The Cosgroves took us to the Forest Park of Sleive Gullion on the morning of 14 Feb. This magical place, in County Armagh, in The North, is the part of the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains and contains the highest passage grave in Ireland. It is the source of some wonderful Irish Legends, some of which Keela shared with Stella on the drive there and others embellished in a new book the kids received early in our visit. When you walk through the Forest Park, you feel like you are somewhere between those legends and something Tolkien dreamed. The massive trees are covered in moss and vines, the paths are steep and winding, and the stewards have made wonderful use of the natural habitat to create magic for the kids - there are wooden trools, carved and decorated fairy houses, tunnels weaved with willow, and artistic structures bringing those legends to life.
Update: Seamus sent us a nice video of our expedition
Stella and Keela leading the way (what a surprise)
Ronan breaking his own uphill landspeed record, with Susan and Helen on the chase
An amazing dog-shaped tunnel made of willow branches - still under construction
The troll sneezing a Ronan
A typical view from within the Forest out to the other Mountains in the Mourne Range
The Giant table with the chair knocked over as one of the legends scampered off once our two giants, Ronan and Euan, approached
The house of "The Trickster", one of many fairy homes within the park
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