Slemish, historically called Slieve Mish (), is a hill in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. It lies a few miles east of
Ballymena, in the
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
of Carnstroan. Tradition holds that
Saint Patrick, enslaved as a youth, was brought to this area and tended
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
herds on Slemish, and that during this time he found God.
Slemish is the remains of the
plug of an
extinct volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
. The plug is made of
olivine
The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle, it is a common mineral in Earth's subsurface, but weathers quickl ...
dolerite
Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro,
is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...
and was formed during the
Palaeogene
The Paleogene ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning o ...
period of the Earth's geological history.
Its distinctive appearance —its upper reaches are very steep and rugged, in contrast to the tidy fields on its lower westward-facing slopes and the relatively flat bogland to the east— causes it to dominate the landscape for miles around.
Slemish is within an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and, therefore, helps to protect and manage the fragile animal and plant communities that inhabit its slopes. An ideal location for bird watchers, large black ravens, buzzards, wheatears and meadow pipits can be seen regularly.
History
Slemish Mountain is the legendary first known Irish home of Saint Patrick. According to legend, following his capture and being brought to Ireland as a slave, Patrick worked as a shepherd at Slemish Mountain for about six years, from ages 16 to 22, for a man named Milchu (or Miluic).
It was during this time that Patrick turned to frequent prayer as his only consolation in his loneliness. In a vision he was encouraged to escape and return home.
He did this, then became a priest and returned to Ireland, allegedly to convert his old master. The legend goes that his own real conversion took place while on Slemish out in all weathers, communing with nature and praying continuously. As Patrick was not the first Christian Bishop to visit Ireland, his ministry was confined to the North. Here he established churches and an episcopal system. One such church is thought to have been founded at the nearby site of Skerry Churchyard.
In later times, Slemish was the site of a
United Irish camp during the
1798 rebellion
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...
in County Antrim.
Activities
Slemish Mountain is open year-round, and on Saint Patrick's Day (17 March) large crowds walk to the top of the mountain as a pilgrimage. The one and a half kilometre round walk to the summit and back takes approximately one hour in good weather. Excellent views can be had of the Antrim and Scottish coasts to the east. Ballymena town, Lough Neagh and the Sperrin Mountains are all normally visible to the west whilst the Bann Valley and the higher summits of the Antrim Hills can be seen to the North. The 180 metre climb is steep and rocky.
There is a parking facility with interpretation boards and washrooms on site.
Literature
Slemish features in
Dennis Kennedy's book ''Climbing Slemish''. The book chronicles the history of a family over a whole century of Northern Irish life.
[
]
Annalistic references
See
Annals of Inisfallen
Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
Scope
The nature of the distinction between ann ...
(AI)
* ''AI777.1 Kl. The battle of Sliab Mis, in which Nia, son of Cú
77Allaid, fell.''
Gallery
File:Slemish (8) - geograph.org.uk - 834986.jpg, Slemish from Buckna
File:Slemish (3) - geograph.org.uk - 421918.jpg, Slemish from Carnstroan Lane
File:Slemish (4) - geograph.org.uk - 421930.jpg, Slemish from Collin Road
File:Racavan Road.JPG, Slemish from Racavan Road
File:Slemish (10) - geograph.org.uk - 961621.jpg, Slemish from Shilnavogy Road
References
External links
Landscapes Unlocked- Aerial footage from the BBC ''Sky High'' series explaining the physical, social and economic geography of Northern Ireland.
Mid & East Antrim Council- Mid & East Antrim Council Tourism
{{Geology of Northern Ireland
Marilyns of Northern Ireland
Mountains and hills of County Antrim
Volcanic plugs of Northern Ireland
Paleogene volcanism
Paleogene Ireland
Protected areas of County Antrim