Bencollaghduff () at , is the 93rd–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 115th–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, Bencollaghduff is situated near the centre of the core

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

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 ...

mountain range in the

Connemara National Park Connemara National Park ( ga, Páirc Naisiúnta Chonamara) is one of six national parks in Ireland, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is located in the northwest of Connemara in County Galway, on the west coast. History ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

. It is the 3rd tallest mountain of the Twelve Bens range, after

Benbaun Benbaun () is a mountain in County Galway, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 88th highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mo ...

, to which it is connected by the northern col of

Maumina Benbaun () is a mountain in County Galway, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 88th highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's ...

; and after Bencorr , to which it is connected by a high southeast rocky ridge. Bencollaghduff'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 56th-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.

Naming

According to Irish academic Paul Tempan, "Bencollaghduff" most likely means "peak of the black hags", however, the hags in question are cormorant birds and not witch-like characters. Tempan notes that the Ordnance Survey Ireland form of "Binn Dhubh" is a prescribed standard modern Irish form. Cartographer Tim Robinson's maps of Connemara uses "Binn Dubh", which represents the local dialect.

Hill walking

Bencollaghduff is often climbed as part of the popular 16–kilometre 8–9 hour ''Glencoaghan Horseshoe'', considered one of Ireland's best hill-walks. Bencollaghduff is also climbed as part of the even longer ''Owenglin Horseshoe'', a 20–kilometre 10–12 hour route around the Owenglin River taking in over twelve summits;

In literature

The Irish novelist

Joseph O'Connor Joseph Victor O'Connor (born 20 September 1963) is an Irish novelist. His 2002 historical novel '' Star of the Sea'' was an international number one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the ''Sunday Tribune'' newspa ...

in his award-winning novel Star of the Sea, cites the ''quarzite shale on the slopes of Bencollaghduff''.

Gallery

File:Bencorr, Bencollaghduff & Derryclare from south ridge of Benbaun.jpg, View from south ridge of

to Bencollaghduff, with ridge to Bencorr and

Derryclare Derryclare () is a mountain at the southern edge of Twelve Bens mountain range in Connemara National Park in County Galway, Ireland. At , it is the 119th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, and the 145th–highest peak on the Vande ...

behind File:Bencullagh, Muckanaght & Benbaun from Bencollaghduff.jpg, View of (r-to-l)

Muckanaght Benbaun () is a mountain in County Galway, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 88th highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's ...

and Bencullagh from the summit of Bencollaghduff File:Bengower, Benbreen, Benbaun & Bencollaghduff from Derryclare.jpg, View of (l-to-r),

Bengower Bengower () at , is the 135th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 166th–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins" ...

, Benbreen, and Bencollaghduff from the summit of

File:Derryclare Lake, Connemara.jpg, View into the ''Glencoaghan Horseshoe'' with the long summit ridge of Bencolloughduff (back, centre)

Bibliography

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References

External links

MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website
Bencollaghduff

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

{{IrishTrails Marilyns of Ireland Hewitts of Ireland Mountains and hills of County Galway Geography of County Galway Mountains under 1000 metres