Kilbroney Park

Kilbroney Park
Páirc Chill Bhrónai
Park entrance
Kilbroney Park is located in County Down
Kilbroney Park
Location within County Down
TypePublic park
LocationNear Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland
Coordinates54°05′50″N 6°11′26″W / 54.0973°N 6.1905°W / 54.0973; -6.1905
Created1977
Operated byNewry, Mourne and Down District Council
StatusOpen 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.