| Slieve Gullion | |
|---|---|
 Slieve Gullion fromAughanduff | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 573 m (1,880 ft) |
| Prominence | 478 m (1,568 ft)[1] |
| Listing | County top (Armagh),Marilyn |
| Coordinates | 54°08′N6°26′W / 54.133°N 6.433°W /54.133; -6.433 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Sliabh gCuillinn |
| English translation | mountain of the steep slope |
| Geography | |
  Slieve Gullion Location in Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland Slieve Gullion Slieve Gullion (island of Ireland) Show map of island of Ireland Slieve Gullion Slieve Gullion (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom | |
| Location | County Armagh, Northern Ireland |
| Parent range | Ring of Gullion |
| OSI/OSNI grid | J024201 |
Slieve Gullion (fromIrishSliabh gCuillinn, meaning 'hill of the steep slope'[2] orSliabh Cuilinn, "Culann's mountain")[3] is a mountain in the south ofCounty Armagh, Northern Ireland. The mountain is the heart of theRing of Gullion and is thehighest point in the county, with an elevation of 573 metres (1,880 ft).[4] At the summit is a small lake and two ancientburial cairns, one of which is the highest survivingpassage grave in Ireland. Slieve Gullion appears inIrish mythology, where it is associated with theCailleach and the heroesFionn mac Cumhaill andCú Chulainn. It dominates the countryside around it, offering views as far away asCounty Antrim,Dublin Bay andCounty Wicklow on a clear day.[5] Slieve Gullion Forest Park is on its eastern slope.
Villages around Slieve Gullion includeMeigh,Drumintee,Forkhill,Mullaghbawn andLislea. The mountain gives its name to the surrounding countryside, and is the name of an electoral area withinNewry, Mourne and Down District Council.
Slieve Gullion is a steep-sided mountain with a flat top and a height of 573 metres (1,880 ft). It is the eroded remains of aPaleocene volcanic complex. It is surrounded by aring dike known as theRing of Gullion, a designatedArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Slieve Gullion has been shaped by glaciation and exhibits a classic 'crag and tail' glacial feature. The 'tail', made up of glacial deposits, points south, ending at Drumintee. The geological formation was the first ring dike to be mapped,[6] although its significance was not understood until similar structures had been described from Scotland. The rocks of the area are complex and have featured in international geological debate since the 1950s. The site has attracted geologists from all over the world and featured in theories to explain the unusual rock relationships. Some of these theories have now become an accepted part of geological science.[7]
Much of Slieve Gullion is covered with forest, heather, or raw stone, while 612 hectares of dryheath on the mountain has been designated aSpecial Area of Conservation,[8] anEnvironmentally Sensitive Area,[9] and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In July 2006, some areas ofgorse were destroyed by awildfire which may have beenstarted deliberately.[10]
Traces of fields on the mountain's poor soil from farming in earlier times can still be seen. There is also evidence of past quarrying.
There are two burialcairns on top of the hill, on either side of a small lake. The southern one is a largepassage tomb, the highest surviving passage tomb in Ireland.[11] In 1961, a team of archaeologists explored the site and set up a 30-person camp near the summit.[12] The tomb's cairn is 30 m (98 ft) wide and 5 m (16 ft) high. The chamber inside is 3.6 m (12 ft) wide, with a corbelled roof up to 4.3 m (14 ft) high. It contained three large blocks of stone seemingly used as basins, and fragments of human bone. Some bits of worked flint and a barbed-end arrowhead were also found, "the meager remnants that survived the centuries of tomb raiding".[13] The entrance is aligned with the setting sun on thewinter solstice.[14] Radiocarbon dating suggests it was built c.3500–2900 BCE.[15] The smaller cairn to the north of the lake was built later, perhaps during the earlyBronze Age (around 2000 BC).[16] It contains twocist burials, with one containing bits of burnt bone; likely the remains of a single adult.[17]
The two cairns were disturbed by American soldiers training there duringWorld War II.[18]Irish folklore holds that it is bad luck to damage or disrespect such tombs and that doing so could bring acurse.[19][20] Today they are historic monuments protected by law. In recent years, volunteers have helped to repair the burial cairns under the supervision of an archaeologist.[21]
Around1680,religious persecution of localIrish Catholics heated up in reaction toTitus Oates' claims of anon-existent Catholic conspiracy aimed at assassinating KingCharles II of England and massacring the Protestants of theBritish Isles. As a result, aCatholic priest named Fr. Mac Aidghalle was murdered while sayingmass at amass rock that still stands atop Slieve Gullion. The perpetrators were a company ofredcoats under the command of apriest hunter named Turner.Redmond O'Hanlon, the outlawed butde factoChief of the Name ofClan O'Hanlon and leading localrapparee, is said in localoral tradition to have avenged the murdered priest and in so doing to have sealed his own fate.[22]
Slieve Gullion is popular with hillwalkers, with about 20,000 people climbing the hill every year. A road leads to a small car park about halfway up the western side of the mountain. From there a trail leads to the summit. There is also a waymarked trail from the northern side of the mountain. As there is no security on the mountainside, cars parked there are often broken into by thieves, and police have asked visitors not to leave valuables in cars.[23][24]
On the eastern side of the mountain is Slieve Gullion Forest Park, which includes a visitors' centre, café, playground, and the Giant's Lair Story Trail.[25]
Slieve Gullion appears inIrish mythology.
In the tale known asThe Hunt of Slieve Gullion,Áine and her sister Milucra both seek after the legendary heroFionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool). Knowing that Áine vowed never to marry a man with grey hair, Milucra secretly puts a spell on the lake atop Slieve Gullion, so that anyone who swam in it would become elderly. She tricks Fionn by asking him to fetch her golden ring from the lake, and he emerges as an old man with grey-white hair. His men, theFianna, force her to give him a restorative potion from hercornucopia. Fionn's youth returns, but his hair does not return to its true colour.[26] This is said to be the origin of his name, Fionn, meaning 'white'. In some versions of the tale, Milucra is revealed to be theCailleach Bhéara (Calliagh Birra), an ancient goddess.[27]
The names of several features on the mountain refer to the Cailleach Bhéara. The passage grave is known locally as Calliagh Birra's House and the small lake is called Calliagh Birra's Lough.[28] Lower down, on a hillock called Spellick, is a rock feature called the Calliagh Birra's Chair. Locals would visit it atLughnasadh and take turns sitting on the chair.[29]
Slieve Gullion is said to be where the legendary heroCú Chulainn (Cuhullin) received his name and where he spent his childhood as Sétanta.
According to myth, the mountain is named afterCulann themetalsmith. Culann invitesConchobhar mac Neasa, king of Ulster, to a feast at his house on the slopes of Slieve Gullion. On his way, Conchobhar stops at the playing field to watch the boys playhurling. He is so impressed by Sétanta's performance that he asks him to join him at the feast. Sétanta promises to join him after he finishes his game. Conchobhar goes ahead, but he forgets about Sétanta, and Culann lets loose his ferocious hound to guard his house. When Sétanta arrives, the hound attacks him, but he kills it; in one version by smashing it against a standing stone, in another by driving asliotar (hurling ball) down its throat with hishurley. Culann is devastated by the loss of his hound, so Sétanta promises to rear him a replacement, and until it was old enough to do the job, he himself would guard Culann's house. The druidCathbhadh announces that his name henceforth would be Cú Chulainn, "Culann's Hound".
In theTáin Bó Cuailnge, the nearbyGap of the North is where Cú Chulainn single-handedly fends-off the army of queenMéabh.[30]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| British Isles |  | |
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| Scotland | ||
| Outside Scotland | ||
| England | ||
| Ireland | ||
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Mountains and hills ofUlster | ||
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| Antrim Hills |  | |
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