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Sign marking Mourne engagement removed by angry walker

A man posted this photograph of the sign on the Mournes and said he had removed it from the mountains. Picture from Facebook
A man posted this photograph of the sign on the Mournes and said he had removed it from the mountains. Picture from Facebook A man posted this photograph of the sign on the Mournes and said he had removed it from the mountains. Picture from Facebook

A SIGN put up in the Mournes Mournes celebrating a couple's engagement in the Co Down beauty spot has been removed by a walker.

The metal heart-shaped sign intersected with a Cupid's arrow appeared in March on the Brandy Pad, beneath the Castles on the south-western slopes of Slieve Comedagh.

It read: "Jay + Lisa, she said yes here on 4.3.17."

The Mourne Heritage Trust appealed to people visiting the mountains not to leave a permanent reminder of their trip.

Martin Carey, chief executive of the Mourne Heritage Trust, told The Irish News earlier this month that it would be removing the sign.

He said: "In this specific case, we did engage with Northern Ireland Water and they have agreed that we should remove it."

"We will put it in safekeeping here and then put out an appeal via social media for the owners to retrieve it."

"We would ask people to consider other locations for signs and memorials because it is something that does not have the blessing of the landowner, comes into conflict with planning permission and does impact upon the experience of other users."

However, it appears that a member of the public has beaten the Trust to the task.

Posting a photograph of the damaged sign on Facebook, a user revealed he had removed it: "This was a difficult (morally and then later, physically) decision to carry this solid iron marriage proposal memorial out of the mountains.

"But a line has gotta be drawn somewhere - the baby fishes we saw trying to start life in the upper Annalong river with rust run-off leeching into it was that line for me."

The man added that he had left the sign "propped up against the CCTV pole in the Donard Park football pitch" in Newcastle.