The Mourne Mountains: The Story Behind Our Newest Design
There's a point on the road north, somewhere past Dundalk, where the skyline changes. The hills ahead of you stop being hills and become something bigger and bluer, stacked one behind the other, and whoever is in the passenger seat says "there they are". You don't need to ask who. The Mournes have that effect on people.
They've been on Paul's list to draw for a long time, and this month they finally made it onto a tee. So here's a little about the place, and about why we wanted to draw it now.
Where are the Mourne Mountains?
The Mournes are a tight cluster of granite mountains in the south of County Down, between Carlingford Lough and the seaside town of Newcastle. In Irish they're Na Beanna Boirche. They aren't a long range, but they're a dramatic one, because they rise almost straight up from the shore. The highest, Slieve Donard, is 850 metres, which makes it the highest mountain in Northern Ireland, and its foot is more or less on the beach.
The granite of the High Mournes is about 56 million years old, which is young as Irish mountains go. The ice came much later and carved out the valleys and the sharp, rocky tors on top that give each peak its own outline. Once you know them, you can tell Slieve Bearnagh from Slieve Binnian the way you'd know a friend from the back.
What is the Mourne Wall?
If you've walked up there, you'll have met the wall. The Mourne Wall is a dry stone wall of granite that runs for 22 miles (about 35km) across the tops of fifteen summits, Slieve Donard included. It was built between 1904 and 1922 for the Belfast Water Commissioners, to mark out the land that feeds the reservoirs below and keep sheep and cattle away from the water.
Eighteen years, by hand, over fifteen mountains. I think about the men who walked up there every morning to do that, in all weathers, and I'm fairly sure none of them imagined people would one day follow it for fun.
Why does everyone know the song?
Percy French wrote The Mountains of Mourne in 1896, in the voice of a man in London writing home to his Mary. The story goes that the idea came to him on a clear day on the north Dublin coast, when he could see the Mournes across the water. It's why so many of us know how the mountains meet the sea long before we've ever been there, and why there's hardly a wedding in the country where somebody's uncle hasn't sung it.
Why did Paul draw the Mournes?
I asked Paul to put it in his own words, and this is what he said:
"The Mournes are one of Ireland's most breathtaking landscapes, where rugged granite peaks meet the wild beauty of the coast. We wanted to capture the quiet majesty of this special place, its character, and the sense of freedom that comes from being surrounded by nature. In a world of constant stimulation, it reminds us that there are still places where we can just be for a moment. It's a tribute to the wild of Ireland."
I love that, and I think it's why this design belongs to this time of year. November and December are the loudest weeks we have, with lists and lights and everyone wanting something by Friday. The Mournes at dusk are the opposite of all that.
So that's the moment he drew: the peaks in one fine white line, with the last bands of evening light settling behind them, the way you see them in the mirror on the drive home after a good day out. It's printed by hand on 100% organic cotton in Blue Grey, which is a very good colour for a winter sky.
See the Mourne Mountains tee →
The walk to do when you get there
Slieve Donard by the Glen River, from Newcastle
About 2.9 miles (4.7km) each way · allow 4 to 5 hours up and down · very strenuous · start at Donard Park car park, Newcastle
The classic way up starts at sea level in Donard Park and follows the Glen River through old woodland of Scots pine, oak and birch, then out onto the open mountain to the saddle between Donard and Slieve Commedagh. That's where you meet the Mourne Wall, and you follow it all the way to the top. Come back down the same way.
It's a proper mountain day, and a short one at this time of year. Start early, bring a torch, a hat and more layers than you think you need, and check the forecast before you leave the house. If the cloud is down, the walk through the woods to the first bridges and back is lovely in its own right, and Newcastle has plenty of places for something hot afterwards.
One for the list
If you have a favourite corner of the Mournes, the Silent Valley, Tollymore, the view from a particular lay-by, we'd love to hear about it. And if there's someone in your life who grew up looking at those mountains, I think they'd be glad to find them under the tree.
More mountains: read about Moll's Gap in Kerry and Carrauntoohil, or see every design in our new arrivals. Looking for presents? Our Christmas gift guide is here.