, dating to 2300–1950 BC.[11] In the past, the cairns had a much more well-defined shape and it is thought the Great Cairn had an east-facing entrance leading to an inner chamber.[12] They appear to parallel the two cairns on Slieve Gullion, which can be seen from Slieve Donard.[13]
Both cairns have been badly damaged and altered over time, and modern hillwalkers often add stones on top of them.[11] Irish folklore holds that it is bad luck to damage or disrespect such tombs and that deliberately doing so could bring a curse.[14][15]
History and folklore
One of the summit cairns in 2009
It is likely that Slieve Donard was seen as a sacred mountain in the far past.[16]Irish mythology identifies the Great Cairn as being the tomb or abode of mythical figures, and an entrance to the Otherworld.[17] In Cath Maige Tuired ("The Battle of Moytura"), Slieve Donard is called one of the "twelve chief mountains" of Ireland,[18] while in the Triads of Ireland it is called one of the "three great heights" of Ireland, along with Croagh Patrick and Great Sugar Loaf.[17] The earliest sources give two names for the mountain: Benn mBoirchi (modern spelling: Beann Boirche) and Sliab Slánga (modern spelling: Sliabh Slángha).[17][19]Beann Boirche means "Boirche's peak", referring to a mythical cowherd and king who had seemingly supernatural powers. The plural name Beanna Boirche ("Boirche's peaks") was given to the Mourne Mountains. The name Sliabh Slángha means "Slángha's mountain". This refers to the mythical Slángha, son of Partholón, who was said to be the first physician in Ireland. According to the Annals of the Four Masters, he died in Anno Mundi 2533 (2533 years after "the creation of the world") and was buried in the passage tomb.[17]
Ireland was Christianized from the 5th to 8th centuries. A local Christian missionary, Saint Donard (known in Irish as Domhanghart),[20][21][22] became associated with the mountain. According to tradition, he was a follower of Saint Patrick and founded a monastery at Maghera, a few miles north of the mountain. Donard is said to have "appropriated the mountain and the monument for Christianity",[23] allegedly by making the Great Cairn into a hermit's cell and using the Lesser Cairn as an oratory.[24] According to the Life of Saint Patrick and the Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick, Patrick blessed Donard in the womb, declaring that Donard would not die but abide inside the mountain as a perpetual guardian.[25] According to folklore, a cave runs from the seashore to the cairn on the summit, and it is here that Donard (or Boirche) lives.[26] The writings of Gerald de Barri indicate that in the late 12th century the name Sliabh Slángha was going out of use and being replaced by Sliabh Domhanghairt.[27]Sliabh Dónairt is the modernised spelling.
Slieve Donard seen from Port William, Scotland, across the Mull of Galloway (about 105 km)
Up until the 1830s,[28] people made a pilgrimage to the mountaintop in late July each year. It is likely that this was originally a Lughnasadh ritual that became Christianized.[29] The church at Maghera and St Mary's Church at Ballaghanery Upper may have been starting points for the pilgrimage.[30]
In 1826, as part of the Principal Triangulation, the Royal Engineers used Slieve Donard as a base to map Ireland. They camped on the mountaintop from late July until late November that year and used the two cairns to make triangulation points, badly damaging the cairns.[31] During the Survey, two men died in a snowstorm on their way down the mountain and others were hurt during storms on the summit.[32]
The Mourne Wall was built in the early 20th century and passes over fifteen mountains, including Slieve Donard. The wall goes up the western slope to a stone tower and then down the southern slope. It took 18 years to build, from 1904 to 1922, with stonemasons working in the mountains from March to mid-October each year. Some stones from the cairns were used to build it.[33]
In April 2006, a man was killed on Slieve Donard after being struck by lightning. A brass plaque on the summit commemorates him.[34]
In April 2021 there was a major gorse fire on the eastern slopes of Slieve Donard, devastating the habitat and badly affecting wildlife in the area.[35] The fire was extinguished after three days. It was thought to have been started deliberately and became the subject of a police investigation.[36]
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slieve Donard.
^"Ireland's Province High Points". High Point Ireland. 2015.
^Ken Stewart (2004). . 2004 Year Book. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2008. This final calculation gives a measured height for Slieve Donard of 849.14m above MSL Belfast, and is estimated to be correct to better than 5cm.
^"Ireland's Range High Points". High Point Ireland. 2015.
^McSherry, Brendan. "The Geoarchaeology of Ireland's East Border Region - Geology and Borders in War and Peace". International Conference on Landscape Conservation, 2011. p.76
^"Slieve Donard: Over 100 firefighters continue to tackle Mournes 'major incident'". BBC News. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^McClements, Freya (26 April 2021). "Northern Irish fire service believes Mourne Mountain blaze started deliberately". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
Bibliography
Joyce, P. W. (1885). Irish Local Names Explained. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son.
Moore, Sam (2012). The Archaeology of Slieve Donard: a Cultural Biography of Ulster's Highest Mountain. Down County Museum. ISBN978-0-9567278-6-2.
O'Donovan, John (1856). Annala Rioghachta Éireann: Annals of the kingdom of Ireland, by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616. Vol. 1. Dublin: Hodges, Smith, and Co.
External links
MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website
MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database
The Database of British and Irish Hills , the largest database of British Isles mountains ("DoBIH")
Hill Bagging UK & Ireland, the searchable interface for the DoBIH
May 04, 2023
slieve, donard, sleev, ərd, from, irish, sliabh, dónairt, meaning, dónairt, mountain, highest, mountain, northern, ireland, wider, province, ulster, with, height, metres, highest, mourne, mountains, near, town, newcastle, eastern, coast, county, down, overlook. Slieve Donard ˌ s l iː v ˈ d ɒ n er d SLEEV DON erd from Irish Sliabh Donairt meaning Donairt s mountain 4 is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and the wider province of Ulster 5 with a height of 850 metres 2 790 ft 1 2 6 The highest of the Mourne Mountains 7 it is near the town of Newcastle on the eastern coast of County Down overlooking the Irish Sea It is also the highest mountain in the northern half of Ireland 8 and 7th highest on the island 1 Slieve DonardSliabh DonairtSlieve Donard and Newcastle from Murlough BeachHighest pointElevation850 m 2 790 ft 1 2 Prominence822 m 2 697 ft 1 ListingCounty High Point Down 3 P600 Marilyn Hewitt Arderin Simm Vandeleur LynamCoordinates54 10 49 N 5 55 15 W 54 180238 N 5 920898 W 54 180238 5 920898 Coordinates 54 10 49 N 5 55 15 W 54 180238 N 5 920898 W 54 180238 5 920898NamingEnglish translationDonairt s mountainLanguage of nameIrishGeographyLocation of Slieve Donard in Northern IrelandShow map of Northern IrelandSlieve Donard County Down Show map of County DownSlieve Donard island of Ireland Show map of island of IrelandSlieve Donard the United Kingdom Show map of the United KingdomLocationCounty Down Northern IrelandParent rangeMournesOSI OSNI gridJ357276Topo mapOSNI Discoverer 29GeologyMountain typeGranite granophyre BedrockThe Mourne Wall built in the early 20th century runs up the western and southern slopes of the mountain joining a small stone tower at the summit Also on the summit are the remains of two ancient burial cairns one of which is the remains of the highest known passage tomb in Ireland In Irish mythology the mountain was associated with the mythical figures Boirche and Slangha It was later associated with and named after Saint Donard who was said to have made the summit his hermitage Up until the 1830s people would climb the mountain as part of a yearly pilgrimage which may have originally been a Lughnasadh harvest ritual Royal Engineers camped on the summit for four months in 1826 as part of the Ordnance Survey s Principal Triangulation Contents 1 Geography 2 Burial cairns 3 History and folklore 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Bibliography 6 External linksGeography EditSlieve Donard sits at the northeastern edge of the Mournes overlooking Newcastle and Dundrum Bay It has two lesser summits on the seaward side Millstone Mountain 460 m 9 and Crossone 540 m Two glens separate Slieve Donard from the neighbouring mountains of Slieve Commedagh to the northwest and Chimney Rock Mountain or Slieve Neir to the south 2 Slieve Commedagh at 767 m 2 516 ft is the second highest of the Mourne Mountains 10 The mountain is an easy climb although the path is very eroded at places The most popular route begins at Donard Forest on the north side of the mountain and follows the Glen River and then the Mourne Wall to the summit In recent years a stone path has been made on the steepest parts of the mountain The summit has views of the coast and as far afield as Belfast Lough 30 miles 50 kilometres north Dublin Bay 55 miles 90 kilometres south and the Isle of Man Burial cairns EditOn the summit are the remains of two prehistoric burial cairns The Great Cairn is at the highest point and measures about 1 m 3 ft 3 in high 36 5 m 119 ft 9 in from north to south and 43 m 141 ft from east to west It appears to have been a Neolithic passage tomb dating to 3300 3000 BC It is the highest known passage tomb in Britain and Ireland 11 The Lesser Cairn lies 210 metres to the northeast overlooking Newcastle It measures about 4 5 m 14 ft 9 in high 18 m 59 ft from north to south and 16 m 52 ft from east to west It appears to have been an Early Bronze Age multiple cist cairn dating to 2300 1950 BC 11 In the past the cairns had a much more well defined shape and it is thought the Great Cairn had an east facing entrance leading to an inner chamber 12 They appear to parallel the two cairns on Slieve Gullion which can be seen from Slieve Donard 13 Both cairns have been badly damaged and altered over time and modern hillwalkers often add stones on top of them 11 Irish folklore holds that it is bad luck to damage or disrespect such tombs and that deliberately doing so could bring a curse 14 15 History and folklore Edit One of the summit cairns in 2009 It is likely that Slieve Donard was seen as a sacred mountain in the far past 16 Irish mythology identifies the Great Cairn as being the tomb or abode of mythical figures and an entrance to the Otherworld 17 In Cath Maige Tuired The Battle of Moytura Slieve Donard is called one of the twelve chief mountains of Ireland 18 while in the Triads of Ireland it is called one of the three great heights of Ireland along with Croagh Patrick and Great Sugar Loaf 17 The earliest sources give two names for the mountain Benn mBoirchi modern spelling Beann Boirche and Sliab Slanga modern spelling Sliabh Slangha 17 19 Beann Boirche means Boirche s peak referring to a mythical cowherd and king who had seemingly supernatural powers The plural name Beanna Boirche Boirche s peaks was given to the Mourne Mountains The name Sliabh Slangha means Slangha s mountain This refers to the mythical Slangha son of Partholon who was said to be the first physician in Ireland According to the Annals of the Four Masters he died in Anno Mundi 2533 2533 years after the creation of the world and was buried in the passage tomb 17 Ireland was Christianized from the 5th to 8th centuries A local Christian missionary Saint Donard known in Irish as Domhanghart 20 21 22 became associated with the mountain According to tradition he was a follower of Saint Patrick and founded a monastery at Maghera a few miles north of the mountain Donard is said to have appropriated the mountain and the monument for Christianity 23 allegedly by making the Great Cairn into a hermit s cell and using the Lesser Cairn as an oratory 24 According to the Life of Saint Patrick and the Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick Patrick blessed Donard in the womb declaring that Donard would not die but abide inside the mountain as a perpetual guardian 25 According to folklore a cave runs from the seashore to the cairn on the summit and it is here that Donard or Boirche lives 26 The writings of Gerald de Barri indicate that in the late 12th century the name Sliabh Slangha was going out of use and being replaced by Sliabh Domhanghairt 27 Sliabh Donairt is the modernised spelling The Mourne Wall and the stone tower at the summit Slieve Donard seen from Port William Scotland across the Mull of Galloway about 105 km Up until the 1830s 28 people made a pilgrimage to the mountaintop in late July each year It is likely that this was originally a Lughnasadh ritual that became Christianized 29 The church at Maghera and St Mary s Church at Ballaghanery Upper may have been starting points for the pilgrimage 30 In 1826 as part of the Principal Triangulation the Royal Engineers used Slieve Donard as a base to map Ireland They camped on the mountaintop from late July until late November that year and used the two cairns to make triangulation points badly damaging the cairns 31 During the Survey two men died in a snowstorm on their way down the mountain and others were hurt during storms on the summit 32 The Mourne Wall was built in the early 20th century and passes over fifteen mountains including Slieve Donard The wall goes up the western slope to a stone tower and then down the southern slope It took 18 years to build from 1904 to 1922 with stonemasons working in the mountains from March to mid October each year Some stones from the cairns were used to build it 33 In April 2006 a man was killed on Slieve Donard after being struck by lightning A brass plaque on the summit commemorates him 34 In April 2021 there was a major gorse fire on the eastern slopes of Slieve Donard devastating the habitat and badly affecting wildlife in the area 35 The fire was extinguished after three days It was thought to have been started deliberately and became the subject of a police investigation 36 See also Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slieve Donard Lists of mountains in Ireland List of Irish counties by highest point List of mountains of the British Isles by height List of P600 mountains in the British Isles List of Marilyns in the British Isles List of Hewitt mountains in England Wales and IrelandReferences Edit a b c d MountainViews ie a b c Ordnance Survey Ireland Online map viewer Ireland s County High Points High Point Ireland 2015 Placenames Database of Ireland Ireland s Province High Points High Point Ireland 2015 Ken Stewart 2004 Measuring the height of Slieve Donard 2004 Year Book Archived from the original on 19 November 2007 Retrieved 21 June 2008 This final calculation gives a measured height for Slieve Donard of 849 14m above MSL Belfast and is estimated to be correct to better than 5cm Ireland s Range High Points High Point Ireland 2015 McSherry Brendan The Geoarchaeology of Ireland s East Border Region Geology and Borders in War and Peace International Conference on Landscape Conservation 2011 p 76 MountainViews Millstone Mountain MountainViews Slieve Commedagh a b c Moore 2012 p 3 Moore 2012 pp 30 31 Moore 2012 p 29 Sarah Champion amp Gabriel Cooney Chapter 13 Naming the Places Naming the Stones Archaeology and Folklore Routledge 2005 p 193 Doherty Gillian The Irish Ordnance Survey History Culture and Memory Four Courts Press 2004 p 89 Moore 2012 pp 117 118 a b c d Moore 2012 pp 17 18 Augusta Lady Gregory Part I Book III The Great Battle of Magh Tuireadh Gods and Fighting Men 1904 at Sacred Texts com Paul Tempan Names in sliabh in the Mourne Mountains and beyond Queen s University Belfast O Donovan 1856 p 6 Joyce 1885 p 83 Kay Muhr 12 March 2015 Celebrating Ulster s Townlands Ulster Place Name Society Queen s University Belfast Retrieved 2 March 2016 Moore 2012 p 113 Moore 2012 p 57 Moore 2012 pp 58 59 Moore 2012 p 61 Moore 2012 p 19 Moore 2012 p 67 Moore 2012 pp 62 63 Moore 2012 p 81 Moore 2012 p 83 Moore 2012 p 114 Moore 2012 p 91 Moore 2012 p 117 Slieve Donard Over 100 firefighters continue to tackle Mournes major incident BBC News 25 April 2021 Retrieved 26 April 2021 McClements Freya 26 April 2021 Northern Irish fire service believes Mourne Mountain blaze started deliberately Irish Times Retrieved 28 April 2021 Bibliography Edit Joyce P W 1885 Irish Local Names Explained Dublin M H Gill amp Son Moore Sam 2012 The Archaeology of Slieve Donard a Cultural Biography of Ulster s Highest Mountain Down County Museum ISBN 978 0 9567278 6 2 O Donovan John 1856 Annala Rioghachta Eireann Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616 Vol 1 Dublin Hodges Smith and Co External links EditMountainViews The Irish Mountain Website MountainViews Irish Online Mountain Database The Database of British and Irish Hills the largest database of British Isles mountains DoBIH Hill Bagging UK amp Ireland the searchable interface for the DoBIH Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Slieve Donard amp oldid 1127602937, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
