Overview
Lurigethan – Lurig to everyone local – is the flat-topped hill that fills the skyline behind Cushendall, separating Glenariff from neighbouring Glenballyeamon and dividing two of the Glens of Antrim. The name, from Lurigeadan, means ‘the ridge of the face or brow’, which is about right for the blunt, dark profile it shows the village. The NI Community Heritage Archive records a prehistoric promontory fort on the summit.
The fort and the Fianna
The summit is ringed by the earthworks of a large promontory fort. It was probably built by Bronze Age people (roughly 2500–500 BC) and later used by Iron Age Celts, with several earthen banks and ditches still traceable across the plateau. A gap on the south-western side marks the old entrance, and aerial survey has picked out what may be round-house platforms inside. The earthworks sit high above the glens and command the sea on every side.
Local tradition ties the hill hard to the Fenian Cycle. Finn MacCool (Fionn mac Cumhaill) and his son Oisín are said to have been born here, and the fort is remembered as the stronghold of Goll Mac Morna, Finn’s one-eyed rival, who had killed Finn’s father. The nearby townland of Lagafeenie keeps the memory of a battle between them: the name means ‘the hollow of the Fianna’. Oisín’s story runs through the whole area too – a Neolithic court tomb in the next townland, Lubatavish, is still called Ossian’s Grave.
Access and the hillside
The archive records a foot approach from a small gate on the B14 Ballyeamon Road. Check current permission and signs before crossing grazing land. The hillside is rough and exposed, and it is not waymarked. Carry a map and compass if heading higher, wear sturdy footwear, keep away from steep edges and leave the earthworks undisturbed. If access is unclear, take in the hill from Cushendall.
The view
From the top you look south down Glenariff to the sea, and can pick out the stepped ladder-farms on the slopes above Waterfoot – long narrow holdings laid out to share the good low ground and the poor high ground fairly between families. In clear weather the coast stretches to Scotland. The southern face shows basalt columns, a reminder that Lurig sits on the same volcanic plateau as the Giant’s Causeway.
The Lurig Challenge Run
The Lurig Challenge Run has been part of the Heart of the Glens Festival. The 2026 event took place on 8 August. Check the organiser for a future programme.
Practical information
- Facilities: none on the hill. Cushendall has a café and a promenade.
- Dogs and livestock: if you bring a dog, keep it under control near livestock and nesting birds.
- Conditions: the summit is exposed, so carry a windproof and a rain layer whatever the forecast.
- Maps: OSNI 1:25,000 sheets ‘Glens of Antrim’ and ‘Causeway Coast & Rathlin Island’.
Leave time to sit by the fort banks and watch the light move down the glens, if access allows – that, more than the climb, is what the hill is for.