A little history
useful links

The Giant's Causeway

Follow this link for some photographs on this site of typical Northern Ireland dune terrain (Portstewart Strand, a few miles East of the competition area) and some general area photography of the Benone area. None of the photographs are of the competition area for day one itself.. (There are some more photos here and here).

A short historical note

Benone Strand and Magilligan Point.
During the 18th century, at the height of the expansion of the linen industry elsewhere in Ulster, farming continued to be the mainstay of the local economy. The yields were poor due to the low-lying nature of the land and the frequent salt spray damage from the Atlantic. The sand dunes and marram grass were, however, home to the north's largest rabbit warren and the meat and skins were put to good use. Migratory Barnacle geese were also trapped at night using nets on poles. Lough Foyle, on the inland shore of the peninsula, was famed for its oysters; the local honey was also sought after due to the variety of local flowers.

In addition to the early tourism of sea bathers in the late 18th century, there were those a few decades later who travelled in search of the illicit produce of over 400 stills.

In 1812, at the height of the Napoleonic threat, the Martello Tower was built at the tip of the foreland, to guard the approaches to the sheltered deep-water anchorage of Lough Foyle and Londonderry. There are only about 200 of these scattered around the British Empire. 

In more recent times the peninsula was in the news as the Second World War army camp was one of the three main holding centres to which prisoners were taken at the introduction of internment in 1971.

Some more local environmental information about the area can be found here and here.

Newtownstewart and Baronscourt
Baronscourt was designed by James Wyatt.

Websites including information and photos of Benone
Photos of Benone and other local sites.
About Benone beach and tourist complex

Websites including information and photos of Newtownstewart and Baronscourt
Newtownstewart Golf Course   [photo]
History of Newtownstewart
Bessy Bell Mountain windfarm