Carnmoney Hill
| Carnmoney Hill | |||
| County Antrim | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Carnmoney Hill | |||
| Range: | Belfast Hills | ||
| Summit: | 760 feet J332831 54°40’41"N, 5°56’6"W | ||
Carnmoney Hill is a northern outlier of the Belfast Hills chain and rises to 760 feet, standing about Carnmoney and the wider Newtownabbey area in County Antrim. It can be seen from northern parts of County Down, from Belfast Lough, the M2 and M5 motorways and Belfast City.
The eastern side of the hill is mainly covered by ancient woodland with semi-natural grasslands and other habitats interspersed, for example scrubland and bracken. The hill top has a volcanic cap yet the slopes are mainly of limestone and flint, joining mudstones at the coastal belt below.
The Woodland Trust and the local council own most of the eastern side, a third of the hill, although the crest and western two thirds of the hill are in private ownership, including most of the cultivated, grazing and heath land. Numerous paths thread through the private land (often used by the public), leading to the top however there are no permanent paths on the hill open to the public.
Dunanney Fort
Dunanney Ráth (or Fort) stands majestically overlooking Carnmoney Cemetery on the southern face of Carnmoney Hill. The ringfort site, where in ancient times fairs and festivals were held, may date back to around 500 BC. In 1556 the Earl of Sussex, Lord Deputy to Elizabeth I, camped with his troops at Dunanney where he met with Irish chieftains in an unsuccessful attempt to pacify them.
The name Dunanney has been translated both as 'The Fort of the Assemblies' and 'The Fort of the Watery Place' (built on rock, it tends to be wet and marshy).
A second ringfort exists to the east of Dunanney. Two souterrains (man-made underground passages) have been found on the hill, although more than 20 are known to have existed in the past.[1]
Dunanney Ráth is on private land and not open to the public, however the part of Carnmoney Hill owned by the Woodland Trust is just south of Dunanney and is open to the public all year round. The council has in recent times tried to open Dunanney Ráth with little success. Plans to open a park on the hill are also underway.
On the hill
Lilian Bland built and flew her own aircraft, the first biplane built in Ireland, from here in 1910.[2] There are a variety of habitats including floral meadows, wetland patches, shrub land, old hedgerows, copses, mixed ash woods, and semi natural woodland. The grazed lands tend not to have many wildlife species however they add to the hills landscape patchwork when seen from afar.
The hill offers good views of Belfast city, Cave Hill, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus and Bangor. On clear days the Mourne Mountains of County Down, Slemish Mountain and the adjacent coasts of Galloway and Argyll are easily visible.
Outside links
- Carnmoney Hill – Belfast Hills Partnership
- Carnmoney Hill – Walk NI
- Woodland Trust – Carnmoney Hill
References
- ↑ O'Laverty, James: 'An historical account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, ancient and modern' Vol 3 (J. Duffy, 1878) pages 11–13: Within the last hundred years upwards of 20 artificial caves have been destroyed, or so closed that all trace of them has been lost. The sites of seven are known and have been explored.
- ↑ O'Connell, Claire (2009). "Flying in the Face of Convention". Engineers Journal (Ireland) 63: 81–2.
