As the year draws to a close, communities across Ireland prepare to mark one of the most ancient events in the calendar, the winter solstice. For thousands of years, this turning point has symbolized hope and renewal and nowhere is its legacy more visible than at the summit of Slieve Gullion, where an extraordinary passage tomb connects us to the beliefs and ingenuity of our earliest ancestors.
On 21 December, the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice held special significance for the Neolithic people who lived here between 4000 and 2500 BC. Known as "Grianstad an Gheimhridh" in Irish Gaelic (literally, winter sun stop), this celestial event was revered by the Celts as a pivotal moment symbolising the triumph of light over darkness, signalling the gradual lengthening of days and the promise of renewed life in the coming year.
The region’s first farmers transformed the landscape and left behind remarkable evidence of their lives. Among their most enduring achievements are the megalithic tombs, including the passage tomb crowning Slieve Gullion. Estimated to be 5,000 years old, this structure is the highest surviving tomb of its kind in Northern Ireland, perched at an altitude of 570 metres. Its design is extraordinary: a burial chamber within a circular mound, accessed by a narrow passage. This passage was carefully aligned so that, on the winter solstice, the setting sun illuminates the back of the chamber, providing powerful evidence of how early communities understood and celebrated the cycles of nature.
Slieve Gullion is not only an archaeological treasure but also a place steeped in legend. One famous tale tells of Cailleach Beara, a witch who transformed herself into a hare, who tricked the giant Finn McCool into bathing in the mountain’s lake. Finn emerged aged and withered, and although his youth was restored, his hair remained white for the rest of his life.
The tomb suffered damage in 1892, when Fr Luke “Red” Donnellan used dynamite in an attempt to excavate it. Despite this, enough remains to show its impressive scale and craftsmanship, marking it as one of Ireland’s major passage graves.
In 1961, archaeologists from Queen’s University Belfast undertook a formal excavation. Working in challenging conditions, they established a camp below the summit and relied on local farmers Joseph Hughes and Sean O’Grady who, at great risk, carried their equipment almost to the summit in his tractor. Their findings revealed a chamber 3.66 metres wide, with a roof reaching 4.3 metres high, and an outer mound measuring 30 metres in diameter. They also uncovered two large stone basins inside the passage, likely used in burial rituals.
Today, visitors can explore this heritage further at Newry and Mourne Museum, which houses an extensive collection of Neolithic artefacts. These include tools and pottery that shed light on daily life thousands of years ago. Among the highlights are a mano stone tool from Carnbane, uncovered during a 2011 excavation, which was used for grinding grain and seeds for food, and a flint blade for scraping animal hides. Shards of pottery, fragments of an arrowhead, scrapers, and blades were also found at the site. Another remarkable piece is a porcellanite axe dating to around 4500 BC, discovered near Dundrum, which was used for cutting trees and for trade. A lozenge-shaped javelin head found near Leitrim, County Down, illustrates the hunting practices of late Neolithic farmers.
These artefacts reveal a story of resilience and ingenuity, rooted in a deep connection to the land and changing seasons, which is marked each winter solstice when sunlight unfailingly reaches the heart of Slieve Gullion’s tomb.
