Slieve Donard (pronounced sleev-DON-ərd, from Irish: Sliabh Dónairt, meaning "Dónairt's mountain")[3] is a 850 m (2,789 ft)[1][2][4] mountain in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Mourne Mountains and the highest peak in Northern Ireland and in the wider province of Ulster.[1] It is the 19th highest peak on the island of Ireland.[1] Slieve Donard sits near the town of Newcastle on the eastern coast of County Down, only 2 miles (3 km) from the Irish Sea.
Slieve Donard is named after Saint Donard, known in Irish as Domhanghairt or Domhanghart.[5] [6][7] Dónairt is a modernised spelling. He was a follower of Saint Patrick and founded a monastery at Maghera, north of Newcastle. According to tradition he was appointed by Saint Patrick to guard the surrounding countryside from the summit of Slieve Donard.[1] He is supposed not to have died, but to have become a "perpetual guardian".[1]
In pagan times the mountain was known as Sliabh Slainge—named after Sláinge mac Partholóin (Sláinge son of Partholón), who was allegedly the first physician in Ireland.[1] According to Annála na gCeithre Máistrí (Annals of the Four Masters), he died in Anno Mundi 2533 (2533 years after the creation of the world) and was buried under a cairn on the mountain.[1]
[edit] Geography
Slieve Donard sits at the northeastern edge of the Mournes, overlooking Newcastle and Dundrum Bay. It has three subsidiary peaks on the seaward side—Millstone Mountain (460 m),[8] Thomas's Mountain and Crossone. Two glens separate Slieve Donard from the neighbouring mountains of Slieve Commedagh (to the northwest) and Chimney Rock Mountain (to the south).[2] Slieve Commedagh, at 767 m, is the second-highest of the Mourne Mountains.[9]
At the summit of Slieve Donard there is a cairn and a small stone tower, which was built as a shelter. This tower is part of the Mourne Wall, which passes over the mountain's southern and western shoulders.[1] A triangulation pillar sits on top.
[edit] Climbing Slieve Donard
The mountain is an easy climb although the path is very eroded at places. In recent years a stone path has been made on the steepest parts of the mountain. The summit provides spectacular views of the coast and as far afield as Belfast, 30 miles north, and Dublin, 55 miles to the south.
[edit] Gallery
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Slieve Donard Panorama taken from roughly 30m below the summit, looking North to Castlewellan
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Slieve Donard from Newcastle
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Slieve Donard from Newcastle
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Slieve Donard from Murlough Beach
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Slieve Donard from Slieve Commedagh
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The Mourne Wall on Slieve Donard
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Slieve Donard (left) from Murlough Beach
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Slieve Donard from Dundrum
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Slieve Donard from Dundrum Bay
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Slieve Donard (middle) from Downpatrick
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Slieve Donard (right) and Newcastle
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Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh (right) from the northeast
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The small stone tower at the summit
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j MountainViews.ie
- ^ a b c Ordnance Survey Ireland - Online map viewer
- ^ Placenames Database of Ireland
- ^ Ken Stewart, Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (2004). "Measuring the height of Slieve Donard". 2004 Year Book. http://www.irishscientist.ie/2004/contents.asp?contentxml=04isp45b.xml&contentxsl=is04pages.xsl. Retrieved 2008-06-21. "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."
- ^ O'Mulconry, Ferfeasa. Annala Rioghachta Eireann: Annals of the kingdom of Ireland (Volume 1). Hodges, Smith, and co., 1856. Page 6.
- ^ Joyce, P W. Irish Local Names Explained. BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2009. Page 83.
- ^ Kay Muhr. "Celebrating Ulster's Townlands". Ulster Place-Name Society (Queen's University, Belfast). http://www.ulsterplacenames.org/place_and_people_names.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ MountainViews - Millstone Mountain
- ^ MountainViews - Slieve Commedagh
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