I was chatting on the phone an hour ago to our friend and contributor Sally Vandervelden – who is off soon to foreign climes, and I’d have been jealous, except that every day I can, and do stroll through
Killeavy Old Church in Ring of Gullion
There are few small areas in
The huge heather-clad bulk of Sliagh Gullion dominates the neatly divided landscape of walled fields and small farms. The mountain itself is encircled by the lower, rugged hills known as the ring dyke. Between the mountain and the ring lie lowlands of varying width, from a narrow valley at Lislea to a broad plain at
The Mullaghbane area has a unique cultural identity. The landscape reflects not only the unique physical structure of the rocks (see Geology articles here: Ed) and the natural heath vegetation but also the way in which the land has been farmed for thousands of years. Particularly attractive is the contrast of the rough colourful mountain slopes of rock, heather and whin and bracken with the small rectangular fields of lower slopes and valleys. Stone monuments and remains of buildings illustrate the story of the past and, with the small, traditional farmhouses – with buildings grouped around a yard, they are part of the rich, living heritage.
There’s lots more, but there’s an hour of daylight left and I’m off there to drink in the landscape, the solitude and the silence. I’ll finish this another time!! SORRY!!