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"Mountains - they're a living thing ...."
Send
friends or family a Mournes e-card,
click on the mountain image above to view
the selection
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An
inspiration to painters.
Heather and Victor speaking |
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Source
of employment.
Jimmy Newell speaking |
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Slievenaglogh, Commedagh and Donard,
seen from the Mourne wall on Bearnagh
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Marie McStay loves to be among
the Mourne Mountains. She likes nothing better than
to don her walking boots and take to the hills. On
her travels she comes across others for whom the Mournes
are integral to their 'your place and mine'.
Mark Brennan shares Marie's love
of the Mournes. His family has lived between Rostrevor
and Kilkeel since about the 1660s. Seven generations
on the connection to this place is just as strong
as ever. Mark says "I would live out here in a tent,
before I would live in the town or a city."
Tom Porter was born in the shadow
of the mountains and feels there's "no place in the
world just like Mourne." He thinks Mourne people have
a distinct character because the mountains virtually
cut them off from other areas.
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Slieve Binnian & Wee Binnian |
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Willie Davey looks out his kitchen
window at Slieve Binnian every day and "can't see
any place to beat the Mournes". He was proud to work
on building the Binnian Tunnel in the 1940's, which
helped improve the water supply to Belfast. We're
a hardy race of people, says Willie Davey. He remembers
an agent called Shirley who said "They were the best
men I have ever come across - the Mourne men. For
it didn't matter what job you wanted done you could
get a man in Mourne to do it".
(You can read
more about the building of the Binnian
Tunnel here on Your Place & mine .)
Mairead White lives in Attical,
which lies in one of the Mourne valleys. She feels
the mountains have a great influence on her life being...
"something that is part of me. It's just a sense of
security ... a sense of part of belonging." Locals
have an intimate knowledge of the surrounding peaks.
Mairead's father used to look up at Long Mountain
and be able to tell what the weather was going to
do that day. Her mother saw other things.... Listen
to
As well as the well known names such as Donard, Lamagan,
Bearnagh and Muck there are many other curious and
meaningful names.. Deers' Meadow, Miners' Hole, Pigeon
Rock, Buzzard's Roost, Diamond Rocks, Brandy Pad and
'Pollaphuca' , which means "pool of the fairies"
or "sprite". Just about every acre of this magnificent
mountain range has a name; they roll off the tongue
like poetry. Parts of the mountains are as familiar
to people as the backs of their hands.
Have YOU a favourite place in the Mournes?
Is it the beautiful landscape which makes
it special or does it evoke particular memories? Have
you stories about Mourne people or places you could
share? Why not add an entry at the bottom of the page
or just drop us a quick e-mail to ypam-online@bbc.co.uk
.
Send friends or family a Mournes e-card. View a selection
here
RELATED WEB LINKS
Mourne
International Walking Festival
About
Cave Hill
Preservation
of NI woodland
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print version
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