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music · Friday 11 September 2026 · Various 
Ring of Gullion Autumn Festival - Music and Song
At Various Venues, Ring of Gullion, South Armagh · Various locations, South Armagh, Co. Armagh
At Various Venues, Ring of Gullion, South Armagh · Various locations, South Armagh, Co. Armagh
South Armagh has one of the deepest wells of traditional song anywhere on the island, and the Ring of Gullion Autumn Festival draws from it every September. Running 11 to 20 September 2026 across the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that wraps around Slieve Gullion, this ten-day festival brings together singing sessions, trad workshops, storytelling, foraging walks and heritage talks. It suits anyone who wants to spend a September weekend with real music in unhurried surroundings - no big-ticket headliners, no crowds, just a programme built around the place itself and the people who keep its traditions going.
The festival is put together by Ring of Gullion AONB in partnership with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and the events are spread across village halls, pubs and community spaces from Crossmaglen to Forkhill and Mullaghbawn. Past editions have included traditional Irish singing sessions led by local performers, informal trad sessions with CCE An Bonnán Buí, storytelling evenings rooted in the Celtic tradition, and talks on local musical heritage - one recent year featured a presentation on the life of singer Margaret Barry. There are also outdoor elements: guided walks to ancient monuments in the Ring of Gullion, foraging in the surrounding hills, and creative writing workshops for those who want to put the landscape into words.
The music leans unashamedly toward the old forms - sean-nós and close-harmony singing, uilleann pipes, fiddles and banjo. An Bonnán Buí CCE in Crossmaglen has roots going back to the 1970s when the first Comhaltas branch in the county was founded in this area, and that depth shows in what the festival programmes. Many events are free or low-cost; workshops occasionally carry a small charge.
The full programme for 2026 is published at ringofgullion.org closer to September, so it is worth checking before you travel.
Crossmaglen sits in the far south of Co. Armagh, about 12 km south-west of Newry and close to the border. By road, it is straightforwardly reached from Newry via the A25 or from Dundalk on the southern side via the N53. Parking in the town square is generally straightforward for daytime and evening events. Public transport to Crossmaglen is limited - a bus service connects via Newry, but for events spread across rural venues like Forkhill and Mullaghbawn, having a car makes the festival considerably easier to navigate.
The town square has a quiet energy that is particular to south Armagh, and the surrounding landscape - the granite ring dyke of Slieve Gullion, the forest park on its slopes, the scattered ring forts and passage tombs - rewards anyone who gives it more than a day. There is more to see in Crossmaglen and across Co. Armagh.
Heading to Various Venues, Ring of Gullion, South Armagh in Crossmaglen? Armagh has plenty more to see. Read the Crossmaglen area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.