Awaken the Traditions of a 6,000 year old Mountain Community in the Magical Ring of Gullion. Folklore, Forage, Fairies and Butter Making!

Booley and Butter | Forgotten Traditions of the past – with Artisan and Foraged Lunch ‘ploughman style’
Seventh generation farmer, Brian Hoey, grew up inside a magical ring of hills that surround the beautiful heather clad Slieve Gullion Mountain. Through Brian, who is now an expert mountain leader, tour guide and seasoned forager, the forgotten past is awakened with masterfully shared stories of the millenia-old traditions and secrets of this ancient magical place.

“The ‘Booley and Butter Tour’ has it all, beautiful surroundings, informative and friendly hosts and mouth-watering foraged treats to accompany the butter you make along the way! A step back in time to one when everything happened at a slower pace certainly made for a relaxing and enjoyable day, thank you Brian and Lorraine, I can’t wait to go back!”  P. Mulkerns, TripAdvisor

Includes:
– Welcome ‘Céad míle fáilte’ Tea or coffee.
– Visit Brian’s farmland home with digital visual display of ‘Booleying’ through the ages.
– Walk into a private 200-year-old half door stone cottage to see the original butter making tools and feel the past.
– Exclusive access along ancient drovers lanes to his neighbouring ‘Cargas’ Mountain Farm on Slieve Gullion’s lower slopes.
– Guided walking tour of the upland farm with an introduction to foraging and “booleying” (making butter).
– Walk through mountainside ‘lazy beds’ and learn how they were abandoned during the great famine of the 1840’s.
– Panoramic views in every direction of the stunning Ring of Gullion lanscape below.
– Visit the ‘booley’ site, an old stone enclosure used for centuries by cow herding girls and butter makers.
– Learn a craft and make your own butter.
– Enjoy an artisan picnic lunch at the Booley site with Brian’s delicious foraged treats.
– A small momento foraged gift courtesy of Mountain Ways Ireland.

Tickets are limited and can be booked here.

Dates available are:-