Painted arrows right across Cooley mountains are just so annoying
HOW did this happen? How did the person or persons responsible ever think that it was a good idea or acceptable? What will happen now? What are the consequences for those responsible? Can the paint be removed? More particularly, has anyone got a spare toothbrush to give to the person responsible so that they can scrub off their handiwork?
Just some of the random thoughts that sprung to mind as I saw photos of hundreds of rocks on the Cooley mountain daubed in yellow spray paint.
There are bigger problems in the world, let’s not forget that, on a week in which terrorists mowed down pe- destrians on the streets of Barcelona killing fourteen people and seriously injuring hundreds more, so let’s not lose perspective. It is, after all a bunch of rocks on top of a mountain and while it may well look dreadful, it will cause no actual physical harm to anyone.
Yet, it is hard not to get annoyed when you see the result of the paint work on the rocks across the top of the mountains.
Seriously, who did it and why? At this point in the week, no one is owning up to the handiwork, no one is explaining why they did it and whether they had permission, which clearly they did not.
The Cooley mountains are one of the most idyllic spots in this region. The view down into Carlingford Lough and across to the Mourne Mountains must equal anything anywhere on this island. The view back into town and Dundalk Bay isn’t half bad either.
The mountains once the domain of sheep and foresters are now a popular destination for many leisure activities such as hill-walking, trekking, mountain-biking, pony-trekking and scrambling.
Indeed there are issues with the level of activity and while many of those using the mountain have a zero-trace policy, of not leaving anything behind them on the mountain, the increased activity is having an effect.
There are trail marks and tyre marks across parts of the mountain, while one informed environmentalist has stated that nesting harriers have abandoned their nests in recent seasons due to the increased footfall causing disturbance to their nesting grounds.
Our natural environment is for all and nothing such as this paint marking should be done without a proper consultation with all groups and users.