Cavehill

The name 'Cave Hill' appears to be a translation of the Irish . The hill was originally known in Irish as (meaning "Madagán's peak"), after a king of Ulaid (Ulster), Matudán mac Muiredaig, who died in 856 AD. It could also be named after a later king, Matudán mac Áeda (reigned 937–950). The later king's grandson, Eochaid mac Ardgail, was killed at the battle of Crew Hill in 1004, in which the men of Ulster were defeated by their old enemies, the Cenél nEógain. It is from him that McArt's Fort derived its name. The residential neighbourhood at the foot of Cave Hill's entrance is derivatively known as Ben Madigan, with street names to match, and is a wealthy semi-outer city, semi-suburban…

Cave Hill rises to 368 m above sea level. Most of its lower east side lies on the Belfast Castle estate, which has as its focal point the imposing 19th-century Scottish baronial castle. The castle was designed by the firm of Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon and was constructed for The 3rd Marquess of Donegall in the late 1860s and early 1870s in the Deer Park. The slopes of Cave Hill were originally used as farmland but, from the 1880s, a major planting exercise was undertaken, producing the now familiar deciduous and coniferous woodland landscape. Belfast Castle estate was given to the City of Belfast by The 9th Earl of Shaftesbury in 1934.

Cave Hill Country Park, Belfast Zoo and Belfast Castle are visited by both locals and tourists. In the 18th century, the people of Belfast visited the area on Easter Monday for the Cave Hill fete, near a spring known as the 'Volunteers' Well'. The summit has views southwards over Belfast City and Lough towards the Mourne Mountains, Scrabo Tower and Slieve Croob.