Mullaghcleevaun () at , is the 15th–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 20th–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, Mullaghcleevaun is in the central sector of the
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. ...
range, in
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has a ...
, Ireland; it is the 2nd highest peak in Wicklow after
Mullaghcleevaun lies on the main "central spine" of the whole range that runs from
Kippure
Kippure () at , is the 56th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 72nd-highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Colli ...
Sally Gap
The R759 road is a regional road in Ireland running south-east to north-west through the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains, from the R755 near Roundwood in East Wicklow to the N81 in West Wicklow. The other route through the Wicklow Mounta ...
to Tonelagee.
To the east of the main summit of Mullaghcleevaun is Mullaghcleevaun East Top . Below the summit of Mullaghcleevaun lies the corrie lake of Cleevaun Lough, Wicklow's highest natural lake at .
Naming
According to Irish academic Paul Tempan,
Patrick Weston Joyce
Patrick Weston Joyce, commonly known as P. W. Joyce (1827 – 7 January 1914) was an Irish historian, writer and music collector, known particularly for his research in Irish etymology and local place names of Ireland.
Biography
He was born i ...
notes that Mullaghcleevaun was named after a "cradle-like depression near the top, presumably the one occupied by Cleevaun Lough".
Geography
Mullaghcleevaun is the 2nd highest peak in the
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. ...
, and is situated in the central sector of the whole range, on the western edge overlooking the
Poulaphouca Reservoir
Poulaphouca Reservoir, officially Pollaphuca (), is an active reservoir (for both water supply and electricity generation) and area of wild bird conservation in west County Wicklow, Ireland named after the Poulaphouca waterfall on its south-west ...
(also called the "Blessington Lakes").
Mullaghcleevan'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 , makes it the 8th-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. Mullaghcleevaun's flat summit is visible from other peaks in the range, and its
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 ...
also includes the subsidiary summit of Mullaghcleevaun East Top , 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 Hewitt. To the south-east of Mullaghcleevaun East Top is the summit of Carrigshouk , 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 an Arderin. Further away on Mullaghcleevaun's larger massif is Duff Hill , which lies to the north.
Mullaghcleevaun's most distinctive feature is its deep northern corrie, which contains Wicklow's highest natural lake, Lough Cleevaun .
Mullaghcleevaun's southeastern slopes are the source of the Glenmacnass River which flows down the Glenmacnass Waterfall into the Glenmacnass Valley and on to Laragh.
Hill walking
A common route to the summit of Mullaghcleevaun is from the south via an 8.5-kilometre 3-4 hour walk which starts from a small car-park in the forest below Carraigshouk (the car-park is known locally as "The Oasis") just off the R115 road (also called the ''Old Military Road''). This southerly route ascends to Mullaghcleevaun East Top and then to the summit of Mullaghcleevaun, before retracing to the car-park.
A similar distance route can be done from the north starting at the car-park at Ballynultagh Gap (), which lies between Black Hill and Sorrel Hill).
A longer undertaking is the complete north-east to south-west "boggy ridge" that runs from the
Sally Gap
The R759 road is a regional road in Ireland running south-east to north-west through the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains, from the R755 near Roundwood in East Wicklow to the N81 in West Wicklow. The other route through the Wicklow Mounta ...
to Carrigvore , and then on to Gravale , and then after a col, the ridge continues south-westwards to meet Duff Hill , and then on to Mullaghcleevaun East Top and Mullaghcleevaun itself. Getting from the Sally Gap to Mullaghcleevan is itself an 8.5-kilometre 3-4 hour walk, which some hill walkers avoid having to completely retrace back to the Sally Gap, and thus completing a 7-hour walk, by instead using two cars.
Gallery
File:Mullaghcleevaun II.jpg, Northern corrie
File: Mullaghcleevaun Plaque II.jpg, An Oige memorial plaque
File:Mullaghcleevaun5169w.jpg, From the R759
File:Mullaghcleevaun North Corrie.jpg, Northern corrie, winter
File:Summit of Mullaghcleevaun.jpg, Summit cairn
File:Mullaghcleevaun.jpg, View from the East
File:Mullaghcleevaun Boggy Ridge.jpg, View from the south of Mullaghcleevaun
Wicklow Round
The Wicklow Round is a long-distance hill running challenge in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. The route follows a proscribed 100-kilometre circuit of 26 mountains, which must be completed in a fixed order, that total over of elevation; the ...
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Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. ...
*
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 ...
*
List of mountains of the British Isles by height
This is a list of mountains in Britain and Ireland by height and by prominence. Height and prominence are the most important metrics for the classifications of mountains by the UIAA; with isolation a distant third criterion. The list is sourced ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
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 ...