Tassagh Bridge to Darkley 6.15 Miles

Part 2 of our walk around Keady is 6.15 miles. However, there are optional diversions to increase the distance up to 11.2 miles. It starts at Tassagh Bridge  Irish Grid Ref. H 86933 35941 (see at Google Street View).

Our route is via Dundrum Road upstream along the Callan Valley through Granemore Crossroads, along Lower Darkley Road to cross the Callan, Then along Annvale Road past Linen Vale and back over the Callan, across the A29 to follow Mountain Lodge Road past .Aughnagurgan Lake, Mountain Lodge Church and Darkley Forest. We turn sharp right onto Upper Darkley Road, along the north-eastern side of Tullynawood Lake, over the Callan and on past Darkley Mill & Chimney to finish just north of Darkley Village. This walk gradually climbs, but in places is undulating and hilly. Some of the paths through Darkley Forest are hilly (i.e. if you decide to add the options - I would advise you to do so as it's lovely). There is also a short optional additional near the start to visit Dundrum Mill where the Clea River joins the Callan, plus a longer one of 1.9 miles - a loop on the high and low roads to the east of Tullynawood Lake and past Aughnagurgan Megalithic Tombs.

To download a GPX map of this route visit link at MapMyWalk, plus for a Google Map of the whole route visit Interactive Google Map.

Below is a detailed description of the walk and places passed along the way. If you wish to just download the Route Instructions as a Word Doc, without all the write-up, then click on the button below. (NOTE: This downloads as a Google Doc. To change format to a Word Doc - Click "File" on top left of doc, click "Download" and choose "Microsoft Word (.docx)"). 

Start at the crossroads of Tassagh Road and Dundrum Road, just east of Tassagh Bridge.

Go south across Tassagh Road into Dundrum Road.

As we cross over Tassagh Road we also go from Tassagh to Dundrum townland. The latter takes its name from the Irish.”Dún Droma” meaning “fort of the ridge”. According to Placenamesni.org: 

“The fort referenced by the element dún in this place-nameis known as Gordon’s Fort, an almost heart-shaped multivillate rath (ring-fort) with 3 banks & 2 ditches. It is situated at the north end of a drumlin ridge with good views over the valley of the Callan River to the north and west. The vast majority of the remains of the fort are still definable.”

Soon to the right is Tassagh Post Office. The old post office was built in ???? and was originally thatched. Today, it remains a fully functioning post office, maintains many of its original features and also has as a tearoom and filling station. At the rear it has a pleasant seating area overlooking the Callan River and Valley.

The river accompanies us for a short distance, but bends right to follow the valley floor, as we follow the road left and climb.

0.25 miles. Stay straight on past narrow road to left.

(OPTIONAL DIVERSION NOTE: At 0.3 miles. Turn right to follow the farm lane down, over the Callan River to Dundrum Mills and Chimney. It is where the Clea River joins the Callan River. This is an addition and well worth this minor diversion. You’ll then need to retrace your steps back to Dundrum Road and turn right to re-join the walk. It will add about 0.65 miles – see map)

You can watch a some aerial footage of Dundrum Mills and Chimney in the middle section of a video at YouTube - it also includes footage of Crossmore and Tassagh Viaduct.

It's interesting to look at the Keady Town Website Base Map (below). Even though I have only plotted a certain number of the mills. From the map below (which shows them as black factories), it's really obvious how they follow the Rivers Callan and Clay. You can see both rivers converge at Dundrum townland. Also, half a mile further north the Ballymacone River joins the Callan from the east.

According to the Keady Section of Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis, 1837:

"In 1826, the Messrs. Sadler, of Leeds, created a very extensive establishment at Dundrum, and were the first who attempted to make linen from mill-spun yarn, and who introduced the manufacture of fine linen into this neighbourhood. Since that period, the increase of the trade has been very rapid. There are some very large mills for spinning flax at New Holland and Darkley, in which 780 persons (principally young females) are constantly employed ; an extensive manufactory for fine linen has been established at Ballier, affording employment to 2500 persons ; another for sheeting at Dundrum, and bleach-greens at Anvale, Greenmount, Dundrum, Ballier, Millview, Darkley, and Linenvale, where about 235,000 pieces of linen are annually finished, principally for the English market."

Over the three parts of this walk we visit all of the places mentioned above.

Below is a short, informative video of the Callan River and Dundrum Mil, by John Nixon, This is just a 600 yards upstream of Tassagh Bridge, and is where the Clea River joins the Callan.

As you continue Dundrum House is to the left. It is a 1720s Georgian country manor; family home and guest house is set in an 80 acre beef and sheep farm. According to the house website:

“Since Dundrum House was built, there have been many occupiers. Unfortunately, records of names only go back to 1826, to when a Mr. McBride was the house holder, followed by Mr. Samuel Kidd in 1836. After Mr. Kidd's death, his heirs rented the property out to many. In 1876 the house was occupied by the Barcroft family, followed by the Armstrong family, up until 1943. Since March 1943, Dundrum House has been in the Nugent family name, when it was bought by the late Hugh Nugent…”.

The Kidd and Barcroft families owned many of the mill in the area during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Overlooking the road, at the entrance to the drive, is a set of white cast iron gates. These are grade B1 listed and have survived attempts to steal them over the years.

Dundrum Road continues to climb. It soon becomes obvious it's climbing a ridge as there are good views on both sides. However, it the road soon levels out, but the ridge continues to climb to the right.

At 0.65 miles, a bungalow on the right looks down over the road. On the hill behind it is the peak of the ridge and the ancient rath, named "Gordon's Fort", from where this townland takes its name (”Dún Droma” meaning “fort of the ridge”). As far as I know, there is no access to the fort, but you can view it at Google Earth. Also, below is a short aerial video, by Paul Hughes, named "Landmarks round Keady Co. Armagh in 4K". The last on this is Gordon's / Dundrum Fort.

1.0 miles Go straight on across crossroads.

From Granemore Crossroads there are good views west along Granemore Road, in the direction of Keady, over the Callan Valley and to Tullyglush Hill in the distance. In the valley below, next to the road and the Callan River, is the ruins of another old flax mill.

The short video below is named "Tullyglush" and shows everything mentioned above. It is taken from Granemore Road and you can see the crossroads where you are now.

It was in a field by the crossroad where the Granemore Carnival was held for decades up until the early 1970s. Apparently, it was a huge event and in July 1970, the headline act was Roy Orbison. You can read the story "When Roy Orbison Played Granemore Carnival" at the Armagh Chronicle (link broken).

A recent release by local man Liam Lappin, named "Hills around Granemore", is very relevant to this walk. As well as Granemore, it's also about the Callan River, Tassagh, Darkley and Keady. You can listen to it using the link at YouTube below. 

Granemore for a small place, is a special place and does have another song of a similar name. It's been recorded by musicians from all over the world. It's named "The Hills of Granemore". You can listen to a local man singing this at YouTube.

1.26 miles, Turn right into Lower Darkley Road. This leads downhill to cross the Callan River after 170 yards

After another 60 yards and to the right, you’ll see the shell of an old mill (see photos below). On old maps a second is shown just to the left of the road, but very little remains. Old maps show these as the Darkley Beetling Mills.

In another 70 yards a gate supported by two large stone pillars will give you a better view of the mill to the right and over the valley.

Continue along Lower Darkley Road for another 0.78 miles to at T-junction.

2.22 miles. Turn left at T-junction onto Annvale Road.

2.33 miles. Stay straight on past road to RHS.

At 2.61 miles. To the left is and old bleach and beetling mill and to the left and above it is a large white house. On old OS maps this area was named Linen Vale. (see images below). Also, see a short aerial video (by Paul Hughes) named "Landmarks round Keady Co. Armagh in 4K". at YouTube. Linen Vale is second on the video, and it also includes a  nearby "tree-ring". which is just downstream of here. 

At 2.64 miles the road crosses over the Callan River.

3.14 miles. At T-junction, turn right onto Dundrum Road. Then, after just 70 yards, turn right into Annvale Road, signed Mountain Lodge Church.

3.6 miles. Cross straight over (A29, with care) and into Mountain Lodge Road.

Although not obvious, to the right, just before the A29 is a narrow lane. This leads to a place on the Callan River, named Glen Vale. During the peak of the linen industry, in the 19th century, there was a large house, a number of beetling mills and a dye mill there. These are all shown on the 1860s OS Map.

At 3.7 miles Mountain Lodge Road crosses over a small stream which originates at Aughnagurgan Lough.

At 3.8 miles Aughnagurgan Lough is visible to the LHS.

Aughnagurgan Lough is known locally as Kavanagh's Lake. Like some of the other lakes in the area it was dammed (see photo) in the 19th century, so it could hold more water to power the mills. A short clip of the lake can be seen at an aerial video, by Paul Hughes, named "Landmarks round Keady Co. Armagh in 4K".

4.0 miles. Straight on past narrow road (Graysons Road) to your LHS.

At 4.15 miles Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church is to your RHS.

At 4.25 miles Entrance to Darkley Forest and car park is to your RHS.

The walking routes around Darkley Forest were launched in October 2018. The project cost £220 k and took less than a year to complete. It provided a small car park, plus 2.86 miles of paths in two overlapping walking trails, one of 1.4 miles and the other 1.9 miles. You can read more about the project at Armagh i.

The car part area was once the entrance to a drive to the Mountain Lodge Estate. It was home to the Douglas Family and according to "The Douglas Archive" covered an area of 1,025 acres. There was a large house and many outbuildings. The Keady section at Library Ireland,(1837) says was principal seat of H Garmany ("Presumably Hugh Garmony Douglas"). For many years now the large house and outbuildings have been derelict and the ruins, although still visible, are fenced off from the public.

Friends of Sliabh Fuait is a group, formed in 2018 to promote the history and culture of the local area. You can watch a short video of their aims at their website (also see their Facebook page). A podcast by the group from early 2021, entitled "Darkley Forest - Mountain Lodge" give an extra insight into the history of Mountain Lodge Estate and of a sad day at Mountain Lodge Church.

Thanks to Paul Hughes, the aerial video below from May 2020, gives us a great view of what now remains of the Mountain Lodge Estate.

Darkley Forest is a magical place. It has connections with "The Children of Lir", who were said to play in this part of The Fews. Their father, King Lir, had his stronghold, just over 3 miles away, at Sídh Fionnachaidh (White Hill), north of modern-day Newtownhamilton. The Story of The Children of Lir is one of the great legends from Irish Mythology, but also a tragic one. I'll come back to it soon.

In December 2019 the good folk of Darkley came together to create a Fairy Village in the forest, Forty local families got involved, each allocated a tree, and the final result was a child's dream. Soon afterwards I went there to take photos of what they produced and I wasn't disappointed. You can watch a video of my photos below and read about it at Armagh i. There is also a poem about The Fairy Village at Facebook.

The trees around the Fairy Village and the ruins of Mountain Lodge Estate are deciduous, but most of the rest are coniferous and dense. The two trails have been surfaced, but are hilly in places. The undergrowth and trees can be haunting. Sometimes the light finds it hard to break through. Yet, fungi, moss, plants, fruit and small animals thrive. At times there are small streams flowing off the hill to join the Callan River, in its early stages, the source of which is from the nearby Tullynawood Lake This forest can be solitary, but is popular with walkers, joggers and dog owners..

Thanks to John Nixon for uploading the short video below to YouTube. It covers the source of the Callan, its early journey past the forest, and has a wonderful poem about Darkley Forest.

The two marked trails start from the car park. Initially they follow the same route past a viewpoint overlooking Tullynawood. The Aughnagurgan Trail (1.4 miles) then leads into the heart of the forest and past the Mountain Lodge Estate. The Mountain Lodge Trail (1.9 miles) continues to follow the perimeter of the forest, above the Callan River and across from the old linen mill at Darkley Village.

OPTIONAL DIVERSION NOTE: At the Darkley Forest car park you have some options to extend the length of the walk, if you wish – I would recommend at least 1. and 3. below which would add about 2.5 miles.

1. Take a walk around Darkley Forest Fairy Village (adds about 0.6 miles).

2. Follow the Aughnagurgan Trail through the forest (adds 1.4 miles). See LINK.

3. Follow the Mountain Lodge Trail around the Forest (adds 1.9 miles). See LINK

There is a sign from the car park to the Fairy Village, plus both the trails are waymarked. To take any or all of these diversions, you need to turn right thru’ the car park to join them, then when finished walk back out thru’ the car park and turn right along Mountain Lodge Road 

As you continue along Mountain Lodge Road there is forest on both sides. After almost half a mile the trees to the front and right give way to views down over Tullynawood Lake. If you also look sharp right and back you'll see Darkley Lake enclosed under the surrounding hills.

4.8 miles. With a large barn ahead and to the left, turn very sharp right into Upper Darkley Road. This is is easily missed, but after you turn, Tullynawood Lake should now be down to your LHS.

The name Tullynawood Lake comes from the Irish "Loch Thulach na bhFód", meaning '"lake of the hillock of the sods", (see Megalithic Monuments of Ireland).

Some claim Tullynawood Lake to be the final resting place of "The Children of Lir". It's easy to understand their connections to Darkley Forest and Tullynawood They lived nearby at Sídh Fionnachaidh, just north of modern-day Newtownhamilton and on the edge of the Fews Forest. Darkley Forest is part of The Fews, Tullynawood is overlooked by The Fews and both are just over three miles from Sídh Fionnachaidh.

In the Story of The Children of Lir, their mother dies and their father marries again. Their stepmother becomes jealous of the children and uses a spell to turn them into swans. They still keep their voices and can sing beautifully. The spell was to last for 900 years, until the first bell of Christianity rang out in Ireland. On their last journey, the children flew by their childhood home at Sídh Fionnachaidh, but found it empty and overgrown. In the end they hear the bell and are helped by a monk, named Mocha, to regain their human form. Many believe Mocha, in the story, is St. Mochau who built his church at nearby Derrynoose. It was where the clapper of his bell fell to the ground, which he took as a sign to build his church there.

Some believe the monk in the story is St. Patrick. He laid the foundations for his first church at Armaghbreague, in The Fews. This was equidistant between Darkley Forest, Tullynawood and Sídh Fionnachaidh and just two miles from each. However, Patrick kept getting annoyed by a bull (that's another story) and decided to move the site of his first church to Armagh (Irish: Ard Macha).

Others claim it was St. Assicus who administered the Children of Lir their Last Rites, as they lay dying on the shore of Tullynawood Lake. He was St. Patrick's metalworker, is said to have administered the Last Rites to the saint, and has connections to Tassagh Old Graveyard, which we passed on Part 1 of this walk. You can listen to more about this at a podcast by Friends of Sliabh Fuait.

Anyway, at the end of the day, I'll let you decide who rang the first bell of Christianity in Ireland and who administered the Last Rites to the Children of Lir. Also, if you wish to hear the full "Story of The Children of Lir", then you can listen to it a YouTube - there are many versions, I tried to choose one which is child friendly.

NOTE: At this point, there is another optional diversion if you wish to again extend the walk. This time it is a 1.9 mile circular route. It goes south along a narrow road above Tullynawood Lake, past the Aughnagurgan megalithic tombs, then back on a narrow road along the valley floor and closer to the lake. If you do choose this, and you have also taken the other recommended options above, then the total length of this part of your walk will be 11.2 miles. For details, click on the button below.

Upper Darkley Road is narrow and hilly. It descends steeply, but there are good views, to the left, over Tullynawood Lake. If you look really carefully, down and to the right-hand corner, you'll see the dam built in the 19th century. The "Keady Civil Parish" page at Ireland Genealogy Projects states:

"There are three lakes in the parish, called Clay, Tullynavad, and Aughnagurgan, the waters of which are dammed up at a great expense by the proprietors, and an abundant supply is secured throughout the year."

The dam in the above photo is the Source of the Callan River. I'm not sure if the swans are the ghosts of The Children of Lir. However, in all parts of Ireland, like many countries in the world, swans are seen as a sacred bird and are protected.

According to Irish Mythology, the Callan was one of the three "black rivers of Ireland" which burst forth in prehistoric times, said to be A.M. 3565, anno mundi; or 3.565 years after the Creation (about 1542 BC)  The other two rivers mentioned are the Oona in Tyrone and the Forann in Armagh (see JSTOR and also record M3656.2 at LINK).

As we pass the source of the Callan River on our way to Darkley Village, below is another local traditional song "Banks of the Callan", beautifully sang by local girl, Catherine Grimley Hughes.

At 5.1 miles the road passes over the Callan River.

5.13 miles. Stay straight on, past road to LHS.

Next to the left is a derelict house and just after this the road crosses a watercourse. This was the mill race from Darkley Lake which fed some of the mills at Darkley.

The next half of a mile, to Darkley Village, is narrow and undulating. You'll get some great views (see below) down over the Callan Valley, across to Darkley Forest and north into the distance. You'll also see the chimney at Darkley Mill well before you reach it.

At 5.63 miles we reach Darkley Village. To the right is the mill chimney, the mill is behind and on a lower level. Below the chimney is a bench and an information board which tells some history of Darkley Mill and Village.

Although, I have offered you the option to enlarge the image of the information board above, some parts of it are difficult to read, so I've re-written this below.

"THE TALL, TAPERING CHIMNEY, towers over the main street of Darkley and the valley below, is the most dramatic reminder of the village's industrial origins and crucial role in the history of this part of the Callan valley. Close inspection reveals the quality of the brickwork, reinforced with iron straps, and the small fireplace in the base, as well as an adjacent mill dam and feeder channel or layd.

The first Ordnance Survey map of the area, published in 1834, shows over 20 textile mills on the Callan between Darkley and Tassagh, including Henry McClean's spinning mill and William Kirk's beetling mill on the future site of the village. McClean died in 1845 and his interests at Darkley passed to William Kirk, who had married Ann McClean in 1820.

Like so many of his contemporaries, Kirk proved to be a successful entrepreneur who soon set about expanding his business. He helped pioneer the use of much more powerful water driven turbines and fitted one of Ireland's largest water wheels, 70ft in diameter, at Darkley around 1850.

Kirk aimed to house his mill workers on site, and so as the business expanded, so did the village. Workers were attracted by reduced rents and a range of facilities including a co-operative shop, a dairy and a school managed by William Kirk himself, with evening classes for adults.

Bassett's 1888 Directory notes that the mill was being used for flax spinning and linen weaving, with 8,000 spindles and 200 power looms and a workforce of around 700. An accompanying illustration on a company advertisement shows the mill complex and the surrounding village, as well as a second factory at nearby Annvale and the company's imposing warehouse at 11 Donegal Square West in Belfast.

The works at Darkley had an impact beyond the local area. Bassett lists agency outlets in London, Manchester, Paris and New York and the 1901 census lists employees from Wicklow and Wexford, as well as England and Scotland. By then, however, the linen industry was already in decline, and although there were temporary booms during both world wars, the factory eventually ceased production in 1959."

According to the Waterpower in Ireland section of IrishEvents4u "The mid 1800's is probably when this development was at its height, at around 1850 a wheel 21.4 Meters (70 ft) in diameter was installed at Darkley mill in County Armagh, it is thought this was the largest mill wheel to have existed in Ireland."

The small insert on the top right of the notice is about the William Kirk Monument (Keady Monument). I'll cover that in at the end of the final part of this walk. in the meantime, below is a wonderful animated video by the Children of Darkley Primary School about Darkley Mill. It's entitled, "Darkley Mill - Darkley P.S., Darkley, Co. Armagh".

5.63 miles. Straight on past Darkley Mill Chimney and into Darkley Village. Then after 100 yards, at end of wall to RHS, turn right onto an enclosed footpath and downhill.

The path comes out onto a road. Look right, over your shoulder and you'll see part of what's left of Darkley Mill. It's now an egg packing factory.

5.73 miles. Go straight on along road, past a row of houses (Hillside Terrace) to LHS.

Hillside Terrace does not appear in the c1860 OS Map, but does in the c1900 OS Map. So it must have been built in the period between. These houses are slightly larger, their front gardens were across the road, and were probably for the managers in the mills. 

To the RHS at 5.8 miles, below and through the trees, is an old Linen Spinning Factory. It is now used as a feed mill.

At 5.89 miles Darkley House is to the LHS.

As far as I can gather, it was built in the late 1700s. Henry McClean, owner of the local spinning mill lived there in 1820, when his daughter Ann married William Kirk, who owned the beetling mill on the future site of Darkley Village. Henry McClean died in 1833. By the late 19th century, the house was inhabited by James E. Calvert, J.P. He was High Sheriff of County Armagh in 1824. His son Herbert James Calvert died aged 22 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916.

James E. Calvert extended the village and in 1932, donated a piece of land for the purpose of building a new school. The old school, built by William Kirk, had fallen into disrepair and had been condemned. On 30 May 1932, the new school opened in Moss Row. Calvert died in June 1933. According to National Museums NI (link missing),

"The mill and factory were powered by a pair of water turbines that ran from Darkley lake. The Directors of the firm; Mrs Calvert and Mr Bradley took little direct interest in the running of the business. The workers came mostly from the Darkley and Keady areas, but some travelled from Armagh. Labour relations were good. There was a community spirit within the works. Business was steady without being spectacular. In the early 1960s it was becoming increasingly obvious that Kirks was falling behind and that without installing ring spinning and automatic looms the firm couIdn't hope to compete. The works finally closed in ?1962, just one of several linen firms in the area to disappear around this time. After Kirks closed,..." 

In the above quote, there is a ? at the date Darkley mill finally closed, some sources say 1959. However, the mill(s) kept the Kirk name. It also seems Mrs Calvert still lived at Darkley House at this time and probably beyond. There are some gaps in the history of Darkley House and Mill, maybe some can help fill those in. On a personal note, my mother has told me many times about her first job at Darkley Mill. It was in 1949 when she was 14, she earned 10 shillings a week (that's 50 pence in today's money) and the owner at the time was Eddie Calvert.

Darkley Houses was bought by the "Crossfire Trust" in 1986, and this charity have owned it ever since. You can find out more information about the Crossfire Trust at their website.

At the peak of the linen industry around Keady, Darkley and Tassagh the mills employed many thousands from near and further away. Many used to walk from as far as County Monaghan, over the hills, on a Sunday night and stay in the already overcrowded homes at Darkley  They'd get up early on a Monday morning to work in the mills, work all week and walk home on a Saturday afternoon, just to do it all again the following week. During the early 20th century, when the mills along the Callan and the Clea began to close, it must have had a huge affect on those who had found a livelihood there. However, Darkley survived till c1959 and Annvale continued to make carpets until c1970. When all the mills finally closed, it really affected this whole area, yet people survived. They didn't have laptops or smart phones. Most didn't even have a phone. If your were lucky to have a TV, it was in black and white with two or three channels. Yet, they all survived, didn't complain, talked to each other (no texts, Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram,  Twitter...). They were happy, there was a community spirit, and the only places you chatted was after mass, at the pub, hairdressers, meeting people on the street, or in local shops Only the rich had cars. People sang in pubs, told jokes and old stories passed through generations, talked about the weather, the livestock they sold and bought at Keady Mart, how, their old aunty way doting - there was no word of dementia or Alzheimer's then.

I often wonder if people with almost nothing, but with real friends (I'm not talking about now or Facebook...) were happier many years ago, when they had very little, or are they happier now, with everything?

Sorry about the rant, but I'll leave you with a song, you can listen to below sung by Tommy Makem, named the "Darkley Weaver".

5.98 miles. At T-junction, turn left and follow the road uphill. Stay on LHS (please, Take Care as there is no pavement..

The main entrance to Darkley House is to the left, just after the junction.

6.15 miles. Just before T-junction, and entering Darkley Village. Finish at bus-shelter on the LHS.

NOTE: If you have added the diversion to Dundrum Mill, plus the two I recommended in Darkley Forest, and the 1.9 mile loop via Aughnagurgan megalithic tombs, then you have walked 11.2 miles.

To read more about Darkley, visit Wikipedia, the Darkley Rural Community Group (DRCG) and The History of Darkley, both at Facebook. 

If you decide to finish your walk here, then you can catch a 69 bus back to Keady. See Bus Timetable.

If you wish to continue walking, then see instructions for Part 3.