Glenullin is a valley in the Sperrin hills a few miles to the south west of Garvagh in Co Derry, in which lives a small, dispersed but cohesive community of some 400 souls.

The landscape’s natural focal point is Glenullin bog, a typical raised bog some 40ha in extent, which continues to be of importance to local people, both historically and in terms of landscape. The Agivey river flows eastward through Glenullin from the western watershed of the North Derry hills.

The bog itself is just out of the Sperrins and North Derry Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) but is visible from high ground to the south of the glen which is the AONB.The bog has been damaged by attempts at large scale peat extraction in the recent past, such that its nature conservation value is below the criteria for statutory protection. The continued threats to the bog have led local people to consider the various options open to them in conserving and restoring it as an important part of Glenullin’s identity. There was the core issue for the Exchange team to address, alongside the wider issues of sensitive rural development with particular regard to eco-tourism.

Glenullin Bog is located to the North and west of the Glen Road at an elevation of 130m directly above the confluence of the Agivey River and Glenullin Water (Grid Ref: C 79 13). It is an ombrotrophic (nourished by rainwater only) raised bog with a partially intact cupola (dome) which covers an area of approximately 40 hectares.

The bog is bound by the Glenullin water on its northern and eastern edge with the western boundary being less distinctive. A major drain and raised bank transects the bog between the Glenullin Water and Glen Road along the western side with the dome of uncut peat lying to the East of this bank. To the west lies a cut-over area which extends towards the Lisnascreghog Road.

Some of these cuttings have been reclaimed for agricultural purposes, but the majority have regenerated with ombrotrophic or fen vegetation. Special features include a large, intact core of deep peat, which exhibits a wide range of characteristic vegetation and structural features.

An article in Coleraine Times (11 October 2000) during the week of the Exchange said in its headline, “US and British Environment Delegation Visit, Putting Glenullin in the Map.” Whether the Exchange helps put Glenullin on the map will be decided by the people of Glenullin. At present it is clear that Glenullin does not appear on many maps today.

The Exchange team checked maps and brochures to locate Glenullin with little success. Some of the most detailed maps do show “Glen Ullin” along the river that transverses the south side of the bog, and “Glenullin Water” along its north perimeter, but anyone planning a visit would be hard pressed to find Glenullin.

From the sketches provided, the Exchange team has viewed Glenullin essentially as the headwaters of the Agivey River, a basin bounded by Fortnamoyagh Hill, Benbradagh, Carn Hill, Craigmore, and Moneyoran Hill.

In some ways, Glenullin is a geography of the mind, but a geography very apparent if one stands on the Glenullin Bog and scans the glen that rises from the bog almost as a bowl. And Glenullin clearly exists in the minds of its residents. Many people the team spoke with identified the bog as the focus – the heart of the glen. Visiting with students as the school in Glenullin, team members found many of the children’s drawings depicted the bog.
This report suggests that Glenullin get “on the map” in several modest ways that fit its current character and wishes of its residents to retain character while also strengthening their economy.