The Mourne Mountains Landscape Partnership Scheme operated from 2013 to 2017, supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The programme focused on preserving and celebrating key aspects of the area’s heritage, including:
- The industrial history of granite quarrying
- Traditional farming practices and skills
- The supply of water originating in the heart of the Mournes
Key achievements included the restoration of three water and summit towers, the Annalong Cornmill, and 15 historic follies and bridges in Tollymore Forest Park. Another stand out project under built heritage was the relocation and restoration of an original Watertown house into the grounds of the Silent Valley, where it was originally constructed, c. 1923.
In addition to these built heritage initiatives, the programme featured a variety of cultural projects, such as the “Mourne Big Weave,” oral history collection and storytelling, and the training of local tour guides.
For more information on some of the projects, check out this series of short videos:
Tollymore Follies Restoration (youtube.com)
The History of Tollymore Follies (youtube.com)
The Granite Trail (youtube.com)
