Slieve Donard, Mountain summit in County Down, Northern Ireland
Slieve Donard is the highest peak of the Mourne Mountains at 850 meters, featuring steep granite slopes that rise sharply from sea level. Its distinctive rocky summit towers above the surrounding landscape.
Two prehistoric burial cairns sit at the summit, with the Great Cairn dating to 3300-3000 BC. This marks the highest passage tomb in Britain and Ireland.
The name comes from Saint Donard, a fifth-century Christian missionary who founded a hermitage at the summit. This sacred connection has made the mountain a place of pilgrimage for many visitors.
The main hiking trail begins in Newcastle and passes through Donard Forest alongside the Glen River. It connects with the Mourne Wall path for the final approach to the summit.
A stone wall built between 1904 and 1922 crosses the western slope as part of a 22-mile barrier enclosing multiple peaks. This engineering project stands as a remarkable achievement of early twentieth-century construction.
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