Bog of Donard Quarry, Bloody Bridge River, Mourne Mountains, Nr Newcastle, Co Down

The Bog of Donard Quarry, located on the upper reaches of the Bloody Bridge River below the Bog of Donard in the Mourne Mountains near Newcastle, County Down, is a visible feature along the popular footpath to Slieve Donard. While situated close to Carr’s Face, the two sites are unconnected. The quarry was opened in 1927, although it does not appear on the 1938 Ordnance Survey map, and was worked by Hamilton of Annalong, according to information from Hamilton’s stone yard in Annalong.

The quarry features several notable structures. Four contiguous open-topped hoppers, constructed of concrete blocks over a rubble granite platform, are a key element. Each hopper is fed by a mass-concrete chute from above, and short metal chutes project outwards, likely for loading into lorries. The contents of the hoppers were probably crushed granite, though no crushing plant remains. Two nondescript one-storey, single-bay concrete-block sheds with monopitched corrugated metal roofs are also present, along with a short length of railway, presumably for bogeys. It is uncertain whether the concrete structures are contemporary with the original quarry workings or a later addition for processing waste stone. The quarry is noted as derelict and holds industrial archaeological interest.