It is all very well working through the theory of historical research and its benefits, but here we wanted to present a short case study of one site in Northern Ireland, to demonstrate the value of understanding the history and cultures of a place. The site is called Mourne Park, near Kilkeel in County Down Northern Ireland and it is owned and cared for by the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland.
It was a relatively new acquisition by the Woodland Trust (purchased in 2021) after being in private family hands for over four hundred years. As such, it had a rich archive, as well as an active and engaged body of volunteers and local history and culture experts in the area, which the Woodland Trust wanted to engage as much as possible. This case study will demonstrate how historical research supported the Woodland Trust’s objectives of:
- Building and engaging with their volunteer body on the new site
- Engaging the local communities of Kilkeel and the Mournes on the site
- Raising the public profile of the site
- Understanding the history of the site in order to inform planning for its future, including questions of path design, interpretation planning, and planting/land management schemes.
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