Tollymore Forest Park
| Tollymore Forest Park | |
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A wooden footbridge crossing the Shimna River in Tollymore Forest Park
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| Geography | |
 Location of Tollymore Forest Park
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| Location | Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54°12′58″N 5°55′01″W / 54.216°N 5.917°WCoordinates: 54°12′58″N 5°55′01″W / 54.216°N 5.917°W |
| Area | 630 hectares (1,600 acres) |
| Established | 2 June 1955 |
| Governing body | Forest Service Northern Ireland |
Tollymore Forest Park was the first state forest park in Northern Ireland, established on 2 June 1955. It is located at Bryansford, near the town of Newcastle in the Mourne and Slieve Croob Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It covers an area of 630 hectares (1,600 acres) at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and has views of the surrounding mountains and the sea at nearby Newcastle. The Shimna River flows through the park where it is crossed by 16 bridges, the earliest dating to 1726. The river is a spawning ground for salmon and trout and is an Area of Special Scientific Interest due to its geology, flora and fauna. The forest has four walking trails signposted by different coloured arrows, the longest being the "long haul trail" at 8 miles (13 km) long. It was listed in The Sunday Times top twenty British picnic sites for 2000. The Forest Park has been managed by the Forest Service since they purchased it from the Roden Estate in 1941.
The name Tollymore (Tulaigh Mhór) is derived from "large hill or mound", referring to the two hills, approximately 250 m high, which are located within the forest boundary. Their official names have been recorded as Slieve Neir (possibly from Sliabh an Aoire, meaning "the mountain of the shepherd") and Slieve Snaran (from either snarvan, meaning to creep, or snarban, meaning a cataract), however they are more commonly known as The Drinns and Curraghard, meaning "ridge" and "marshy upland" respectively.
After the Norman invasion of Ulster in 1177 and the creation of the Earldom of Ulster, the Magennis clan gained power in the area. The extended Magennise families controlled most of the land in the south of county Down by the 15th century, including the area where Tollymore is located. On 22 February 1611, Tollymore (officially referred to as Ballytollymore) was included in seven and a half townlands which were surrendered to the English crown in return for a formal freehold in the name of Brian McHugh McAghorley Magennis. The land was passed to his grandson in 1628 and when he died without issue in the 1660s, it was passed to Brian Magennis’ only daughter Ellen, who was married to William Hamilton of Ayrshire.
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