“‘…the vision is to see the Mourne’s and its heritage value as a whole — one unified environment and vital natural resource for us all’”
The Mournes are one of the most important landscapes in Northern Ireland. The mountains are rich in natural and cultural heritage with a historic relationship between humans and the land, from the Neolithic period to today.
Tandem were appointed as specialist consultants for the Mourne Community Renewal Through Nature project, to review and assess the interpretation provision in the High Mournes and environs, and propose recommendations for the implementation of interventions across the landscape. We collaborated and informed findings from across the wider team, as well as contributing to a core component of one volume within the strategy – the Mourne’s natural and cultural heritage.
We engaged in community and client consultation to gain detailed insights of issues concerning the land, locals, and how to protect the landscape and its environs. From these, we considered how interpretation could be a tool to address many of the themes – from climate protection to education outreach.
Working in collaboration with the wider project’s teams, Tandem produced a report on the Mourne’s natural and shared heritage, a detailed research report and bibliography, and an Outline Interpretation Strategy for the whole mountain landscape.
The Interpretation Strategy was a key output to inform the future approach to interpretation across the mountain landscape. The proposals consider the mountain environment as one holistic landscape, where resources and stories are considerately and thematically mapped.
The aim of these documents is to lay the foundation for all future interpretation in the Mourne Mountains. As one of Northern Ireland’s most precious regions, the vision is to see the Mournes and its heritage value as a whole — one unified environment and vital natural resource for us all.