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Galtymore (and Galty Mountains)
Cnoc Mór na nGaibhlte
Galty Mountain range seen from the north, with the summit of Galtymore at its centre
Highest point
Elevation	917.9 m (3,011 ft) [1][2]
Prominence	898 m (2,946 ft) [1]
Listing	County top (Limerick and Tipperary), P600, Marilyn, Furth, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
Coordinates	52°21′58″N 8°10′45″W / 52.365985°N 8.17915°W / 52.365985; -8.17915 [1]
Naming
English translation	big hill of the Galtees
Language of name	Irish
Pronunciation	Irish: [ˈɡɑlʲtʲə ˈmoːɾ]
Geography
Galtymore (and Galty Mountains) Location in Ireland
Location	County Limerick/Tipperary, Republic of Ireland
Parent range	Galty Mountains
OSI/OSNI grid	R878237
Topo map	OSi Discovery 74
Geology
Age of rock	Devonian[1]
Mountain type	Conglomerate & purple sandstone, (Slievenamuck Conglomerate Formation)[1]
Climbing
Easiest route	Black Road Route

Galtymore or Galteemore (Irish: Cnoc Mór na nGaibhlte, meaning "Big hill of the Galtees")^[3] at 918 metres (3,012 ft), is the 12th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 14th–highest peak in Ireland according to the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.^[4] Galtymore has the 4th highest topographic prominence in Ireland which classifies Galtymore as a P600, or "major mountain".^[4] Galtymore is also one of the 13 recognised Scottish Furths, or Irish Munros, in Ireland. Galtymore is the County Top for both Limerick and Tipperary, and it is the highest mountain of the Galty Mountains, or Galtee Mountains, a 30–kilometre range that runs east–west, split between Limerick and Tipperary in Munster, Ireland.

Geology

The geology of the Galty Mountains are described as being Old Red Sandstone, from the Devonian period, and Silurian Shales.^[5] Old Red Sandstone is also common in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, and as well as having a purple–reddish colour, is also devoid of fossils.

The southern smooth slopes of the Galty range give way to a steep northern face, pocked with deep corries and their accompanying moraine–impounded lakes.^[5] The long central ridge of the Galtees, which runs for about 15–kilometers in an east–west direction, was too high to be overridden by the inland ice–sheets and, although it resulted in the creation of small corrie glaciers, its summits are capped by tors built of massive conglomerate rock.^[5]

Name

Irish academic Paul Tempan in his 2010 Irish Hill and Mountain Names listed Galtymore as the name for the peak, and Galty Mountains as the correct name for the range.^[3] Tempan notes that the summit of Galtymore is marked as Dawson's Table; the Dawson–Massey family were large landowners in the area (Tipperary Directory 1889) owning much of the land on and around the north section of the Galtee range.^[a][3][7]

The diarist Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin (Humphrey O'Sullivan) recorded a different Irish name for the peak: Beann na nGaillti, and the names of three nearby places are derived from this: Glencoshnabinnia (PW Joyce, Irish Names of Places iii, 366), Slievecoshnabinnia and Carrignabinnia.^[3] Tempan notes the anglicised name Galtymore is recorded as early as the Civil Survey of Co. Tipperary (Down Survey, 1654–56), where it is mentioned, and spelt exactly as today, as a boundary feature of the barony of Clanwilliam.^[3] The peak is named Galtymore Mountain on the Ordnance Survey Ireland Discovery Map.

Tempan does not comment on whether the term Galtees originates from an anglicised corruption of the name Irish: Sléibhte na gCoillte, meaning "mountains of the forests", as referenced in some guidebooks,^[8] and other publications.^[9][10]

The area also originated Kerry Group's popular Irish bacon food brand Galtee;^[11] and the term Galtee Mountains is still in common use.^[12]

Geography

Galtymore's eastern summit ridge, and north cliffs (right)

Climbing guidebook writer Paddy Dillion described "the lofty Galty Mountains have forested flanks; and there is much heather, bogs and steep slopes, but the effort is worth it and Galtymore is a splendid viewpoint".^[8]

The Galty Mountains, or Galtee Mountains, are a broadly straight 30–kilometre east–west grass–covered range with a 15–kilometre central ridge section, stretching from Greenane 801 metres (2,628 ft) in the east, to Temple Hill 783 metres (2,569 ft) in the west. This central section includes the highest peaks of Galtymore 918 metres (3,012 ft), Lyracappul 825 metres (2,707 ft), Carrignabinnia 823 metres (2,700 ft), and Slievecushnabinnia 775 metres (2,543 ft). Many of the peaks of the central Galtee section have a moderate prominence, which means that the central ridge maintains a reasonably sustained height; an attractive feature for hill walkers.^[8]

The 24 peaks of the Galty range with a height above 100 metres include 13 peaks above 2,000 feet and 5 peaks that are classified as Marilyns, peaks with a prominence above 150 metres.^[4] The Galtees are described as Ireland's highest "inland" range.^[4]

Galtymore and Galtybeg sit near the middle of the Galtee range and their north faces show evidence of glacial erosion with a number of deep corries, most of which are now occupied by loughs. Lough Diheen lies between Galtymore and Galtybeg, while Lough Curra lies between Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia.^[8]

Galtymore is the 460th–highest mountain, and 12th most prominent mountain, in Britain and Ireland, on the Simms classification.^[13] Galtymore is regarded by the Scottish Mountaineering Club ("SMC") as one of 34 Furths, which is a mountain above 3,000 ft (914 m) in elevation, and meets the other SMC criteria for a Munro (e.g. "sufficient separation"), but which is outside of (or furth) Scotland;^[14] Galtymore is referred to as one of the 13 Irish Munros.^[15][16] Galtymore's prominence qualifies it as a P600 which classes Galtymore as a "major" mountain in Britain and Ireland.^[13] Galtymore ranks as the 5th–highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the prominence threshold is 100 metres.^[17][4]

Hill walking

Galtybeg and Lough Dihneen, part of the Circuit of Glencushnabinnia

The most straightforward route to the summit of Galtymore is from the south via the 9–kilometre 3–4 hour Black Road Route, which starts at the end of the Black Road car park (R893204) (accessed from the R639 road near the village of Skeheenarinky), and summits Galtybeg 799 metres (2,621 ft), before the main summit of Galtymore. It then retraces its route back to the Black Road car park.^[18][7]

Lough Curra below Galtymore, on the Circuit of Glencushnabinnia, as seen from Slievecushnabinnia; "twin summits" of Galtymore visible

The 12–kilometre 5–6 hour Circuit of Glencushnabinnia, which follows a loop around Galtymore's deep northern corries at Lough Curra and Lough Dihneen, is described as the "connoisseur's route".^[19][7] It starts at the forest car park (R875278) near the Clydagh Bridge in the north, and climbs Cush 641 metres (2,103 ft), Galtybeg 779 metres (2,556 ft), Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia 775 metres (2,543 ft), before returning to the start (it can also be done anti–clockwise).^[20][19][7]

Western Galtees of (after a right turn) Slievecushnabinnia, Carrignabinnia, and Lyracappul (farthest); Lough Curra is in the deep corrie (near right)

The annual Galtee Challenge organised by the Galtee Walking Club is the full 31–kilometre +10–hour east–to–west crossing of the range, also called the Galtee Crossing, and takes in all major peaks of the Galty Mountains. The challenge normally starts in Cahir in the east, and finishes in Anglesboro Village, in the west.^[21] Despite the distance, longer than the MacGillycuddy's Reeks Ridge Walk, the 10–hour estimate is reasonable as the variation in elevation is moderate.^[21]

List of peaks

The following is a download from the MountainViews Online Database, who list 24 Galty Mountains peaks over 100 metres.

Summit

White iron cross on Dawson's Table, Galtymore summit

Galtymore's summit is described a "large concave plateau" separated by two peaks.^[20] The plateau consists of Old Red Sandstone and is known as Dawson's Table after the historical landowners, the Dawson family.^[a][3][22] This is similar to Percy's Table on the summit of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in County Wicklow and Leinster. There is a cairn on top of each peak and the eastern cairn marks the true summit of Galtymore.^[7] The "twin summits" give Galtymore a distinctive profile from a distance.^[22] The summit of Galtymore marks the boundary of Limerick and Tipperary.^[20][22]

A 7–foot iron white cross was erected on the north edge of Dawson's Table, a few metres away from the east summit cairn, looking into the glen of Aherlow, in 1975 by Tipperary man Ted Kavanagh. The iron cross is kept white by being painted every year.^[23]

The Galtee Wall leading westwards to the summit of Lyracappul

To the west of the summit of Galtymore lies a 3.5–kilometre long drystone wall, known as the Galtee Wall, that was built in 1878 to separate the Dawson-Massey Estate in the north, from the Galtee Castle Estate in the south. It is recorded that it took 30–40 men over 4 years to complete the wall, and that the reason for its construction was to give employment to local small farmers during a period of economic depression (hence why is it also called a famine wall).^[24] The Galtee Wall runs from below the west summit of Galtymore, across the top of Slievecushnabinnia, Carrignabinnia, to the summit of Lyracappul, the second highest peak in the Galtees.^[25]

Folklore

Lough Dihneen

The deep corrie lakes of the Galtees are noted in various legends and all believed to be enchanted.^[10] Lake Muskry was formerly known as Lough Beal Sead, "The Lake of the Jewel Mouth", but has also been identified as, Loch Beal Dragan, "The Lake of the dragon’s mouth". Its present name, Lough Muskry comes from the Múscraighe sept that lived in the south of Ireland.^[10] The lake is said to have been formed on the spot where Cliach–the–harper stood for a year to serenade his beloved, the daughter (of) Bodhbh of Slievenamon. After failing, he played his two harps together, and the hill burst open and formed Lough Bel Sead.^[10] The Galty Mountains have been known as Sliab Crocta Cliac, or "the mountains of the harps of Cliach".^[26][27]

Lake Muskry below Greenane, is also mentioned in a legend where a serpent that was killing livestock on the Galtee Mountains was banished by Saint Patrick and confined to Lake Muskry.^[10] It is said that Saint Patrick chained the serpent with a silken thread in Muskry and he promised to release the creature in seven years on the morning of La–an–Luan (the Day of Judgement), which the serpent mistook as Easter Monday, or An Luain.^[28] The serpent comes up on Easter Monday at the end of seven years and he says, "Is it the Monday morning yet Patrick" and Patrick says "No", and the serpent goes down again for another seven years".^[10]

The same legend is also associated with Lough Dihneen, below Galtybeg.^[10][29] An account states that the legend of the serpent in Lough Dihneen was held so strongly, that one Captain Dawson, the local landlord,^[a] attempted to drain Lough Dihneen sometime in the 1830s in order to destroy the serpent.^[30]

The banishing of the serpent by Saint Patrick is associated with the subsequent richness of farming in the area.^[31]

Lake Muskry also features in the tale of the Caer Ibormeith.

1976 air crash

On Monday 20 September 1976, three airmen Tom Gannon, Jimmy Byrne and Dick O'Reilly from nearby Abbeyshrule, were killed when their plane crashed not far from O'Loughlin's Castle, a rock–formation near Greenane West, on the Galtees. The three were founding members of Abbyshrule Air Club. A stone monument in the shape of a plane's tailfin was erected (R393223) a short distance into the Black Road Route on the path to Knockeenatoung. The crash led to the founding of the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association ("SEMRA") in 1977.^[32] The event was remembered on its 40th anniversary by SEMRA in September 2016.^[33]

Bibliography

• 
  O'Dwyer, John G. (2018). The Comeragh, Galtee, Knockmealdown & Slieve Bloom Mountains: A Walking Guide. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848893474..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
  

• 
  Fairbairn, Helen (2014). Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848892118.
  

• 
  MountainViews (Simon Stewart) (2013). A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins. Collins Books. ISBN 978-1-84889-164-7.
  

• 
  Dillion, Paddy (1993). The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits. Cicerone. ISBN 978-1852841102.
  

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Galtee Mountains.

• Lists of mountains in Ireland


• List of mountains of the British Isles by height


• List of P600 mountains in the British Isles


• List of Furth mountains in the British Isles

Notes

References

Coordinates: 52°21′58″N 8°10′44″W / 52.366°N 8.179°W / 52.366; -8.179

External links

• 
  MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website, Galtymore


• MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database


• 
  The Database of British and Irish Hills , the largest database of British Isles mountains ("DoBIH")


• 
  Hill Bagging UK & Ireland, the searchable interface for the DoBIH
  


• Ordnance Survey Ireland ("OSI") Online Map Viewer


• Logainm: Placenames Database of Ireland