Slieve Binnian
mountain in the United Kingdom

Slieve Binnian (SLEEV BIN-yan; from Irish Sliabh Binneáin, meaning 'mountain of the little peaks') is one of the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland, 9 km north of Kilkeel. It is the third-highest mountain in Northern Ireland at 747 metres (2,451 ft). The summit is broad and flat with rocky tors at the north and south ends, with the Back Castles, impressive towers of granite, in between. To the south-west is Wee Binnian (from Irish Broinn Bhinneáin, meaning 'breast of Binneán') (460m). It lies east of Silent Valley Reservoir and west of the Annalong Valley. The Mourne Wall also crosses over Slieve Binnian.
The mountain is in the townland of Brackenagh East Upper (379 acres), the civil parish of Kilkeel and the historic barony of Mourne.
Places of interest
Overlooking Annalong Wood on the eastern slopes of Slieve Binnian is the disused quarry of Douglas Crag.
What appears to be the remains of an abandoned quarrying village lies on the south eastern slopes of Slieve Binnian. Ruins of rock huts are spread across a landscape littered with part quarried rock.
The public source identifies “Slieve Binnian” as mountain in the United Kingdom. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Slieve, Binnian and mountain.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Slieve Binnian”, the useful work is to connect “mountain in the United Kingdom” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3259766. Authority coordinates are 54.143, -5.981. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Slieve Binnian”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Slieve Binnian primary sources, Slieve Binnian archive and Slieve research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Slieve Binnian” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.