Kilbroney Park | |
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Páirc Chill Bhrónai | |
Type | Public park |
Location | Near Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland |
Coordinates | 54°05′50″N 6°11′26″W / 54.0973°N 6.1905°W |
Created | 1977 |
Operated by | Newry, Mourne and Down District Council |
Status | Open year round from 9 am |
Kilbroney Park (Irish: Páirc Chill Bhrónai) is a park near Rostrevor in Northern Ireland. Formerly a country estate, it was visited by William Makepeace Thackeray, Charles Dickens and Seamus Heaney and may have been the inspiration for Narnia in the writings of C. S. Lewis. It came into the ownership of the Bowes-Lyon family, and the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret holidayed there as children. The park has been run by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council since 1977 and features a children's play area, tennis courts and a cafe. It has a large collection of rare and historic trees, including "Old Homer", a holm oak that was voted Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year in 2016. A glacial erratic in the park is connected with the legend of the giant Finn Mac Cool.