Overview
The Ring of Gullion was the first ring dyke in the world to be geologically mapped, which is a niche claim to fame until you see the shape of it: a near-perfect ring of hills, roughly 152 km², thrown up around the central dome of Slieve Gullion in south County Armagh. It sits at the heart of the Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark. Slieve Gullion itself rises to 573m (Lonely Planet gives 576m), the highest point in the county, and the landscape drops from open mountain and glacial ribbon lakes to forest valleys and patchwork farmland. It is a working landscape, not a park, with archaeology, mythology and farming all sharing the same ground.
Geology & ancient history
The ring is the eroded root of an ancient volcano: magma forced up through older sedimentary rock, cooled into a circle of harder stone, and the softer rock around it wore away over millions of years to leave the surrounding hills standing proud. Later ice ages carved the deep valleys and drumlins, including the ridge that runs south toward Dromintee.
Human history here spans more than 6,000 years. Ireland’s highest surviving passage tomb sits on the slopes of Slieve Gullion, a direct link to Neolithic burial practice. The Iron Age Dorsey earthwork once controlled the road toward Eamhain Mhacha, the ancient capital of Ulster. Early Christian remains survive in the 5th-century Kilnasaggart pillar stone and the twin churches at Killevy. The folklore is still pinned to the terrain: the Gap of the North is remembered as a stronghold of Cú Chulainn, and Calliagh Bhearas Lough on the summit is tied to the Cailleach and to tales of a healing dip, as told at Cailleach a Bhearas House.
Slieve Gullion Forest Park
The Forest Park is the main visitor hub and the right first stop. An eight-mile scenic drive lets you take in the views with little walking, and waymarked trails branch off it through mature woodland. Families should head for the Giant’s Lair, the Fionn’s Giant Adventure storybook trail scattered with fairy houses, teacups and soup bowls abandoned by giants, alongside an adventure playpark. There is also a genuinely accessible trail designed for children and adults with complex sensory needs, which few forest parks manage. The Courtyard Centre at the entrance has a good café, picnic tables and a wildlife pond.
Opening hours run seasonally: 9am to 6pm in March and October, to 8pm in April and September, to 9pm from May to August, and to 5pm from November to February, closed Christmas Day. Entry on foot or by bicycle is free; there’s a parking charge at the Forest Park car park, which holds 120 cars plus space for a few coaches, and it fills on fine summer weekends.
Walking & cycling
The Ring of Gullion Way
The 61 km (37.9 mi) Ring of Gullion Way follows the volcanic ring dyke in a continuous loop. It’s graded very strenuous, mixing tarmac, forestry track and exposed mountain path, and most walkers split it over four or five days with B&B stops.
- Start/finish: Quays Shopping Centre overflow car park, Newry
- Highest point: Slieve Gullion summit (573m)
- Navigation: OS Map Sheet 29 is essential; signage is sparse on the outer sections
- Best conditions: Late spring to early autumn, when the ground is firm and the daylight long
The route passes the Neolithic Clontygora court grave and 17th-century Moyry Castle, which guarded the pass north.
Electric bike tours
Guided e-bike tours run seasonally from the Forest Park visitor centre. The electric assist is what makes the steep ring-dyke ridges realistic for intermediate cyclists rather than only the very fit; book ahead in peak summer.
Key sites & landmarks
- Slieve Gullion summit: A 9.5-mile mountain walk from the Courtyard car park to the trig point and down past Killevy Old Churches. The South Cairn passage tomb on the slopes may close for conservation work.
- Camlough Lake: A large glacial ribbon lake popular with anglers, with a jetty for watersports at Cam Lough.
- Killevy Churches: Two early medieval stone churches and a round-tower base in a quiet valley.
- Dorsey earthwork: A massive Iron Age rampart running over a mile across the fields.
- Moyry Castle: A fortified tower house above the Gap of the North, a short walk from the road.
Wildlife & nature
The mix of blanket bog, heath, oak and ash woodland supports red deer – Ireland’s largest land mammal – along with pine martens and red squirrels. Overhead, the birds you’ll actually see circling the ridges are buzzard and raven; the occasional claims of golden eagles here are optimistic, so don’t come expecting them.
Practical information
- Getting there: Newry is the transport hub, on the A1 corridor between Belfast and Dublin with regular bus and rail. From Newry, the Forest Park is about 10km southwest, signposted off the B113 toward Forkhill.
- Parking: Paid parking at the Forest Park; free lay-bys at Marble Bridge and the Newry Way start-point. Village parking in Jonesborough and Forkhill is limited and fills at weekends.
- Safety: The Ring of Gullion Way has sustained climbs and uneven ground. Take waterproof boots, OS Sheet 29 and a charged phone; weather turns fast on the exposed ridges.
- Events: Footsteps in the Forest is an autumn festival of storytelling and trails, and Heritage Coach Tours run in summer.
- Angling: Walking and cycling need no permit; anglers on Camlough Lake and its streams need a valid local licence.
Come on a clear day in late spring, do the summit walk in the morning while the car park still has spaces, and leave the afternoon for the archaeology strung along the lower ground.