Mweelrea (; )
at , is the 26th-highest peak in
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 ...
on the
Arderin scale,
and the 34th-highest peak on the
Vandeleur-Lynam scale.
[Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Collins Books, Cork, ] Mweelrea is situated near the apex of a "horseshoe-shaped"
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
that includes the peaks of
Ben Lugmore
) corrie (left)
, elevation_m = 803
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 158
, prominence_ref =
, listing = 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
, location = Mayo, Ireland
, range = Mweelrea
, ...
and
Ben Bury
Mweelrea (; ) at , is the 26th-highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 34th-highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September ...
, and which is located between
Killary Harbour
Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains.
...
and
Doo Lough, in
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
,
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 ...
.
Mweelrea is the
provincial top for
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...
, and is noted for its southeastern cliff lined
corries,
and its views. The massif is called the Mweelrea Mountains or the Mweelrea Range.
Naming
Mweelrea is an
anglicisation of the , which translates as "bald hill with the smooth top", which describes the profile of the mountain.
Geology
The geology of what is known as the ''
Mweelrea Formation
The Mweelrea Formation is a geologic formation in Ireland in the Mweelrea Mountains. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Ireland
See also
* Lists of fossili ...
'' is very different from that of the
Twelve Bens
, photo=Boats and mountains, Roundstone (6047965086).jpg
, photo_caption= View of the range from Roundstone village.
, region = Connacht
, region_type = Provinces of Ireland
, translation = The peaks of Beola
, language = Irish language
...
, on the other side of
Killary Harbour
Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains.
...
. At a summary level, the ''Mweelrea Formation'' consists of
Ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya.
T ...
period
sandstones
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) b ...
originally deposited on large
alluvial fans
An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...
, and distally‐equivalent alluvial plains and delta fans. Interbedded with these sandstones are ''tufts'', being ash deposits from Ordovician period volcanos.
Geography
Mweelrea, and its subsidiary peaks, form the southern half of the "horseshoe-shaped"
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
of the Mweelrea Mountains, which are bounded by
Killary Harbour
Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains.
...
, Ireland's deepest
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
, to the south, and
Doo Lough to the north.
The valley in the centre of this "horseshoe" is the
townsland of Glenconnelly ( ga, Gleann Choinnile). Two deep
corries lie at the head of the Glenconnelly valley, below Mweelrea's southeast face; the southerly corrie contains Lough Lugaloughan, while the northerly corrie contains Lough Bellawaum; both are drained by the Sruhaunbunatrench River, which empties into the
Bundorragha River
Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains.
...
, which itself flows into
Killary Harbour
Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains.
...
.
Mweelrea at , is the highest mountain in massif, and is the
provincial top for
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...
.
Mweelrea's
prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
of qualifies it as a
Marilyn, and it also ranks it as the 16th-highest mountain in Ireland on the
MountainViews Online Database
In these lists of mountains in Ireland, those within Northern Ireland, or on the Republic of Ireland – United Kingdom border, are marked with an asterisk, while the rest are within the Republic of Ireland. Where mountains are ranked by heigh ...
, ''
100 Highest Irish Mountains'', where the minimum prominence threshold is 100 metres.
Northeast of Mweelrea is Ben Bury (or ga, Ucht an Chreagáin, meaning "breast of the little crag"; it is also known as "Oughty Craggy"), at , and whose
prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
of qualifies it as a
Vandeleur-Lynam (it is the 43rd-highest Vandeleur-Lynam in Ireland).
Further east around the "horseshoe" lies the long high summit ridge of
Ben Lugmore
) corrie (left)
, elevation_m = 803
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 158
, prominence_ref =
, listing = 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
, location = Mayo, Ireland
, range = Mweelrea
, ...
(and its subsidiary peaks), that is only slightly lower than Mweelrea at , and its northeast face forms the headwall of the cliff-lined
Lug More ga, Coum Dubh corrie.
Southwest of Mweelrea is the southern arm of the "horseshoe", which is both lower and less sustained than the northern side. It includes the Mweelrea SE Spur at (sometimes called "point-495" in guidebooks), and finishes with the isolated Teevnabinnia ( ga, Taobh na Binne, meaning "side of the peak"), whose height is only , but whose
prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
of qualifies it as a
Marilyn.
West of Mweelrea lie the County Mayo beaches of
Uggool Beach and Silver Strand.
Recreation
Hill walking
As the highest mountain in Connacht, Mweelrea is climbed in "Four Peaks Challenge" formats, being the highest mountains in the four provinces of Ireland.
The fastest and most straightforward way to summit Mweelrea is via the 8–kilometre 3-hour ''Silver Strand Route''.
A longer route is the 13-kilometre 6-hour round trip via the Lug More (or ga, Coum Dubh) corrie and the valley of Glen Glencullin that take in the summits of Ben Bury and Ben Lugmore. A notable feature known as ''The Ramp'' is used, which crosses the headwall of this corrie at mid-way, from east to west in an upward slope; reaching the ridge of Ben Lugmore at a col with Ben Bury. While this route is direct, caution is advised in properly finding ''The Ramp'', as the corrie has extensive cliffs.
Mweelrea is also climbed as part of the 15-kilometre 6-7 hour ''Mweelrea Horseshoe'', which is described by a notable Irish guidebook as one of "the top three" in Ireland.
The circuit starts and ends at the ''Delphi Mountain Resort'', and takes in all the peaks of the massif of Mweelrea, including Ben Lugmore (and its subsidiary peaks), Ben Bury, Mweelrea and the Mweelrea SE Spur (or point 495-metres).
Rock climbing
While the main rock-climbing on the Mweelrea massif is on the northeastern slopes of
Ben Lugmore
) corrie (left)
, elevation_m = 803
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 158
, prominence_ref =
, listing = 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
, location = Mayo, Ireland
, range = Mweelrea
, ...
(see
here
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here
Television
* Here TV (form ...
), there are long Grade 1 and 2 scrambles on the northeastern slopes of Mweelrea/Ben Bury.
Winter climbing
The Lough Bellawaum corrie, Mweelrea's northeastern corrie, also has a number of winter-climbs, the most notable of which are ''Blue Route'' (Grade II/III, 270 m), and ''Red Route'' (Grade III, 305 m).
Gallery
File:Mweelrea (back left), and Ben Lugmore (centre), from summit of Ben Gorm.jpg, Mweelrea (back left), and Ben Lugmore
) corrie (left)
, elevation_m = 803
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 158
, prominence_ref =
, listing = 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
, location = Mayo, Ireland
, range = Mweelrea
, ...
(centre), viewed from the east on the summit of Ben Gorm
File:Lough Bellawaum, Mweelrea, Mayo, Ireland.jpg, Mweelrea and the corrie lake of Lough Bellawaum, as viewed from Ben Lugmore
) corrie (left)
, elevation_m = 803
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 158
, prominence_ref =
, listing = 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
, location = Mayo, Ireland
, range = Mweelrea
, ...
File:Mweelrea & Ben Lugmore from massif of Leenane Hill.jpg, Mweelrea massif as viewed from Leenaun Hill
, photo = File:View north to Leenaun Hill from Letterbreckaun.jpg
, photo_caption = View north to Leenaun Hill from Letterbreckaun
, photo_size =
, elevation_m = 618
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 363
, prominence_ref =
, lis ...
, with Mweelrea (back left), Ben Lugmore
) corrie (left)
, elevation_m = 803
, elevation_ref =
, prominence_m = 158
, prominence_ref =
, listing = 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
, location = Mayo, Ireland
, range = Mweelrea
, ...
(back, right) and Teevnabinnia (centre, front)
File:Mweelrea Mountain from Renvyle.jpg, Mweelrea viewed from the south in Renvyle
Renvyle or Rinvyle () is a peninsula and electoral division in North-West Connemara in County Galway, close to the border with County Mayo in Ireland.
History
The ruins of the castle of Grace O'Malley (''Gráinne Mhaol'') can be found on t ...
File:Mweelrea from the East.jpg, Mweelrea eastern summit ridge as viewed from Ben Bury
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
Maumturks
, photo=View south to Knocknahillion from Letterbreckaun.jpg
, photo_caption= Maumturk Mountains: looking south from Letterbreckaun towards Knocknahillion and Binn idir an dá Log.
, country=Republic of Ireland
, region = Connacht
, region_t ...
, major range in Connemara
*
Twelve Bens
, photo=Boats and mountains, Roundstone (6047965086).jpg
, photo_caption= View of the range from Roundstone village.
, region = Connacht
, region_type = Provinces of Ireland
, translation = The peaks of Beola
, language = Irish language
...
, major range in Connemara
*
List of Irish counties by highest point
This is a list of Irish counties by their highest point. These are most commonly known as county high points but are also sometimes referred to as county tops and county peaks. There are 32 counties in Ireland, but in the case of 10 counties, m ...
*
Lists of mountains in Ireland
In these lists of mountains in Ireland, those within Northern Ireland, or on the Republic of Ireland – United Kingdom border, are marked with an asterisk, while the rest are within the Republic of Ireland. Where mountains are ranked by heigh ...
*
Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
*
List of P600 mountains in the British Isles
This is a list of P600 mountains in Britain and Ireland by height. A P600 is defined as a mountain with a topographic prominence above , regardless of elevation or any other merits (e.g. topographic isolation); this is a similar approach to that ...
*
List of Marilyns in the British Isles
This is a list of Marilyn hills and mountains in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland by height. Marilyns are defined as peaks with a prominence of or more, regardless of height or any other merit (e.g. topographic isolation, as used i ...
*
List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland
This is a list of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland by height. Hewitts are defined as "Hills in England, Wales and Ireland over two thousand" feet in height, the general requirement to be called a "mountain" in the British Isl ...
References
External links
MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website Mweelrea
the largest database of British Isles mountains ("
DoBIH
The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attemp ...
")
Hill Bagging UK & Ireland the searchable interface for the
DoBIH
The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attemp ...
{{Irish Rock Climbing
Marilyns of Ireland
Hewitts of Ireland
Mountains and hills of County Galway
Geography of County Galway
Mountains under 1000 metres