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Iron gate and stone stile at a break in the Mourne Wall near Carrick Little.

I have been contacted regarding some pictures as they do not resemble the official Mourne Wall as seen in J3228 : The Mourne Wall, suggesting that they are, in fact, merely field boundaries. However, I am reliant on the OS data which describes this part of the wall in squares J3422 and J3323 as 'The Mourne Wall' so am describing them myself as such.

Despite research I have failed to come up with a definitive history of the Mourne Wall in its entirety. The wall does appear to have been built in different sections, with some areas of a much higher standard of construction than others. The author Paddy Dillon has written an excellent book on walking in the Mournes ('The Mournes: Walks' by Paddy Dillon published by O'Brien Press, ISBN: 086278896X) and his map of the Mourne Wall walk would seem to concur that this section leading from Carrick Little carpark to Slieve Binnian is indeed rightly attributed as the 'Mourne Wall'. On the 'Mourne Wall Walk', Dillon writes the following in relation to the rise from Carrick Little to Binnian:

"An obvious gravel track flanked by gorse bushes rises beside the car park. The gentle ascent leads past a couple of buildings and the boundary field walls alongside become quite substantial. Cross a stone step stile beside an iron gate. The Mourne Wall rises to the left, offering a direct line to the summit of Slieve Binnian."

This is a picture of the gate and stone stile as described above. The wall rising to Binnian can be seen in J3422 : Mourne Wall towards Slieve Binnian.

Dillon also offers the following brief notes on the wall itself:

"The course of the Mourne Wall on either side of the Silent Valley is disappointing, and in places it seems to be a haphazard construction. The truly 'classic' proportions of the wall are found northwards of Carn Mountain and Long Seefin, and there are some particularly stout sections on Slieve Corragh and the Bog of Donard."