The Fews – south Armagh's outlaw hills

Overview

The Fews are the tangle of hills, bog and drumlin that fill the southern half of County Armagh, and for centuries they were too rough to conquer. Gaelic families, harpers and at least one famous outlaw held out here long after the rest of Ulster was planted, which is why the region still carries more folklore per square mile than almost anywhere in the North. The Irish, na Feá (or Feadha), simply means ‘the woods’ – a reminder that these open, wind-scoured uplands were once thick forest.

If you only have an afternoon, climb Slieve Gullion. The road up, the summit passage tomb and the small lake below it hold the best of the Fews in one place, and the views reach the Mournes, the Cooleys and, on a clear day, well into the Republic.

One thing to know before you set out: this is not a place you can do without a car. The monuments are scattered across back roads on both sides of the border, signage is patchy, and public transport barely exists. Bring a map, and don’t lean on your phone once you’re off the main roads.

Landscape and origins

The old word for woodland survives in a scatter of townlands – Feebane, Feemore, Feebeg – strung across the region. The ground itself is a mix of drumlins left by the last Ice Age and the sharper volcanic ridges of the Ring of Gullion.

Slieve Gullion, a volcanic plug rising to 573 metres, anchors the whole landscape. Around it runs the Ring of Gullion, a ring-dyke of low hills formed by ancient lava – and the first landform of its kind anywhere in the world to be mapped and understood by geologists. It sits today within the Mourne Gullion Strangford Geopark.

History and heritage

The Fews stayed Gaelic longer than most of Ulster because the terrain made plantation hard work. In 1572 Queen Elizabeth I granted the area – then described as ‘Orior, the Fews and Gallowglass country’ – to Sir Thomas Chatterton, but his attempt to plant a fortified settlement at Camlough collapsed and the grant was revoked. Later Scottish and English settlers established small colonies at Markethill, Creggan and Shillan, yet the native Irish population held the ground well into the Cromwellian era.

Redmond O’Hanlon and the rapparees

The 17th-century Gaelic chieftain Redmond O’Hanlon turned outlaw, or rapparee, and worked these hills, collecting protection money from local landowners and redistributing some of it – enough to earn a folk-hero reputation that still turns up in ballads and place-names. He was assassinated in 1681, but the story outlived him.

Patrick Linden, the Fews harper

The 18th-century harper Patrick Linden (Pádraig na gCláirseach) lived near Lisleitrim in Lower Creggan. He taught the harpist Patrick Quin and played at the Harpers’ Assembly in Belfast in 1792. Contemporaries noted he could read and write Irish fluently; his repertoire, with airs such as Miss Hamilton and Saely Kelly, is one of the threads linking the Fews to Ireland’s harp tradition.

Saints and sacred stones

The country is thick with early Christian and prehistoric sites. The Dorsey Enclosure is a large Iron-Age earthwork, and the Kilnasaggart Pillar Stone, dated to around AD 700, carries an inscription dedicating the ground to St Peter; it stands on the old Tara road through the Moyry Pass. Just south, over the Louth border at Faughart, tradition places the birth of St Brigid.

What to see

• Slieve Gullion – ‘the holy mountain’ rises to 573 metres, with a Neolithic passage tomb on top, the small dark water of Calliagh Berra’s Lake below it, and a tangle of legend attached to Cú Chulainn. The summit trail takes roughly two hours.
• Ballykeel Dolmen – a portal tomb with three uprights and a capstone, known locally as ‘the Hag’s Chair’, a short walk from the road at the western foot of Slieve Gullion.
• Annaghmare Cairn – a court grave in an isolated forest near Cullyhanna, called ‘the Black Castle’ locally, reached on a marked trail.
• Creggan Graveyard and the Poet’s Glen – the Church of Ireland graveyard holds the O’Neill vault and the graves of the 18th-century Gaelic poets Art McCooey and Padraig MacAlinden, and of the rapparee Séamus MacMurphy. Free parking in Creggan village.
• Moyry Castle – a square tower built in 1601 by Lord Mountjoy to command the Gap of the North, with gunloops and a bawn wall. Viewed from the Moyry Pass road; free.
• Killeavy Old Churches – the ruins of a 5th-century monastic site founded by St Monenna, with a granite grave marker still visited by those seeking healing.

Walking and the Fews Forest

• Slieve Gullion – the shorter ascent from near Camlough climbs to the summit in about two hours, with the drumlin country and the Mournes laid out below.
• Ring of Gullion loop – a roughly 12 km signposted circuit that takes in the Dorsey Enclosure and the ring of low hills; moderate walking on good ground.
• The Fews Forest at Darkley – over 1,000 hectares of conifer plantation with way-marked trails and a car park at Darkley Wood, managed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. From Armagh, take the A29 to Keady, turn left to the roundabout and take the second exit for Darkley; the forest car park is off the Mountain Lodge road, before Mountain Lodge church. Darkley Forest, part of the same block, covers 135 hectares and has two walking trails run on Leave No Trace lines.
• Camlough Lake – a ribbon lake stocked with brown trout, with kayak and paddle-board hire in Camlough village over the summer. Parking at the north shore.
• The Poets’ Trail – links the graves of Art McCooey, Padraig MacAlinden and Séamus MacMurphy, with interpretive panels at the Poet’s Glen.

Practical information

• Getting around – a car is essential; the main routes are the A1 (Belfast–Newry) and the B27 through Crossmaglen, Forkhill and Newtownhamilton. If you’re coming via Armagh city, the borough council runs both free and paid car parks – the Court House car park on Lonsdale Road, for instance, has 31 free spaces.
• Opening hours – the monuments, cairns and dolmens are open at all hours, year-round. Hearty’s Cottage near Crossmaglen opens Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 11pm and Sunday from 2pm, closed Monday to Thursday, with live music on Saturday and Sunday.
• Admission – there’s no charge for the natural sites or ancient monuments; Moyry Castle and the Kilnasaggart Pillar Stone are viewed from the public road.
• On the ground – most sites involve uneven, sometimes steep ground and suit walkers with reasonable fitness. The Camlough Lake picnic area has level paths. The weather turns fast on the higher ground around Slieve Gullion, so pack a waterproof and sturdy boots and check the forecast before a long loop.

For a proper end to a day in the Fews, aim for Hearty’s Cottage on a Saturday or Sunday, when the thatched bar fills up and there’s live music. It only opens Friday to Sunday, so plan the rest of the day around it.