The Shimna River near Newcastle and the Mourne Mountains. Watercolour sketch 11 inches by 8.

We have just returned from a very nice long weekend in Northern Ireland visiting friends and family and admiring the scenery. Alas it wasn’t great weather but even so still some time for some paintings and watercolour sketches, mostly imagined in sunnier weather!

This first painting however was painted a couple of weeks ago during the Irish Open Golf which was held this year at Royal County Down Golf Club, nestled below Slieve Donard (2790 feet high) in  The Mourne Mountains. This course is arguably considered to be one of the best, if not the best,  golf course in the World! 

The 18th at Royal County Down Golf Club Watercolour 21 inches by 10.

The scenery is great and this watercolour, painted from sketches made whilst watching the golf on TV shows the view from the 18th Tee toward the Clubhouse and the Slieve Donard Hotel.

In Tollymore Forest park , accessed from near Newcastle, County Down , you will find Foley Bridge on one of the many great paths through the Forest.

Foley bridge in Tollymore Forest park. Watercolour sketch 11 inches by 9

 Beyond Slieve Donnard , in the Mourne’s, near the Hilltown Road,  is Trassey Bridge with views toward Slieve Bernagh.

Trassey bridge crosses the River Trassey, a tributary of the Shimna River. Watercolour sketch 11 by 8 inches.

Near Dundrum is  Murlough Bay, just North of Newcastle and here I have sketched Downshire bridge viewed from the North with views across to the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Donard on the left.

Dundrum has also a great Restaurant with Rooms, The Buck’s Head with Alex Greene as Chef and co owned with Bronagh McCarmick. We had a really terrific lunch there using local ingredients. I can highly recommend it if you are there, and only 35 minutes from Belfast.(www.thebucksheaddundrum.co.uk)

Downshire Bridge,a watercolour sketch 11 by 8 inches

From there it isn’t to far to St John’s Point and it’s tall Lighthouse, the second tallest in Ireland I believe. This was imagined in brighter weather as the mist was impenetrable that day!

St John’s Point Lighthouse. Watercolour sketch 11 by 8 inches

 Wherever you go around the Mourne’s the views are spectacular and the Town of Newcastle is well worth a visit too with its great promenade by the sea and the River Shimna.

Northern ireland is a great place to visit with its wonderful scenery and so many attractions to see. If you havent been , get it on your list of places to go!

Happy Travelling

Brian

PS Don’t forget you can see some of these and many more Irish watercolours on my Blog , http://www.brianswatercolours.blog and also at my shops on http://www.Artfinder.com/brianswatercolours and http://www.Art Gallery.co.uk/briantucker.