Crossmaglen Drumlins and Loughs Landscape

Key Characteristics

• Rolling drumlins with broad areas of wetland and bog in inter-drumlin hollows; small rounded loughs are fringed by moss.
• Strong field patterns created by hedgerows give the landscape a neat, well structured appearance.
• Attractive winding rivers weave inconspicuous courses between drumlins; stone bridges are a feature.
• Roller-coaster roads wind across the drumlins, keeping to the higher land.
• Scattered settlement pattern with many derelict stone cottages.
• Ring of Gullion provides a striking backdrop to an isolated and deeply rural landscape.

Landscape Description

Crossmaglen Drumlins and Loughs is a lowland landscape on the southern border which is confined to the north and east by the uplands of the Carrigatuke Hills and the Ring of Gullion. This is a diverse and well structured landscape of rolling green drumlins and some elevated hills with scrub, bog or small loughs occupying the land in between. Some lough shores are wooded and many are inaccessible as they are fringed with extensive areas of moss. Fields are predominantly pasture and are of a regular shape and size.

They are enclosed by dense hedgerows with numerous hedgerow trees, which create strong field patterns. Some pastures are abandoned and scrubby. Rivers, including Creggan River, pass inconspicuously between drumlins and are crossed by attractive stone bridges. Roller-coaster roads wind across the drumlins making orientation difficult. They connect roadside houses, which are traditionally situated at the ends of access tracks. Scattered derelict stone cottages and wooden bungalows are prominent on drumlin summits and there is piecemeal new development. The principal settlement is Crossmaglen, at the junction of several rural roads. Archaeological features, such as the Drumhill standing stone, are important.

The Ring of Gullion creates a strong backdrop, with hilltop towers overlooking the drumlins. Isolation of the area by the uplands has given it a remote and deeply rural character.

Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change

The hedgerow pattern remains intact on the drumlins but there are some areas where the farmland has become degraded, with derelict and partly abandoned fields. There are also numerous abandoned stone cottages and the principal pressure for change is neglect. The landscape is overlooked by the western hills of the Ring of Gullion, so development could be visible, although the rolling landform and well structured field pattern is relatively robust and may offer some potential for screening. The inter drumlin wetlands and loughs are the most sensitive areas and are of both ecological and scenic importance.

Principles for Landscape Management

• Further degradation and abandonment of pastures would alter the landscape character, particularly if the hedgerow pattern begins to break down. Management and replanting of hedgerows and hedgerow trees should be a priority.
• The inter-drumlin wetlands are sensitive to pollution via run-off, landfill etc and should be a priority for management action. The management of lough side woodlands, carr and moss to ensure their long term conservation is also important.
• Riverside planting would enhance the landscape and ecological value of the Creggan River corridor.
• Roadside verges and less intensively farmed fields would be enhanced if managed to encourage wild flowers. Timely cutting and avoidance of herbicides would be of benefit.

Principles for Accommodating New Development

• Dereliction of traditional dwellings could be curbed by their restoration. The use of vernacular styles and materials in new buildings (ie stone bungalows with slate roofs) would help conserve the landscape character. Traditional locations for houses are on the tops or sides of drumlins.
• Small-scale development may be accommodated within this rolling, well structured landscape, provided it is accompanied by new planting. Development should occur within the existing landscape framework, retaining hedgerows and trees where possible; large-scale development may be prominent in views from the adjacent uplands.
• Development should not impinge on the wider landscape setting of archaeological features such as crannogs and raths.