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Come Take it Easy in South Armagh
There was much mirth in the papers a few years ago when it was announced
that a tourism officer had been employed to market holiday opportunities
in South Armagh.“Is this the most difficult job in the land?” was the
gist of most reports, as mock sympathy was heaped on whoever was going to
be the unlucky recipient of the job.
It is the sort of condescension that local people take in their stride;
they can’t rewrite the perception of most people about the area, and the
part it has played in that 30-year saga of the Troubles.
All they can do is set their stall out and say, “There is another South
Armagh well away from the Bandit Country media image.”
In fact, the “real South Armagh” — the vast majority of the area, say
locals — was not as inextricably bound up in the Troubles as one might think.
Sure, 30 years of violence does cast a long shadow, but even some of
the physical monuments to the Troubles, most notably the Army watchtowers
that have dotted the landscape, are in the process of being dismantled.
Very soon South Armagh will belong once again to the people from the
area, which runs from the Louth-Monaghan border across to Keady in the north-east
of the county, right down to the “city”of Newry, the administrative centre.
And the local people who have tentatively investigated the tourism option
have a quiet optimism that belies most expectations.
One such is Ann McNulty, who rents a cottage on her land overlooking
Camlough lake, nestling in the shadow of Slieve Gullion mountain.
Some years ago she was tempted by a scheme on agricultural diversification
to convert an old cottage on land that she and her husband bought for £800
in 1959. The result is self-contained accommodation that can sleep seven
people. But the real bonus is the view from the balcony onto the lake, perhaps
as breathtaking a view as one can hope to find.
“Sure, some people are a little bit nervous about coming here, but I
can honestly say we have had no bother here where we live throughout the
Troubles,” says Ann. “The only thing that annoys us is the constant helicopter
patrols.”
She cites the example of a young Australian backpacker friend of the
family whom she picked up at the railway station in Newry.
“He had been reading a guidebook of some sort, which said to avoid South
Armagh altogether. Yet a few days later he was astonished by the hospitality
of the people. He couldn’t get over it.”
If this sounds too good to be true, one of Ann’s prized possessions is
the visitor’s book, and the comments people have written on leaving. She
clutches it like a pastor might hang on to the bible, a vindication of this
new line of work.
Ironically, one of the phrases that pepper the books is how “peaceful”
the area and the cottage are. Those hoping to find gift shops and amusement
arcades on every corner will be disappointed. And it’s not the type of place
for a stag weekend either.
“Most people come for the peace and tranquillity and the long walks they
can have, either down by the lake or up Slieve Gullion. If they want to
go out for a meal, there are plenty of restaurants in Newry a few miles
away, but a lot of people just like staying in and taking things easy.”
Those that do opt for a night round the log fire often become “extras”
in an impromptu musical session, if Ann’s family are around. Neighbours
also pop in, or visitors can find themselves in a sing-song in the local
pubs.
Ann’s four stars were not easily earned. Her attention to detail and
the welcome she extends to her guests is repaid in that age-old indice of
customer satisfaction — repeat business.
Des McCavitt and family from Kent are on their third visit to Ann’s cottage.
It would be easy from where he lives to pop across the English Channel to
France.
Instead, the family prefer the longer journey to Camlough and the peace
and tranquillity they find there: “If you are looking for a cottage to rent,
then I can recommend Ann’s. I can only describe it as idyllic, and Ann really
looks after everybody. Everything you can think of is supplied, even down
to the peat briquettes and firelighters for the open fire.”
Another frequent visitor, John Rodgers from London, initially came to
the cottage to renew family ties, as he had grown up in nearby Newry. Now
he tries to come at least three times a year.
“It’s just fantastic,” he said. “Serenity and beauty on your doorstep
when you wake up in the morning. I’ve travelled across the world, but this
place is something special, and my nine-year-old son adores it. He can run
free around the fields and lanes here and you know he’s safe.”
Although Ann and her fellow cottage and guest house owners advertise,
it is personal recommendation that is the best.
“If someone likes it then they’ll tell their friends; there’s no better
recommendation than word of mouth,” she says.
No one in South Armagh thinks the area will be the next Tuscany, but
a steady stream of visitors throughout the year, mainly from England, America
and Australia makes for something of a success story. Certainly, it should
help wipe the smirk of the faces of the doubters from a few years back.
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