Murlough NNR

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About Murlough NNR

Murlough National Nature Reserve, on the County Down coast near Newcastle, is Ireland's oldest nature reserve and one of the finest dune heath systems in the UK. Its rolling dunes, heathland and scrub back onto the Mourne Mountains and front a long stretch of Dundrum Bay.

The story of Murlough NNR

Murlough was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1963 by the Sheppard family and became Ireland's first nature reserve when it was formally declared in 1952, making it a landmark in the history of nature conservation on the island of Ireland. The reserve covers over 6000 acres of dune heath, acidic grassland and woodland, and is managed by the National Trust in partnership with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The dunes formed over 6,000 years from wind-blown sand and are thought to be one of the oldest dune systems in Ireland, with archaeological evidence of human use dating back to the Mesolithic period. Murlough is a candidate Special Area of Conservation for its fixed dune vegetation and is home to rare species including the marsh fritillary butterfly.

Visiting with care

Park at the National Trust car park at Slidderyford and follow the boardwalk across the dunes to the beach and the Mournes viewpoint. Keep to the boardwalk to protect the fragile heath, and bring binoculars for butterflies, skylarks and the occasional seal on the strand.

Interesting facts

• Murlough was declared a nature reserve in 1952, making it the oldest nature reserve in Ireland.
• The dunes are over 6,000 years old, among the oldest dune systems in Ireland.
• The reserve supports one of the few UK populations of the rare marsh fritillary butterfly.
• It was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1963 and is managed jointly with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.