Slieve Gullion

About Slieve Gullion

Standing as the highest point in County Armagh, this volcanic peak forms the central hub of the Ring of Gullion. The ascent through the forest park leads to a heather-clad summit plateau featuring a high-altitude lake and two ancient passage graves, offering a blend of geological interest and deep Neolithic history.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Irish Sliabh gCuillinn, meaning 'mountain of Culann'. In mythology, Culann was a master smith who hosted a feast where the young Setanta killed Culann's guard dog, thereafter taking the name Cú Chulainn—the 'Hound of Culann'.
• •The summit features two ancient cairns; the southern one is a Neolithic passage grave, the highest of its kind in Ireland. On the winter solstice, the setting sun aligns with the passage to illuminate the chamber's interior, similar to the alignment found at Newgrange.
• •According to legend, the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill was tricked into swimming in the summit lake, the Calliagh Berra's Lough, by a sorceress. He emerged as an old man with withered skin and snow-white hair, a transformation that supposedly still affects anyone brave enough to take a dip.
• •Geologically, the mountain is the centre of the Ring of Gullion, a world-famous example of a ring dyke. This circular formation was created around 56 million years ago by the collapse of a massive volcano, leaving a 13-kilometre ring of smaller hills encircling the main peak.
• •From the 576-metre summit, the views extend well beyond Armagh; look for the sharp granite profiles of the Mourne Mountains to the east and, on exceptionally clear days, the distant outline of the Wicklow Mountains across the Irish Sea.
• •Local tradition dictates that if you swim in the summit lake, your hair will turn white; it remains a remarkably effective legend for keeping the water clear of wild swimmers.