GreatRoads: Rediscovering south ArmaghThe roads and scenery around south Armagh were a pleasant surprise for Bob Montgomeryin this week's Great Roads article
The Troubles were not kind to south Armagh, but the years since the Good Friday Agreement have worked wonders for this neglected area, where there is much for the motorist to discover.
Perhaps the most dramatic and scenic part of south Armagh is the area around Slieve Gullion (Holly Mountain) just a few short kilometres southwest of Newry.
Surprisingly, few people are familiar with this ancient mountain, which is mentioned in the epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
At its 576-metre summit (the highest in Armagh) is a 5,000-year-old passage grave, and nearby, is the small Calliagh Bernas Lough - the Witch's Lake - which is associated with the enchantment of Finn McCool by a witch.
Approaching from Dublin along the newly extended M1, continue to the roundabout, which currently marks its northern limit.
Turning right will bring you into the town of Newry, but turning left will take you along the B113 through the village of Meigh and, shortly afterwards, to the modest entrance to Slieve Gullion Forest Park.
A short drive takes you to the Courtyard Buildings, which were originally built by the Chambre family in 1820 and are now managed by the Slieve Gullion Courtyard Development Group, which provides environmental education and tourist facilities.
Signposted from the Courtyard car park is the 13km Slieve Gullion Drive, which is one-way throughout its length.
For the first kilometre or two, the road takes you through a heavily-wooded area, before breaking out into open moorland, which reveals the most spectacular views as the road rapidly ascends. The mountains of the Cooley Peninsula and the Mournes rise up in the distance to provide a spectacular backdrop to the rolling countryside of south Armagh.
As the road swings first northwest and then due north, it reveals more spectacular views towards the rugged nearby hills of Slievenabolea, Carrickastickan and Croslieve - all reflecting, like Slieve Gullion itself, their origins in volcanic activity many millennia ago.
While looking towards these spectacular hills, a brief glimpse is caught of a peregrine falcon - the perfect addition to a magnificent landscape.
The Slieve Gullion Drive continues on to its most northerly and highest point, from where one can continue on foot to the passage grave on its summit.
The road now doubles back on itself, while descending all the while, providing new and equally spectacular views and confirming the realisation that this is a very beautiful part of Ireland, and one which the Troubles kept from us for far too long.
Having reached its most southerly point, the drive now swings back towards the northeast, returning to the point where we began, close to the Courtyard.
All in all, a drive of wonderful re-discovery and somewhere that will doubtless call us back again in the future.