Overview
Glencullen is a village high in the Dublin Mountains near the Wicklow border, strung along the R116 on the southern slopes of Two Rock Mountain. The name is Irish, Gleann Cuilinn, ‘valley of the holly’. It’s small, with 376 people at the 2022 census, up from 238 in 2016, but it packs a Bronze-Age monument, a famous mountain pub and a mountain-bike park into a couple of square kilometres. The Dublin Mountains Way passes through the village on its route between Shankill and Tallaght. On a clear afternoon the valley opens south toward the Great Sugar Loaf, with the Irish Sea to the east.
Ancient monuments and history
The wedge tomb known locally as the Giant’s Grave sits at Ballyedmonduff. Dating to the Bronze Age, it was excavated in the 1940s by Seán P. Ó Ríordáin and Ruaidhrí de Valera, who recovered cremated bone, flint tools, pottery and a polished stone hammer. The central chamber is divided into three compartments inside a horseshoe of kerbstones.
On Barrack Road, near Johnnie Fox’s, stands the Queen Mab standing stone: a 1.83-metre quartz pillar on a 92-centimetre square base, also called the ‘Stone of the Hounds’. Beaker-style pottery found nearby dates it to the same period. It is a protected national monument, but it now stands on a golf course and there is no public right of way to it, so do not cross the course to reach it.
Glencullen House, on Barrack Road, is a villa-like country house whose design is attributed to Francis Johnston. It refronts a 17th-century farmhouse bought by Thomas FitzSimon in 1676, and was later home to the barrister Christopher Fitzsimon and his wife Ellen O’Connell, daughter of Daniel O’Connell. The village has a longer memory than its size suggests: during the Fenian rising of 1867, the nine policemen manning Glencullen barracks surrendered to the rebels.
Mountain biking at The GAP
Glencullen Adventure Park, known as The GAP, is a purpose-built mountain-bike centre with graded trails cut into the pine forest above the village. Trails are graded by colour, from blue runs for easy to moderate riding through red for intermediates to black for advanced riders, with steeper technical lines and a skills area for those who want them.
Bike hire, booking, age rules, parking charges, café hours and trail conditions are set by the operator and change, so check thegap.ie before you travel. Conditions shift with the weather, and the park is managed separately from the walking routes, so keep clear of bike tracks if you are on foot.
Walking and the Wicklow Way
Use the Dublin Mountains Partnership’s current route map and stay on the signed walking trail. The approach to Glencullen includes narrow road sections, and the route runs close to private entrances, so keep to the waymarked line. Glencullen is also a waypoint on the Wicklow Way, and the route continues from the village toward Knockree; check the current route map before setting out. A shorter network of footpaths links toward the Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve, a stretch of mixed sessile oak woodland. Mountain weather turns fast up here, so carry waterproofs and proper footwear; the ground gets muddy after rain.
Johnnie Fox’s Pub and community life
Established in 1798, Johnnie Fox’s is the social hub of the village and a well-known mountain pub. Alongside the pints and the Irish fare, it has long run the ‘Hooley’, an Irish dancing and music show. Check the pub for current show times and booking before you go.
The village keeps a strong civic life for its size. The part-time library occupies a Carnegie building from 1907, the community hall hosts local events, and St Patrick’s National School serves local families. The Stars of Erin GAA club was founded in 1903.
Practical information
- Getting there: Use the TFI journey planner for current buses. The route is hilly and the roads are narrow in places, so allow extra time.
- Parking: Check the operator for parking at The GAP, and use only parking provided for visitors rather than blocking entrances or the narrow road.
- Standing stone: The Queen Mab monument is on a golf course. Stay on public roads and respect the surrounding land.
- Accommodation: The area has self-catering rentals, from converted stone barns to modern cottages, within reach of the pub, The GAP and the Dublin Mountains Way.
- Trail and booking updates: For trail conditions, bike hire, age rules and café hours, check thegap.ie.
Book ahead with the operator before you travel, bring waterproofs whatever the forecast, and check the pub’s current programme if you want to catch a Hooley session.