Muckish () is a distinctive flat-topped

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in the Derryveagh Mountains of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. At , it is the third-highest peak in the Derryveagh Mountains and the 163rd highest in

. Muckish is also the most northern and second highest of the mountain chain called the " Seven Sisters" by locals. The Seven Sisters are Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla More, Mackoght, and Errigal.

Overview

High-grade

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

sand was mined on the flanks of the mountain; the remains of the quarry workings can be seen on its northern side. The "Miner's Path" is a route to the summit up the northern side of the mountain. Part of this route follows the path used by the workers to reach the quarry. The sand was exported and was mainly used in the manufacture of optical glass. A less difficult route to the summit begins from the Muckish Gap on the southern side of the mountain. A large

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

(man-made mound of stones), visible from sea level, can be found on the summit plateau. This marks a Bronze Age court tomb. In 2000, a large metal cross was placed on the summit, replacing a wooden one that had been destroyed in a storm. The new cross was placed much closer to the northern end of the mountain, while the cairn is towards the south.

Falcarragh An Fál Carrach (anglicized as Falcarragh), sometimes called Na Crois Bhealaí ("the crossroads") is a small Gaeltacht town and townland in north-west County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The settlement is in the old parish of Cloughanee ...

, Moyra, Dunfanaghy, and Creeslough are the villages nearest to Muckish. On the Falcarragh side lies ''Mám na Mucaise'' ("gap of Muckish") in which one finds ''Droichead na nDeor'' ("bridge of tears"). It was from this bridge that many thousands of Cloughaneely emigrants bade farewell to family members. Percy French, the famous poet, visited the district at the beginning of the 20th century and while in Falcarragh Hotel he wrote a poem called "An Irish Mother". In 2012, a 40-minute documentary about Muckish was released, called "Glass Mountain: The Story of Muckish Sand".

Gallery

File:Towards Muckish - geograph.org.uk - 901363.jpg, Muckish from Roshin, near Croaghaderry File:Muckish.JPG, Muckish from Horn Head File:Lough Naboll below Muckish Mountain - geograph.org.uk - 1052622.jpg, Muckish from Lough Naboll

References

External links

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Photograph from side of Muckish

Walking Ireland’s Iconic Mountains – Number 2: Muckish. An article from Walking & Hiking In Ireland
{{Mountains and hills of Ulster Marilyns of Ireland Mountains and hills of County Donegal Hewitts of Ireland Mountains under 1000 metres