The Ring of Gullion Landscape Conservation Action Plan Newry and Mourne District Council 2/28/2014 Contents The Ring of Gullion Landscape Partnership Board is grateful financial support for this scheme. 2 Contents Contents Executive summary 6 Introduction 9 Plan author 9 Landscape Conservation Action Plan – Scheme Overview 13 Section 1 – Understanding the Ring of Gullion 19 Introduction 19 The Project Boundary 19 Towns and Villages 20 The Landscape Character 30 The Ring of Gullion Landscape 31 Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change 32 Ring of Gullion Geodiversity Profile 33 Ring of Gullion Biodiversity Profile 38 The Heritage of the Ring of Gullion 47 Management Information 51 Section 2 – Statement of Significance 53 Introduction 53 Natural Heritage 54 Archaeological and Built Heritage 59 Geological Significance 62 Historical Significance 63 Industrial Heritage 67 Twentieth Century Military Significance 68 3 Contents Cultural and Human Heritage 68 Importance to Local Communities 73 Section 3 – Risks and Opportunities 81 Introduction 81 Urban proximity and development 81 Crime and anti-social behaviour 82 Wildlife 83 Pressures on farming and loss of traditional farming skills 84 Recreational pressure 85 Illegal recreational activity 87 Lack of knowledge and understanding 87 Climate change 88 Audience barriers 89 National/international economic downturn 90 A forgotten heritage and the loss of traditional skills 90 LPS implementation and sustainability 92 Consultations 93 Conclusions from risks and opportunities 93 Section 4 – Aims and Objectives 94 Introduction 94 Vision 94 Aims and Objectives 94 Themes for Implementation 96 Connections – project, themes and programmes working together 103 4 Management 106 Section 5 - Scheme Projects and Costs 109 Section 6 - Sustainability 227 Introduction 227 Maintaining benefits and key activities 227 Completed projects 228 Learning from the scheme 229 Changes within the organisation 230 New management structure and new posts 230 Section 7 - Evaluation and Monitoring 234 Introduction 234 Monitoring progress 234 Monitoring outputs 235 Evaluating success and sharing results 236 Section 8 - Adoption and Review 238 Acknowledgements 239 5 Executive summary Executive summary The Landscape Slieve Gullion and its mystical ring dyke formed over 60 million years ago with the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean! In more recent times the landscape has been shaped by the action of glaciers, leaving behind the stunning scenery you see today. Every nook and cranny has been exploited by wildlife over the millennia; Red Deer, Red Squirrels, Red Grouse, Irish Damselfly and Irish Hare have all made their home among the peat, wood and wetlands. The Ring of Gullion has been inhabited by people for up to 12,000 years and those who lived here have left their mark on the landscape; whether it be Neolithic tombs, Iron Age fortifications, Christian monasteries, 16th and 17th century castles and much more. The Ring of Gullion is bursting at the seams with myths, legends and folklore – it truly is a remarkable landscape. The Partnership The partners cover a wide spectrum of expertise from geology, built heritage, biodiversity, tourism, agriculture, forestry, and recreation, to everything that makes up a community: its storytelling, music, dance and history. The lead partner, Newry and Mourne District Council, has made the Landscape Partnership Scheme (LPS) a top priority and has committed substantial funding and resources to its delivery, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency has also committed substantial funding, and all other partners have pledged their support for the LPS and have showed that it is a priority within their organisation. The Scheme Through extensive consultation, an agreed set of themes for this Landscape Partnership have emerged. Principle among them are the conservation of built, natural and cultural heritage in the Ring of Gullion and increasing access and understanding of the areas important heritage. 6 Executive summary The scheme will help to conserve some of the most threatened habitats in Northern Ireland, such as the heather moorlands, the woodlands, and the wildflower meadows as well as the threatened species such as the red squirrel, the barn owl and many more. It will conserve age-old townland traditions that are being consigned to history; spark an interest in those involved to continue the work through local community engagement; and encourage participation in the area’s culture through festivals, storytelling and oral history projects. Schools will be able to learn about the landscape and its heritage, and access that heritage through new trails and the restoration of old ones. The bank of skills learned along the way by all those involved will ensure that this project leaves a long-lasting legacy. The Legacy During the ‘troubles’ South Armagh was heavily militarised and even now sixteen years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement the Ring of Gullion is an area currently internationally known only for its militarisation. The Landscape Partnership Scheme through the Heritage Lottery Fund has the potential of creating a new legacy of cooperative regeneration building on a shared heritage for a sustainable future. The Landscape Partnership Scheme will be seen as a flagship of the Peace Process. Economic Development It is important to offer a positive impact economically, socially and environmentally. Thus the delivery of the Ring of Gullion Landscape Partnership Scheme will bring with it immediate, short-term, medium-term and long-term economic development potential. It will immediately bring cash into the local economy through recruitment, overheads, and professional fees and crucially it will create four new jobs. In the short term the scheme will bring further cash to the local economy, the scheme will deliver outcomes for the conservation of the areas natural and built heritage, substantially increase access to the countryside resulting in greater visitor 7 Executive summary numbers, and health benefits for those who live and work in the scheme area. High quality training will be implemented in order to support local groups and societies. In the medium to long term (4 years +) the scheme will deliver a positive economic impact by creating the circumstances whereby local communities can create and improve on livelihoods by using the outcomes of the four programmes. Greater access and understanding of the area, highly trained individuals, and greater sense of pride will all help to bring about economic regeneration of the Landscape Partnership Areas by supporting the social and economic wellbeing of its communities. The Ring of Gullion Landscape Partnership is an ambitious project with enthusiastic and qualified partners in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). 8 Introduction Introduction This Landscape Partnership Scheme has gathered high quality information about the Ring of Gullion. Planning was based on a through understanding of the condition and significance of the landscape. The needs and values of the people connected to the Ring of Gullion were identified and the priority issues have shaped the aims and objectives of the scheme to establish projects that will make a real difference to conserving the distinctiveness of the area. Plan author The Landscape Conservation Action Plan (LCAP) has been written by Darren Rice, Development Officer for the Ring of Gullion Landscape Partnership Scheme. Darren has over 10 years experience in working in the environmental sector. Darren has been implementing the Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Action Plan since 2011 and is responsible for delivering an integrated range of landscape and heritage projects. Before working in the Ring of Gullion, he worked in a number of roles in the Mourne AONB for the Mourne Heritage Trust. Darren has an MSc in Environmental Practice: Biodiversity Conservation. The development stage and the production of the LCAP has been overseen by the Ring of Gullion Partnership Board, the members of which have dedicated time and advice to the development of the scheme. Organisations represented at Partnership meetings were: Lead Partner Newry and Mourne District Council NI Statutory Authorities Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) Geological Survey of Northern Ireland Landowners 9 Introduction Forest Service NI (DARD) Community and Voluntary Sector Gap o’ the North Hillwalking Club Camlough Heritage Society Mullaghbane Community Association Tí Chulainn Cultural Activity Centre Enspire Sticky Fingers Arts Friends of Derrymore Woods Ring of Gullion and Cooley Red Squirrel Group Clanrye Group The following papers – attached in the appendices – have been compiled for this plan and have assisted in its development: - Assessing the Opportunities for Tourism and Outdoor Recreation in Ring of Gullion Forest Parks (Newry and Mourne District Council) - Slieve Gullion Footpath: Phase Two Drawings (Nicholas O’Dwyer, Consulting Engineers) - Slieve Gullion Sensory Trail: A Scoping Study (Groundwork, Northern Ireland) - Chambre House, Condition Report (Alastair Coey Architects Ltd) - Ring of Gullion Archaeological Aerial Survey (Irish Archaeological Research) The Ring of Gullion AONB Management Action Plan 2011-2016 has been an invaluable resource in the development of this document. Participation and consultation As illustrated above a wide range of organisations and individuals