44. The Slieve Gullion Inn

My first port of call was The Slieve Gullion Inn, with its gleaming white exterior.
A small white stoned garden with an old water pump completes the picture.

The interior is typical of a small country pub with its labyrinth of small rooms. The small public bar, measuring only 15 ft. by 8, also has a very Iow ceiling (you wouldn’t get planning permission for this height nowadays) and a lovely view of the courtyard with its gleaming whitewashed walls studded with agricultural and horsey implements of every kind.

I liked the little prayer I read there: ‘O Lord, help me to keep my big mouth shut until I know what I am talking about’.
I also noticed a rare mirror advertising Solar Whiskey, Duncan Alderidge, Newry. The far room is a small lounge whilst the middle room is dominated by a large fireplace.

Two gruesome drawings on either side drew my attention. I asked the lady of the house the story behind them, but she refused to tell me. I enquired from a local drinking at the bar, but he never even noticed them before.

So the mystery deepened. The refusal only made me more inquisitive, but after questioning many people in the town I still was none the wiser.