Cultural heritage festival and historical revival

Winter Solstice Fesitval 2018

Update published on: December 31, 2018

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the Ring of Gullion Partnership kicked off their Winter Solstice Festival on 1st November 2018, traditionally known as Samhain. In Celtic Ireland, about 2,000 years ago, Samhain was the division of the year between the lighter half (summer) and the darker half (winter). The Ring of Gullion has a very special connection with the Winter Solstice.

For the two months of December and November, the Ring of Gullion Partnership  provided a magical programme of events showcasing all that is great about the area with a range of lectures, music and craft workshops. This area reflects the mix of cultures from the Neolithic Era to the present day.

The Festival included showcasing one of the area’s greatest storytellers Michael J Murphy with a winter school in his honour; this year highlighted the rich cultural language of the local area.

The Festival was fortunate to have Mr Paul Gosling speaking about the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the story of a cattle-raid reputed to have taken place during winter sometime around the time of Christ. It is often ranked alongside Ireland’s greatest literary classics and frequently described as ‘epic literature’.

We also had Dr Éamon Phoenix, a political historian, journalist and commentator to give a talk on the Northern Narratives of the 1916 Rising.

Dr. Kirstin Lemon from Geological Survey of N. Ireland  spoke about Rock Legends: myth busting in Mourne, Gullion and Strangford.

The Winter Solstice Festival had two nights of celebration of the rich social history of the area. On 6th December there was a  night recognising and celebrating the immense contribution of women to South Armagh stories with exhibitions and photographs, music and song. Then on the Friday night 7th December in Dromintee Primary School, the hugely successful Facebook page ‘At Slieve Gullion’s Foot’ went live with never-before-seen photos, storytelling from Seamus Murphy and poetry from Malachy Ó Raifeartaigh.

Craft workshops provided ranged from strawcraft to Carrickmacross Lace.

The Festival offered 2 special days over the 21^st and 22^nd of December filled with meditation, reflection, mindfulness and ritual, a perfect way to connect with the cycles & rhythms in your body and in the world around.

On Friday 21st Joanna Callan and Bluebell Glamping, Mullaghbane teamed up to provide a wonderful opportunity to escape from the hussle and bustle of the festive season, to connect with yourself and with nature and to spend time in one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in Ireland.

On the 22nd December, Ring of Gullion Ambassadors Ann Ward and Gary Martin provided an experience to take time and space for personal reflection and develop personal goals and affirmations for the year ahead.

To view some of the highlights, visit the Winter Solstice Festival gallery here.

Winter Solstice Festival 2017

Update published on: December 22, 2017

We have had another successful Winter Solstice Festival. This year we expanded the festival into November to give us more time to celebrate winter traditions and explore some new ones, such as a ‘Following in the Footsteps of the Celts’ bus tour.

Budding crafters had the opportunity to create their own willow wreaths and straw decorations to take home. We we also treated to an entertaining range of stories about Cú Chulainn read by author Réamonn Ó Ciaráin. Another highlight was a fascinating lecture by Dr Frank Prendergast, who gave insights into his research looking at the solstice alignments of Neolithic cairns and other monuments, not least of course, our own Slieve Gullion passage grave.

Sadly, the weather was not on the side of those who wanted to view the setting sun from inside the Slieve Gullion Passage tomb. The group on Monday were lucky enough to have a decent view of the phenomenon, the rest of the week was marred by thick mist, clouds or rain.

Winter Solstice Festival 2016

Update published on: December 22, 2016

This year we extended the Winter Solstice Festival to encompass the whole of December, up to the end of the winter solstice, so there was lots to see and do.  From star gazing to Christmas crafting using willow and straw, a lunch time lecture and Solstice Concert, there was something for everyone.  Santa was even in the area, giving out presents.

Our hikes to the cairn were as popular as ever and almost all the groups were fortunate enough to see the spectacle of the light from the setting sun illuminating the inside of the cairn.  Those who went up on Monday 19th were treated to perfect conditions with not a cloud in the sky.  If you would like to take part next year bookings for the hikes open at 9am on the 1st December each year.

You can view the event gallery here.

Another successful Winter Solstice at the Ring of Gullion

Update published on: December 22, 2015

The 2015 winter solstice festival took place from 19^th to 22^nd December.  The main highlight of the festival is the illumination of the summit Passage Grave, by the setting sun.  Due to the small size of the Passage Grave, only 20 people can enter it at any one time.  Needless to say, it is a rather weather dependent phenomenon.  Most of the hikers who made the climb and braved the gale force winds on the summit were treated to the spectacle.

In addition to the summit hikes, visitors were treated to a range of events from a meditation day retreat, separate performances from Accolade Community Choir and the Armagh Rhymers, as well as children’s basket weaving and guided walks with the fairies.

All in all it was a nice way to kick off the Christmas festivities.  You can check out pictures of the festival in the gallery.