Visit Joyce Country - Mountaineering Ireland

Winter 2020 €3.95 UK£3.40 ISSN 0790 8008 Issue 136

A new take on Connemara’s hills and lakes

The Rockies offer endless icy challenges

Visit Joyce Country

Ice climbing in Canadawww.mountaineering.ie

HILLWALKING • CLIMBING • MOUNTAINEERING

Winter 2020

Contributions of features, news items and photographs forthe Irish Mountain Log are always welcome and should besent to the Editor at: [email protected].

Contributors’ guidelines can be downloaded from theMountaineering Ireland website, www.mountaineering.ie.

To join Mountaineering Ireland and receive four issues of theIrish Mountain Log delivered to your door each year, pleasealso go to the website, www.mountaineering.ie.

Write for the Log

ON THE COVERDerryclare Lough, Twelve Bens,Connemara, Co Galway

PHOTOGRAPHJCWL GEOPARK PROJECT

ISSUE 136The Irish Mountain Log is themembership magazine ofMountaineering Ireland. Theorganisation promotes the interests of hillwalkers and climbers in Ireland.

Mountaineering IrelandMountaineering Ireland Ltd is acompany limited by guarantee andregistered in Dublin, No 199053.Registered office: Irish Sport HQ,National Sports Campus,Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland.Tel: (+353 1) 625 1115Fax: (+353 1) 625 [email protected]

Hot Rock Climbing WallTollymore Mountain CentreBryansford, NewcastleCounty Down, BT33 0PTTel: (+44 28) 4372 [email protected]

Editor: Patrick O’SullivanTel: (+353 1) 837 8166 (pm, wknds)[email protected] Editor: Peter O’[email protected] Editor: Nicky [email protected]

The Irish Mountain Log is published byMountaineering Ireland four times ayear, in March, June, September,December. The material published inthe Log by the voluntary editorial teamand contributors must not be taken asofficial Mountaineering Ireland policyunless specifically stated.

Copy deadline for the Spring 2021 issue of the Irish Mountain Log is: Friday, February 19th 2021.

Advertising: [email protected]

Production: Cóilín MacLochlainn,[email protected]

Printing: GPS Colour Graphics Ltd,Alexander Road, Belfast BT6 9HPTel: +44 (0)28 9070 2020

PARTICIPATION AND RISKReaders of the Irish Mountain Log arereminded that hillwalking and climbingare activities with a danger of personalinjury or death. Participants in theseactivities should be aware of andaccept these risks, and be responsiblefor their own actions and involvement.Mountaineering Ireland publishes andpromotes safety and good practiceadvice and through the MountainTraining Board of Ireland administers arange of training programmes forwalkers and climbers.

WelcomeAyear like no other is thankfully

coming to an end. The Covid-19restrictions have meant thatwe have not been able toengage in our sport for much of

the year. However, while the pandemic isstill ongoing, we have perhaps come toterms with it to a degree. Going forward,certainly, there is evidence that the spreadof the disease is much less likely in theoutdoors (see page 5 and also page 9),which is good for our sport.

We have again been able to publish morefeatures than usual, because we have lessnews, but I hope we have an interestingselection for the Christmas read! Certainly,a good range of activities is covered.

A hike on the Ulster Way, Comeraghplacenames, hiking in Iceland and Malawi,scrambling in the Cuillins and ice climbingin the Rockies are all included. Hopefully,something for everyone in the audience.We also have some more reflective pieceson hillwalking and the lockdown, howdifferent members have reacted to andcoped with it.

It is a time of the year when we dobecome more reflective, looking back onthe year gone by and looking forward to theyear to come. Hopefully the large numbersthat were seen in the uplands after the firstlockdown ended and the damage causedwill not be repeated when the currentrestrictions are lifted.

I would like to thank the other membersof the Editorial Team very much for theirsupport in this difficult year, Literary Editor,Peter O’Neill, Features Editor, Nicky Hore,and Cóilín MacLochlainn, who produces the magazine for us.

I would also like to thank the contributorson whom we depend so much for thecontent of this magazine. We are alwayslooking for articles from all of our members,whatever your background or experience.

I hope that we can all celebrateChristmas and the New Year with familyand friends in some way, while observingthe necessary social distancing, etc.

2021 will be Mountaineering Ireland’sfiftieth anniversary, so a lot to celebratethen, whatever happens!

On behalf of the Editorial Team, and theBoard and the staff of MountaineeringIreland, I wish all Mountaineering Irelandmembers a safe and enjoyable Christmasand New Year, and a hopefully active 2021!

Patrick O’Sullivan, Editor

We are looking forward to ahopefully more active 2021!❝

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Irish Mountain Log 3

Winter 20204 Irish Mountain Log

38 What’s in a name? TheComeraghs’ place namesBy Michael O’Donoghue

42 The warm heart of AfricaBy Regina Flynn

45 Magical hiking in IcelandBy Lar Matthews

48 Scrambles in the CuillinBy Alan Tees

50 Ice climbing in the RockiesBy Naoise Ó Muircheartaigh

Regulars11 Crossword Competition54 Club Support Meeting

Ruth Whelan reports

56 Access & ConservationHelen Lawless reports

58 TrainingJane Carney reports

60 BooksReviews of recent books

CONTENTS Winter 2020

2020 LYNAM MEDAL RECIPIENT

Clare O’Leary

12

FAMINE WAY LAUNCHED16

News5 Covid-19 advice6 European Week of Sport 2020

Ania Bakiewicz reports

8 Irish Peaks: the perfectChristmas present

8 Outdoor sports and Covid-199 Notice of AGM9 Honorary membership

awarded10 Tips on holding club

meetings online12 2020 Lynam Medal

recipient: Clare O’LearyBy Patrick O’Sullivan

14 National Walking Day a great successLinda Sankey reports

15 Our 21-Day Walking ChallengeLinda Sankey reports

16 National Famine Way launchedCharlotte O’Connor reports

17 ‘Happy Hiking’ campaignannouncedRuth Whelan reports

18 Kerry UNESCO BiosphereReserve now activeEleanor Turner reports

19 New committee chairappointedHelen Lawless reports

20 Guth na talún: voice of the landBy Michael Hegarty

22 Funding for Appalachian Trail through UlsterInga Block reports

23 Crossword results

News Features24 2020 Youth Climbing Series

By Damien O’Sullivan

26 Summer Rock Climbing DaysBy Kevin Kilroy

28 Put a lid on it!Damien O’Sullivan on the benefits of modern climbing helmets

30 The lure of the hillsBy Marian Wallis

66 Coping with CovidBy Claire Griffin

Features32 Kicking with both feet:

walking the Ulster WayBy Gerdette RooneyP

hoto

grap

hs: M

icha

el O

’Don

oghu

e (K

nock

auna

peeb

ra),

Cla

re O

’Lea

ry C

olle

ctio

n (C

lare

O’L

eary

), N

atio

nal F

amin

e M

useu

m/O

Si (F

amin

e W

ay s

ecti

on)

Knockaunapeebra in theMahon valley, in theComeraghs, Co Waterford(see story, page 38)

Winter 2020 Irish Mountain Log 5

NewsdeskStaff & BoardGeneral [email protected]

StaffChief executive OfficerMurrough McDonagh,[email protected] OfficerSiobhán Quinn, [email protected] Development OfficerRuth Whelan, [email protected] & Conservation OfficerHelen Lawless, [email protected] in Sport CoordinatorAnia Bakiewicz, [email protected] OfficerJane Carney, [email protected] & Membership Support administratorLaura Griffin, [email protected] OfficerDamien O’Sullivan,[email protected] Development Officer fornorthern irelandKevin Kilroy, [email protected]

Get irelanD WalkinG initiativeProgramme Manager, Get ireland WalkingJason King, [email protected] & administrative Officer,Get ireland WalkingLinda Sankey, [email protected]

MOuntaineerinG irelanD BOarD OffiCerSPresidentPaul [email protected] [email protected]

BOarD MeMBerSImelda Buckley(Chair of Finance, Audit & Risk Committee)[email protected] Pollard(Chair of Access & Conservation Committee)[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]áinne McLaughlin(Chair of Hillwalking Committee)[email protected] O’[email protected] Stelfox(Chair of Mountain Training Board Ireland)[email protected] Thomas(Chair of Climbing Committee)[email protected] [email protected]

Covid-19 advice

At the time of writing, the Republic ofIreland is at Level 5 and Northern Ireland isalso at a high level of Covid-19 restrictions.However, this will certainly be changing inone or both jurisdictions in the run up toChristmas. In the Republic, in light ofimproving data on Covid-19 infections,hospitalisations and deaths, a relaxation inrestrictions may be on the cards for theChristmas period. While the restrictionsmay be relaxed, everyone will still be welladvised to continue to follow the publichealth guidance on respiratory and handhygiene, the wearing of face masks,maintaining a social distance from otherpeople, and limiting social contacts.

In light of data that shows that thespread of Covid-19 is much less likely inthe outdoors (see page 9), MountaineeringIreland has lobbied at national level toopen access to the outdoors, even duringthe restrictions. Mountaineering Irelandrequested that the government considerthe following in its review of the currentrestrictions:

● Allow access to the outdoors forphysical activity and wellbeing to beincluded in Levels 3, 4 and 5 of the‘Plan for Living with Covid-19.’

● Allow people to travel for physicalactivity and wellbeing beyond the 5kmand county boundary restrictions oncethe following conditions are adheredto:

● Social distancing of two metres ismaintained

● Transport is in household pods only

● People travel directly to and from theirchosen location for exercise

● Safe hygiene practices are maintained.

Mountaineering Ireland’s ChiefExecutive Officer, Murrough McDonagh,noted: “Those involved in outdoorrecreation activities recognise theconsiderable health and psychologicalbenefits for people of having access tothe outdoors, particularly in the currentsituation, providing it is done in a safe andresponsible way. Our members have raisedtheir concerns about not having access tovenues for hillwalking and climbing duringthe lockdown.

“When they are carried out in a safe and responsible way, outdoor recreationactivities within single households do notappear to cause increased transmission ofCovid-19. We have requested the supportof Sport Ireland, and asked thegovernment at national level, to makechanges in Levels 3, 4, and 5 of the currentplan, to allow access for recreationbeyond 5km from home and beyondcounty boundaries. Under the Level 5restrictions in the Republic, we saw largenumbers of people converging on the verylimited public spaces within Co Dublin.Allowing people to responsibly engage inphysical activity and wellbeing in theoutdoors, in locations with far fewerpeople present, would appear to be a saferapproach moving forward. What we areasking is that the Plan for Living withCovid-19 be adapted to allow peopleenjoy the outdoors in a meaningful andresponsible way” ■

Our latest advice for hillwalkers and climbers in Ireland

6 Irish Mountain Log

European Week of Sport: what a week it was!Mountaineering Ireland marked European Week of Sport (September 23-30th 2020) with Womenin Sport events – women hillwalking, women rock climbing and women trail running

By Ania Bakiewicz, Women in Sport Coordinator

This year, MountaineeringIreland and Women in Sportcelebrated European Week of Sport with activities forwomen on hills and cragsacross the island of Ireland.And what a week it was!

The activities were fundedby Sport Ireland’s Women inSport initiative andMountaineering Ireland,partnered up with SportIreland Outdoors, Local SportsPartnerships and Get IrelandWalking to organise them.

The selected venuesbalanced accessibility with

beauty and solitude,showcasing a variety of localhidden gems. The programmespanned the whole week, withfemale instructors providingskill sessions to femaleparticipants. The activitieswere pitched at an entry level,encouraging women of allabilities to enjoy the stunningmountains with their familiesand friends.

Day 1We kicked off the activitieswith two mountain walks inideal weather conditions onWednesday, September 23rd.Maureen O’Brien, a member ofthe South Eastern Mountain

Rescue Association, led agroup through the GalteeMountains, introducing themto navigation, using a map and compass.

In the Wicklow Mountains,Helen Lawless, MountaineeringIreland’s Access andConservation Officer, unlockedthe secrets of the heritage sitesalong St Kevin’s Way,showcasing the fauna and floraaround Camaderry Mountainand generating interest in nextyear’s Women With Altitudeevent.

Day 2Thursday brought an abruptchange in the weather, with

pouring rain across the island ofIreland. I set off with my groupto Glendasan in search of dryrock. With crash pads, climbingshoes and huge enthusiasm,we explored the boulders there.Unexpectedly, the sun cameout and allowed us to climb.The group learned differentfoot placement techniques,climbing higher and gettingmore confidence with everyproblem.

In Altnadue Quarry, Co Down,Kath Maguire, an OutdoorInstructor, ran a rock climbingsession with only oneparticipant, but what a climbershe was! Susanna Gaynor didnot mind the rain and could

NEWSL0G

Winter 2020

Participants practicing navigation on a walk in the Sperrins during European Week of Sport

On the environmental walk in Wicklow Bouldering in Meelmore, in the Mournes Susanna Gaynor abseiling in Altnadue Quarry


Pho

tos:

Roz

zie

Skuc

e (S

perr

ins

wal

k), E

gija

Eila

nde

(env

ironm

enta

l wal

k), T

eres

a B

renn

an (b

oulld

erin

g), K

ath

Mag

huire

(Sus

anna

abs

eilin

g), A

nia

Bak

iew

icz

(rock

clim

bing

in D

alke

y)

AUTHOR: Ania Bakiewicz isMountaineering Ireland’s Women inSport Coordinator.

FIND OUT MORE: To find out moreabout Women In Sport, visit thewebsitewww.mountaineering.ie/programmes.

not get enough of climbing andabseiling. She immediatelyjoined the Feel Good FactorClub.

In Mayo, Georgia MacMillan,a Mountain Leader, took hergroup at night to the Dark MayoSky Park in the Nephins.Conditions were not ideal forstargazing, but it was veryexciting exploring themountains at night.

Day 3The weather was mixed onFriday. Rozzy Skuce, a Duke ofEdinburgh Provider, led a groupalong a scenic route betweenGlenshane and Mullaghmore inthe Sperrins. She demonstratednavigation with a compass andmap, introduced the women toLeave No Trace principles andpointed out the flora andfauna.

Michelle Hughes, anInternational Mountain Leader,led a navigation course aroundthe slopes of Croagh Patrick.

In the Knockmealdowns,Maureen O’Brien outlined theemergency procedures that ahillwalker should know about.

Back in the Mournes, KathMaguire led a scenic walk fromSlievenaglough to SlieveCommedagh, uncovering thenatural beauty of the place.

That night, the skies in theDark Mayo Sky Park were clear,allowing Georgia MacMillan toexplain the secrets of theSeptember star constellationsover the Nephin Mountains.

Day 4Saturday morning was clearand bright. In Connemara,Michelle Casey, MountainLeader, led a walk aroundBenbaun and Benbrack,teaching the group thetechniques of landscapephotography.

Meanwhile in the Comeraghs,Colette Mahon, MountainLeader, took a group walkingand scrambling aroundCoumshingaun.

Back in Wicklow, I led a groupof archaeology enthusiasts tothe top of Baltinglass Hill toexplore the Neolithic tomb and

the Iron Age Rathcoran hill fort.In the afternoon, Joanna

McInerney, Mountain Leader,led a group on anenvironmental walk throughthe Slieve Carran NatureReserve in the Burren, Co Clare.

Day 5On Sunday, Ireland celebratedNational Walking Day,organised by Get IrelandWalking in partnership withMountaineering Ireland. Manyhillwalking clubs andindependent walkers exploredtheir local areas.

Day 6The rain returned on Mondaymorning. In Altnadue Quarry,Claire Hardy, Rock ClimbingInstructor, ran a climbingsession, teaching bodymovement, abseiling and ropeskills.

In the Galtees, MaureenO’Brien taught navigation skillson and off trails.

In the KnocknareaMountains, Co Sligo, MiriamCunningham, a running coach,introduced a group tomountain trail running, leadingthem up to the magnificenttomb of the legendary QueenMaeve.

Day 7On Tuesday, the weather wasagain in our favour. Up north,Rozzy Skuce ran anotherinteresting navigation walk inthe beautiful SperrinMountains.

Claire Hardy took a group ofenthusiastic women climbingon Meelmore Boulders in theMournes, teaching footworkand body movement on therock.

In Dalkey Quarry, Dublin,Jane Carney, MountaineeringIreland’s Training Officer,introduced a group totraditional climbing. It wasfantastic to see women atdifferent skill levels having agreat time teaching each otherhow to tie in and lead climbing.

Day 8Wednesday brought stormy

conditions. Claire Hardy led anamazing walk along theAnnalong River in the Mournes,teaching navigation in the fog.

Jane Carney led anotherclimbing session in Dalkeyduring a well-timed weatherwindow. The womenchallenged themselves toharder and longer climbs andenjoyed abseiling.

European Week of Sportfinished with a great runningsession in the GlengarriffNature Reserve in west Cork,led by Tamela Maciel andKristen O’Sullivan from theCork and Kerry Runners.

Despite September’stemperamental weather andthe disruption caused bypartial lockdowns in NorthernIreland, Dublin and Donegal,Women in Sport’s EuropeanWeek of Sport events wentahead. One hundred and fortywomen successfully took partin twenty-four skill sessionsdelivered by fifteen femaleproviders in nineteen differentlocations across twelvecounties. The participantsincluded Irish, English, Polish,Latvian and Brazilian women,

with ages ranging from 20 to 57years. The sessions tested theirmental and physical skills.

These events could not havegone ahead without all theinstructors involved in theplanning and execution of theprogramme, their knowledge ofthe local areas, and their skillsand experience. They were rolemodels for the participatingwomen, and their energy andpassion for the mountains lefta huge imprint on theparticipants.

The feedback was positiveand everyone agreed that theyhad had an exhilarating andeducational week that hadpushed them out of theircomfort zones. Manyparticipants expressed interestin signing up for the MountainSkills and Rock Skills courses,and staying in contact with theinstructors.

The positive feedback fromthe participants and the skillsproviders showed that there isa high level of demand amongwomen for mountain skillscourses delivered by femaleinstructors and for more eventsof this type ■

Rock climbing in Dalkey Quarry

NEWSL0G


Irish Peaks: the perfect Christmas presentOrder online now at www.irishpeaks.ie

Mountaineering Ireland’s new Irish Peaks guide celebratesIreland’s highest mountains through an inspiring collection ofseventy-one hillwalking routes, contributed by MountaineeringIreland members. These beautifully illustrated routes willencourage the reader to visit all of Ireland’s main mountain areas.

Irish Peaks has been published by Mountaineering Ireland asa tribute to the late Joss Lynam, who edited the original IrishPeaks book, published in 1982. One of Mountaineering Ireland’saims in producing this book is to promote responsible

engagement with Ireland’s mountains, an engagement that isbased on understanding and respect.

Irish Peaks is just what you or your hillwalking friends need, ifyou are planning a hillwalking holiday in Ireland in 2021.

Mountaineering Ireland members get a 10% discount on therecommended retail price of €29.95. This means you pay€26.95 (plus postage and packaging charges). Order your copynow from www.irishpeaks.ie.

Note: You can order up to eight books in a single shipmentand only pay the delivery charge for one book. This is exclusiveto orders to be delivered on the island of Ireland.

The Medical Commission of the UIAA (theInternational Climbing andMountaineering Federation) hascontributed to a new paper, “SARS-CoV-2,Covid-19 and mountain sports: specificrisks, their mitigation andrecommendations for policy makers.”

The draft paper has just been released.It is one of the first dedicated to Covid-19and outdoor and mountain sports. It hasnot been finalised or peer-reviewed yet,but given the immediacy and globalprevalence of Covid-19 the authorsagreed to make their findings availableonline.

The paper strongly supports the viewthat outdoor sports, includingmountaineering, are low-risk for thespread of Covid-19, providing that basicprecautions are adhered to, includingsocial distancing, hand hygiene and face-

mask use, where appropriate, when closecontact is unavoidable.

The paper is the result of acollaboration between internationalscientists and mountaineers fromScotland and other parts of the UK,Germany, Switzerland and the USA.

The authors report that searches of theinternet and the medical literature, andconsultation with mountaineeringassociations, have revealed minimalevidence for transmission of SARS-CoV-2during participation in outdoor mountainsports. This is consistent with publishedevidence showing that, in general,outdoor-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infectionsare rare. They conclude that the risk ofcontracting SARS-CoV-2 infection duringoutdoor mountain sport activities is low.

They emphasise, however, that somesituations indoors or in confined spaces,

linked to the practice of mountainsports (such as use of public transportor carpooling to get to mountain areasor staying in mountain huts), presentrisks for SARS-CoV-2 infections. Theserisks can be mitigated by avoiding high-risk situations and taking commonsensemeasures such as practicing goodhygiene, appropriate use of face masksand, above all, maintaining socialdistancing as much as possible ■

Outdoor sports and Covid-19Outdoor sports are a low risk for spread of Covid-19, according to the UIAA

“Irish Peaks is a genuine landmark in Irish mountainpublishing.” – Peter Walker, MountainViews

“Irish Peaks is a really attractive guide that makes the mostof its large format, and more to the point makes you want togo and climb the hills.” – Dan Bailey, UK Hillwalking

Key features◆ 256-page hardcover guidebook, featuring 71 hillwalking

routes across the island of Ireland

◆ Routes submitted by Mountaineering Ireland members,many from local clubs

◆ Illustrated with inspiring photographs and a map for eachroute

◆ Substantial introduction to Ireland’s mountain environment

◆ Includes advice on access and safety in the mountains ■

Honorary membership awardedTerry O’Connor has been awarded honorary membership of Mountaineering Ireland

Mountaineering Ireland is delighted toannounce the awarding of HonoraryMembership to Terry O’Connor, formercoach of the Irish Youth Climbing Team.

Terry has played a huge role in thepromotion and development of climbingin Ireland for over thirty years. Hiscontribution to Irish climbing is incrediblyfar-reaching, encompassing aspects ofour sport from Himalayan expeditions tolocal indoor bouldering competitions.

For the 1998 Irish Expedition to K2,Terry accepted the role of Base CampManager As a club member, Terry played a

large part in the delivery of the IrishMountaineering Club’s beginners’ coursefor several years. Through much of the1990s, Terry was part of the team that putin a huge amount of work organising andrunning the very popular Irish BoulderingLeague.

As his son Daragh became moreinterested in climbing, Terry’s focusshifted towards the promotion anddevelopment of youth climbing. Terryestablished the Winders Climbing Club,

which since its inception has providedinnumerable young climbers theopportunity to experience, enjoy andexcel in climbing. Ultimately, Terry’s talentas a coach led him to taking on the role ofcoach of the Youth Climbing Team.

On behalf of our members,Mountaineering Ireland would like to takethis opportunity to thank Terry for all hisdedication over the years to helping somany people develop their passion for allthings climbing ■


Terry O’Connor

Terry enjoying some bouldering in Fontainebleau, France

The 2021 Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) ofMountaineering Irelandwill take place at 7.00pmon Monday, March 29th,2021, at Irish Sport HQ,National Sport Campus,

Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, or via a virtual meetingplatform, if necessary (exact details to be confirmedlater).

The time frame for the AGM is as follows:

● 6.00pm Meeting of Honorary and Individual Members● 6.30-7.00pm Registration for Mountaineering Ireland AGM● 7.00pm Mountaineering Ireland AGM

Motions and nominationsMountaineering Ireland clubs and individual members areinvited to put forward motions for discussion at the AGM, andalso to nominate members for positions on the Board ofMountaineering Ireland.

Motions and nominations may be submitted by any memberclub or by any three full members.

Board members are elected for a three-year term.

Motions and nominations must be submitted by email toMountaineering Ireland’s Company Secretary [email protected] or by post to CompanySecretary, Mountaineering Ireland, Irish Sport HQ, NationalSports Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, to arrive not laterthan 5.00pm on Friday, February 26th, 2021.

Mountaineering Ireland will advise members about the exactdetails of the AGM in the weeks leading up to the event ■

Notice of 2021 Mountaineering Ireland AGM

Tips on holding club meetings online


Tips on holding club meetings onlineMany clubs are interested in holding a virtual AGM or other meetings. Here’s how to go about it

Virtual meetings can be delivered just thesame as face-to-face meetings, but thereare a few things to consider in advancewhen planning to deliver virtually. Here aresome top tips for delivering your AGM orother meetings online.

The benefits of meeting online■ It’s an opportunity for clubrepresentatives to have their say and toengage in progressing the direction of theclub when face-to-face meetings may notbe possible.

■ It’s an opportunity to connect with clubmembers who may not feel comfortablemeeting in person or going on club walksat the moment.

■ Meetings can be recorded. This willallow you to go back and understanddecisions that were made. It also givesthose who couldn’t attend the meeting anopportunity to watch back later.

Prior to the meeting...There are a few important things to thinkabout, even if your club has been usingthis technology for some time:

■ Discuss the options of a virtual AGMwith your committee and find out whichplatform best suits your club’s needs.

■ Make sure everyone you are planning tohave involved in the running of themeeting is comfortable with going online.

■ Do a few trial runs ahead of time. Makesure to identify potential problems suchas if the internet signal goes down, orpeople are not able to access it properly.Have a plan to deal with these issues.

■ An AGM should be run in accordancewith the club’s constitution, especially interms of providing due notice to membersand providing papers and a request formotions and nominations.

■ The committee, particularly theChairperson and Secretary, should plan inadvance how the meeting will run andwho will be responsible for differentfunctions – the same as for a face-to-facemeeting but with different roles.

■ Ask members to confirm attendanceahead of time. This will also be anopportunity to find out what questionsthey might want to raise at the AGM. Andit will give those who might be shy aboutspeaking online an opportunity to raisetheir questions in advance.

Running your virtual AGM■ Record the meeting. This will help toensure transparency and will help theSecretary write an account of the meetingafterwards. Make sure at the beginning ofthe meeting that all attendees are awarethe meeting is being recorded.

■ Identify who will be hosting themeeting. The host should be a differentperson to the one chairing the meeting.The host will manage the muting ofparticipants, the ‘raise your hand’ if youwant to ask a question function, thevoting functions and counting of votes.

■ Depending on the size of the meeting,you could have a co-host to assist intaking the minutes as well as managingany questions or the chat box, etc.

■ The chat option may be removed,depending on what way you want tomanage interaction with attendees.

■ Although questions can be askedduring an AGM, they should be relatedspecifically to items on the agenda.

■ Larger clubs may opt for premiumfunctions: for example, a Zoom webinaroffers options to conduct polls or votes.An explanation of how to use thesefunctions should be set out at the start. Itmay also be useful to share a PowerPointslide showing the rules as people arejoining the meeting.

■ The Chairperson should take a roll callof those virtually present at the meeting,and confirm a quorum.

■ To make sure things run smoothly, haveone person (the host) assigned to sharingthe presentation and any documentationas directed by the Chair (such as theChairperson’s report, Treasurer’s report,nominated committee members,proposed changes to the constitution,etc).

Voting optionsThere are many ways to manage voting,depending on the functions you haveavailable:

■ You can use the ‘raise your hand’function to confirm (or reject) a Yes voteor other proposal, similar to what youwould do in a face-to-face meeting.

■ You can use the chat box for eachindividual to confirm their vote. Or youcould use a paid-for function to conduct a voting poll.

■ Whichever option you choose, carry outa test with the audience at the start ofthe meeting to make sure everyone isclear on how to vote.

■ Set a time limit in advance as to howlong each attendee has to vote, e.g. 60 or90 seconds.

Communication■ Keep communication clear byintroducing speakers and asking membersto state their name when asking aquestion.

■ At the start of the meeting, identify therules of behaviour, or how attendees canengage during the meeting.

■ Make it clear that all participants will bemuted and there will be a system to askquestions, when you will be unmuted.Some platforms have a “hand up”function. If possible, this should be used.

Your platform optionsThere are a range of platform options tochoose from, depending on the size ofyour club. Here are three:

■ Zoom– Free with up to 100 delegates– Automatically ends after 40 minutes– Paid options allow unlimited time for

meetings– Recording options available– Available on various devices– Screen-sharing and presenting options– Chat options– Functions such as Zoom webinar

(with more functions for voting).

■ Microsoft Teams– Up to 50 users on a call– Recording options available– Available on various devices– Screen-sharing and presenting options– Group and private messaging possible.

■ Google Hangouts– Maximum of 150 users on a call

(10 on a video call)– Available on numerous devices– Screenshare available– Call recording available– Your need a Google account to

organise a Google Hangouts meeting– Options of platforms depending on

the size of your club.

➤ For more information on how to run anAGM and what should be covered, see ourClub Handbook at www.bit.ly/3nCZdEr ■

NEWSLOGP

hoto

grap

h: G

titi

t W

MIL

How to enterComplete this crossword correctly and be in with a chance to win a prize worth €169.90 from BasecampOutdoor Store, Jervis Street, Dublin.

Cut out this page, or photocopy or scan it, and send your completed entry to The Editor, Irish Mountain Log,Mountaineering Ireland, Irish Sport HQ, National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, or by email [email protected], to arrive not later than Friday, January 29th, 2021. Don’t forget to include your fullname, address and membership number with your entry as well as a telephone number or email address atwhere you can be contacted. The winner will be announced in the Spring 2021 issue of the Irish Mountain Log.

Competition prizesBasecamp’s generous prize comprises a set of men’s or women’s Icebreaker Oasis Crewe baselayers (top and leggings), a prize worth €169.90.

Basecamp Christmas CompetitionWin a great double-prize from Basecamp if your correct completed entry is the first drawn from the hat!

Crossword#

CR

OSS

WO

RD

com

pile

dby

CÓ

ILÍN

Mac

LOC

HLA

INN

Basecamp Outdoor Store, DublinWebsite: www.basecamp.ie

Icebreaker Men’s 200 OasisLong Sleeve Crewe Top

plus Men’s Icebreaker Oasis Leggings

Clues Across1 Strong winds (5).3 Very thin gap in rock formation used by climbers

to find purchase on rock faces (5).6 Nationality of peaks such as Scafell Pike (7).7 Long, snake-like fish found in Irish waters (3).8 Very strong wire to carry gondola to ski slope (5).10 Watery discharge from nose or eyes (5).12 Not off (2).13 In short, South Africa (1,1).14 Longest continental mountain range in the world (5).17 Famous Antarctic explorer from Annascaul (5).18 Mourne mountain, sounds like poultry (3).19 Land of the free, home of the brave (7).20 Crevices, often associated with crannies (5).21 Transmits and receives broadcasts (5).

Clues Down1 Strenuous horseshoe hillwalk in the Twelve Bens (11).2 An English county (5).3 Ireland’s third highest peak, located in the Reeks (5).4 Very narrow ridge separating two valleys (5).5 Highest mountain on African continent (11).9 Female found in bannister (3).11 Denali is this country’s highest peak (1,1,1).15 Australian wild dog (5).16 Coverings to protect shoes from wet while walking (5)17 Cape island in very south-west of Ireland (5).

1 2 3 4 5

6 7

8 9 10 11

12 13

14 15 16 17

18 19

20 21

WINTwo baselayers

(men’s or women’s)– Oasis Icebreaker top

(€89.95) and Oasis leggings (€79.95) –

together worth €169.90


Icebreaker Women’s 200 Oasis Crewe Topplus Women’s Icebreaker Oasis Leggings

2020 Lynam Medal

Pho

togr

aphs

: Mik

e M

auns

ell C

olle

ctio

n (m

edal

, and

med

al p

rese

ntat

ion)

, Iris

h Ev

eres

t Te

am 2

00

4 (C

lare

on

Khum

bu G

laci

er)

Dr Clare O’Leary, the renowned Irish mountaineerand adventurer, was presented with the 2020 LynamMedal in October 2020 by Mike Maunsell, Chair ofMountaineering Ireland’s Lynam Lecture WorkingGroup, in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, where she lives.

By Patrick O’Sullivan

The Mountaineering IrelandLynam Lecture wasinaugurated in 2011 in memoryof Joss Lynam (1924-2011), oneof Ireland’s best-knownmountaineers, in recognitionof his enormousachievements in hillwalking,climbing and mountaineeringin Ireland and overseas oversome sixty years. During hislifetime, Joss initiatednumerous developments inthese different areas of oursport and was an inspirationto a number of generations ofIrish mountaineers.

Joss Lynam’s achievementsincluded participating in manymountaineering expeditions

to the Greater Ranges and anoutstanding voluntarycontribution to thedevelopment of adventuresports in Ireland. Joss wasknown to many Irish andinternational walkingenthusiasts for his hillwalkingguidebooks. He was also theEditor of the Irish Mountain Logmagazine for almost 20 years.Joss continued as the LiteraryEditor of the magazine up tothe time of his death.

Since it was inaugurated in2011, the MountaineeringIreland Lynam Lecture hasbeen delivered by leadingnational and internationalmountaineers: 2011, HarishKapadia; 2012, Dawson Stelfox;2013, Stephen Venables; 2014,Clare Sheridan; 2015, InesPapert; 2016, Paul Swail andJohn McCune; 2017, FrankNugent; 2018, Paddy O’Leary;and 2019, Sir Chris Bonington.All of these have been inspiringlectures that have reflected onthe development of variousaspects of our sport and how itmight progress in coming years.

In light of the ongoingrestrictions as a result of theCovid-19 pandemic, it wasdecided that it would not bepossible to organise a formalpresentation for this year’sLynam Lecture and that the2020 Lynam Medal should beawarded to Dr Clare O’Learyon merit alone.

The first Irish woman tosummit on Everest (8,848m) in2004, and the first to climb an8,000m peak, Clare hascontinued to push theboundaries ever since then ofwhat has been achieved byIrish mountaineers.

Clare O’Leary is originally

from Bandon, Co Cork. Shetrained in UCC as a medicaldoctor and now practices as aconsultant gastroenterologistand general physician in theSouth Tipperary GeneralHospital in Clonmel. Despiteher busy career, she has stillmanaged to take time out togo on various expeditionsaround the world since hersuccess on Everest.

Everest attemptsHer first attempt at Everestwas in 2003, when, ironicallyfor a gastroenterologist, she

had to turn back betweenCamps 2 and 3 because of a stomach upset, orgastroenteritis, as she mightsay!

Clare returned in 2004 withthe Irish Wyeth EverestExpedition, when shesucceeded in climbing MountEverest via the South Col routewith Pat Falvey, Pemba Gyalje,and four other Sherpas. Prior tothat success, she had alreadyclimbed Kilimanjaro,Aconcagua, Mount Cook andIsland Peak to see how shereacted to altitude and to hone

NEWSL0G

Mike Maunsell presents Clare O’Leary with the 2020 Lynam Medal

Joss Lynam in 2005 Clare O’Leary on the Khumbu Glacier below Mount Everest


Pho

togr

aphs

: Iris

h Ev

eres

t Te

am 2

00

4 (E

vere

st p

hoto

), M

ike

O’S

hea

(Sou

th P

ole

Expe

diti

on),

Vale

rie O

’Con

nor (

Cla

re a

t w

ork)

, The

Sou

ther

n St

ar(C

lare

wit

h ho

nora

ry d

egre

e)

her high-altitude climbingskills. In general, she has notexperienced any seriousproblems at altitude, apartfrom perhaps developing mildheadaches on summit days.

The Seven SummitsAfter climbing Everest, in2005, Clare went on to be thefirst Irish woman to completethe Seven Summits, thehighest mountain on eachcontinent. She climbed Denali,Elbrus and Kosciuszko, andfinished with Mount Vinson inthat year, having alreadyclimbed Kilimanjaro,Aconcagua and Everest itself.That put her among thetwenty women worldwide thathad completed one or other ofthe Seven Summits lists bythat time. In 2006, shebecame the first Irish womanto climb Ama Dablam, aniconic peak near Everest in the

Solu Khumbu in Nepal.In 2007, Clare skied across

the Greenland ice-cap. Thenext year, at the age of thirty-five, Clare became the firstwoman to ski to the SouthPole. She went there with Pat Falvey on his BeyondEndurance Expedition,together with JonathanDavies and Shaun Menzies.The team of four undertookthe two-month-longexpedition, hauling all of theirgear in some of the harshestconditions on the planet, withsub-zero temperatures andconstant snowstorms.

Clare’s attempts to reachthe North Pole unfortunatelyhave all been thwarted. Herfourth attempt was in 2014with fellow adventurer MikeO’Shea. If successful, Clarewould have been only thesecond woman to climb theSeven Summits and reach

both poles. Since 2014, withclimate change and themelting of the old ice at theNorth Pole, it has becomealmost impossible to ski there,as the new ice is unstable,insurance is unaffordable andit is impossible for planes toland on the ice in anemergency.

After their 2012 attempt toget to the North Pole wascalled off, Clare and MikeO’Shea began an ongoingseries of expeditions whichthey called the Ice Project andin which they intended tomake crossings of all of theworld’s major ice-caps. Thishas included crossings of theGreenland ice-sheet, theNorthern Patagonian ice-fieldand Lake Baikal in Siberia.However, this has also beenimpacted by climate changeand they have had to abandonthe project.

In 2016, they cycled2,500km through China,finishing in Tibet. The followingyear, Clare climbed Baruntse(7,129m) and Mera Peak(6,500m) in Nepal. In 2018, shedid the Lunana Snowman trekin Bhutan, 350km overthirteen high mountainpasses, and last year she wasclimbing in Peru.

Looking to the future, Clare,who still trains five or six daysa week by running or cycling,says that she has turned to skimountaineering as a way ofcontinuing to explore theworld’s remote places.

With such an impressive listof achievements, ClareO’Leary’s endeavours alreadyhave been recognisedvariously in Ireland and shewas awarded an honorarydoctorate in law by NUIGalway. MountaineeringIreland is now recognising hercontribution to our sport andto the participation of womenin mountaineering andexploration by awarding herthe 2020 MountaineeringIreland Lynam Medal.

Following the presentationof her medal in October by

Mike Maunsell, Chair of theLynam Lecture Working Group,Clare said, “It is a very greathonour to receive such aprestigious award fromMountaineering Ireland. I havebeen lucky enough to travel allover the world on expeditions inthe past number of years. Thesehave often been physically andmentally tough, but I alwaysloved the challenges theypresented. On each of theseexpeditions, I worked as part ofa team and I always had thesupport at home of greattraining partners, mentors,family and friends. I am gratefulto all of them for their support.Thank you to MountaineeringIreland for awarding me the2020 Lynam Medal” ■

Clare looking towards the Hillary Step and the summit of Everest


Clare O’Leary on the way to the South Pole

Winter 2020

Clare O’Leary at work

Clare on receiving an honorarydoctorate in law from NUI Galway

National WalkingDay a great success

Pho

togr

aphs

: Get

Irel

and

Wal

king

An estimated 700,000 people took part inNational Walking Day on September 27th

By Linda Sankey, Get Ireland Walking

The first National Walking Dayin Ireland took place onSunday, September 27th, 2020,as part of the European Weekof Sport. An estimated700,000 people took part inthe day. That was estimatedthrough the hashtags thatwere posted on social mediaon the day.

We were trending in Irelandon Twitter most of the day andhad a phenomenal response tothe feature on RTÉ I’sNationwide programme aboutNational Walking Day on theevening of Wednesday,September 23rd, with over

220,000 people watching theshow.

We would expect manypeople not to engage with thehashtags – older adults, forexample – which wouldsuggest that the numbersactually participating on theday may have been muchhigher than that stated above.Furthermore, schools werealso invited to participatethroughout European Week of

Sport and more than 800primary schools registeredwith Get Ireland Walking forthat week, which wouldrepresent over 200,000children who engaged inactivities, including walking,that week.

Partners, stakeholders,Local Sports Partnershipsand groups affiliated with GetIreland Walking andMountaineering Ireland wereall invited and encouraged toparticipate in NationalWalking Day. They all engagedin various ways and sharedour message and campaignacross their platforms andmembership. A case study isnow underway to highlightthe success of the campaignnationally and the impactthat it had through usingcreative, paid social mediaadvertisements, which wereviewed over 4,700,000 timesthroughout the campaign.

Other indications of theinitiative’s success includedthe traffic flow to ourwebsite, with close to 50,000hits, which alsodemonstrated the success ofthe campaign.

We aim to use the casestudy as a model forcontemporarycommunication with ourmarket but also to act as atoolkit for partners, including

other National GoverningBodies and Local SportsPartnerships, to use in theirefforts to communicateeffectively with their targetpopulations.

Comedian Jason Byrne,Dublin footballer and All-Ireland winner KevinMcManamon, and camogieAll-Ireland winner and playerNiamh Kilkenny all featuredin professional videos topromote the day,encouraging people to#WalkYourArea and#WalkYourTown, and find#HiddenGems. Jason evenadvised people to bring theirgrannies with them!

We also had professionalvideos of Charlie Burke fromCoillte, Katrina McGirr fromWaterways Ireland and RuthWhelan from MountaineeringIreland, shot in Coillte andWaterways Ireland amenities,asking walkers to beresponsible outdoors and tobe considerate!

For more about thisinitiative check outwww.getirelandwalking.ie ■

NEWSL0G

Jason Byrne

Katrina McGirr

Kevin McManamon Niamh Kilkenny


Pho

togr

aphs

: Get

Irel

and

Wal

king

AUTHOR: Linda Sankey is CommunicationsOfficer with Get Ireland Walking. Get IrelandWalking is an initiative of Sport Ireland,supported by Healthy Ireland and hostedand delivered by Mountaineering Ireland.FIND OUT MORE: To find out more about GetIreland Walking, visit the websitewww.getirelandwalking.ie, contact us on (01) 625 1109 or email Linda Sankey [email protected].

Get Ireland Walking has an incentive to help you make walking part of your daily routine

So you might not be able to get out and go to your favourite hillsand crags now, unless you are very lucky where you live – so whynot try something easier and closer to home, to help you keepfit and for your own well-being?

Get Ireland Walking has developed an easy 21-Day WalkingChallenge, which is perfect timing right now, given the currentrestrictions! You can easily walk in your area or town and, by theend of the 21 days, you will definitely want to continue to walkregularly!

● It only takes thirty minutes of your time to do a walk thatwill help to maintain your health.

● Just go out the door and start walking – there is no extratime needed to travel to a venue or to prepare.

● Try to fit walking into your daily routine or use it as anopportunity to meet a friend and catch up. Let family andfriends know about your plans and ask them to help you tostick to the routine.

● Try fitting in a walk when you feel most energetic – thiscould be early in the day.

● Walking will actually give you more energy. Try it out andnotice the difference in your energy levels for the day.

● Talk to your doctor about getting active at your next visit.

● You could also check out the health promotionorganisations for advice on your illness and walking.

● Walking is one of the easiest ways to get active.

● You can set your own pace and the length of your walk.

● Over time, you can gradually increase both of these.

● It is never too late to start walking.

● Walking regularly can help to maintain your physical health.

Take our 21-Day Walking Challenge

Set a target

Your excuses, our advice


National Famine Way launched

Pho

togr

aphs

: Nat

iona

l Fam

ine

Mus

eum

Historic 165km trail follows in emigrants’ footsteps during the Famine

By Charlotte O’Connor,Communications Officer,Irish Heritage Trust

A new interactive outdoorexperience, the NationalFamine Way, was launched inSeptember, together with a‘passport’ and an OSi map ofthe route. The National FamineWay is an accredited 165kmHeritage and Arts Trail fromStrokestown Park, CoRoscommon, through sixcounties to Dublin, mostlyfollowing the Royal Canal. A completion certificate isawarded at the end of the trailat EPIC, The Irish EmigrationMuseum, where the Faminereplica ship, the JeanieJohnston, is located.

The trail, which goes alongflat and well-surfaced paths,details the ill-fated journey of1,490 emigrants, who walkedfrom Strokestown Park toships in Dublin in 1847, at theheight of the Famine. With itscaptivating layers of historyand culture, the trail isdesigned to be accessible tofamilies, schools, casualwalkers and cyclists, throughto Famine and historyenthusiasts.

It offers a safe, recreationaloption available 365 days ayear, in a self-guided format

with signposting andtrailheads along the route.The new 14-page NationalFamine Way Passport &Guide (together with the OSimap) highlights localhistorical landmarks andallows walkers and cyclists torecord their progress with 27Stage Stamps along thespecially developed route.

The new Passport & Guideis centred around the journeyof one of the original Faminewalkers from Strokestown

Park, 12-year-old DanielTighe, who remarkablysurvived the horrific journeyto Canada on one of theworst Famine ships. The routeof the National Famine Way ismarked by bronze sculpturesof a pair of children’s shoes(see photo). These evocativeshoes symbolise the hopefuljourney that the 1,490emigrants embarked on,especially taking in the factthat two-thirds of them werechildren.

The Passport & Guideexplains the historical andcultural landmarks along theroute, broken down intodistinct sections, from 1km to15km, through Roscommon,Longford, Westmeath, Meath,Kildare and Fingal and finallyending in Dublin city centre.

Caroilin Callery of theNational Famine Museumand the Irish Heritage Trust,which cares for the property,commented: “As walkersexperience the naturalbeauty of the NationalFamine Way Heritage Trail,the Passport & Guide and OSimap incentivises them toexplore lesser-knownsections by slowly unfoldingthe rich local history wrappedin the journey of the Famineemigrants.

“They will also be remindedof our history through a mixof evocative storytelling,song, art installations andcultural centres along theroute. The Passport & GuideWalkers by the Royal Canal on the National Famine Way


NEWSL0G

“Visitors can leave their ‘Stamp’ on the NationalFamine Way, a new 165km trail in Ireland thatdoubles as a history lesson ... connecting cyclistsand walkers with Ireland’s emigrant past.” –Condé Nast Traveller

Bronze shoes mark each stagealong the route

brings the historical journeyof the 1,490 Famineemigrants alive by allowingwalkers to follow in theirfootsteps 173 years later.”

Describing what walkersand families are likely toexperience, John O’Driscoll,general manager of theNational Famine Museum atStrokestown Park, said: “Welook forward to welcomingofficial walkers, starting fromthe National Famine Museum,where they can get a realunderstanding of the Famine.The official Passport & Guideincludes a 10% discount onthe entrance fee for theNational Famine Museum, aswell as the Jeanie Johnstonreplica Famine ship at EPIC,The Irish Emigration Museum,and other museums alongthe route.”

The National Famine Way isan integrated collaborationbetween the National Famine

Museum, Waterways Irelandand county councils alongthe route. A National FamineWay App is currently being

developed and will belaunched in the comingmonths.

➤ For more information seewww.nationalfamineway.ie andwww.strokestownpark.ie ■


‘Happy Hiking’ campaign announcedNew Mountaineering Ireland initiative distributes advice to walkers on how to stay safe

By Ruth Whelan, HillwalkingDevelopment Officer

Mountaineering Ireland isdelighted to announce theHappy Hiking campaign, aninitiative to promote safewalking in the Irish hills andcountryside. This project was

initiated by MountaineeringIreland’s HillwalkingCommittee, originally with theintention of refreshing andupdating the Walk Safelyleaflet, which had gone out ofprint. Since that leaflet wasissued, however, how wecommunicate and circulateinformation has changed,particularly since the start ofthe Covid-19 pandemic. It isnow very important to utilisethe different platformsavailable to reach the rightaudiences.

Happy Hiking is aimed at allusers of trails and uplands, butparticularly first-time users,novices and tourists. Each timeCovid-19 restrictions wereeased, there was an above-normal influx of people to theuplands. So providinginformation on how to stay safewhen walking in the Irish hillsand countryside has neverbeen more important. The

Happy Hiking material will be auseful resource for all and willinclude advice on planning yourwalk, what to bring with you,getting a weather forecast, who to call in an emergency,and so on.

As well as distributing leafletsto tourist offices, clubs, RuralRecreation Officers and otherrelevant bodies, we are alsomaking the leaflet availabledigitally on the MountaineeringIreland website,www.mountaineering.ie.It will be accompanied bydigital promotional tools, whichwill be shared widely acrossprimary tourism platforms andthrough direct onlineadvertising targeting specificaudiences.

QR codes have become morepopular and are being morewidely used this year, so wehave incorporated a QR codeon the back of the leaflet.Simply scan the code using a

free scanner app. You will bebrought directly to theHillwalking section of theMountaineering Ireland website.Here, you will find the HappyHiking leaflet in a digital format,along with lots of other usefulinformation on hillwalking.

➤ The Happy Hiking leaflet willbe a valuable resource for clubsto share with new or potentialmembers. If you are interested inreceiving some Happy Hikingleaflets and/or information in adigital format for your club’swebsite or Facebook page, or ifyou know of other organisationswho you think might beinterested in sharing thismaterial, [email protected] more details.

➤ This project was funded bythe Department of Rural andCommunity Developmentthrough FORUM Connemara andby Mountaineering Ireland ■

OSi has produced a trail map for each county along the route: this is the one for Westmeath


Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve now active

Pho

togr

aphs

: Val

erie

O’S

ulliv

an (g

athe

ring

shee

p), T

risha

Dea

ne (h

abit

at t

rain

ing

grou

p)

Reeks European Innovation Project tackling spread of rhododendron

By Eleanor Turner, KerryBiosphere Officer

Kerry is home to one of onlytwo UNESCO-designatedBiosphere Reserves in Ireland.The Kerry Biosphere Reserveis located in the heart of theKingdom. It was originallynamed the Killarney NationalPark Biosphere Reserve in1982. The reserve underwenta review process in 2017,which resulted in an increasein the area covered and anaccompanying name change.The Kerry Biosphere Reserve,as it is now called, covers anarea of approximately 65,760hectares.

Biosphere Reserves arelearning places forsustainable development.They are sites for testinginterdisciplinary approachesto understanding andmanaging changes andinteractions between socialand ecological systems,including conflict preventionand management ofbiodiversity. They are placesthat provide local solutions toglobal challenges.

The Kerry BiosphereReserve includes areas thatare subject to several existingenvironmental designationsincluding Special Protection

Areas (SPAs), Special Areas ofConservation (SACs) andproposed Natural HeritageAreas (pNHAs). Ireland’s SACsand SPAs form part of the EUNatura 2000 network ofimportant ecological sites.

It is notable that the

biosphere designation doesnot impose further land-useconstraints on these areas,rather it supports theconservation status,celebrates the area’s cultureand, on a global scale, showsthe significance of the natural

resources we have here onour doorsteps in Kerry.

One project that is takingaction within the KerryBiosphere area is theMacGillycuddy ReeksEuropean Innovation Project(Reeks EIP). The Reeks EIPproject aims to improve thesustainability and economicviability of farming throughpractical actions andinnovative solutions toaddress issues and to protectbiodiversity in this Natura2000 area.

Landowners in theMacGillycuddy Reeks faceincreasingly difficultchallenges in farming thisunique upland landscape.Encompassing over 8,000hectares of Natura-designated, privately-ownedland, rising to a height of1,039 metres, farming in theMacGillycuddy Reeks islabour-intensive andeconomically unviable. Withover 125,000 people visitingthe Reeks annually to climbIreland’s highest mountain,recreational use adds to thechallenges.

Aiming to address theseissues, the Reeks EIP team isworking with 33 farmers inthe area. They havedeveloped a results-based

NEWSL0G

Habitat awareness training with EIP project participants

Gathering sheep in the MacGillycuddy Reeks


Pho

togr

aph:

Dav

id P

olla

rd C

olle

ctio

n (D

avid

Pol

lard

)P

hoto

grap

h: R

eeks

Eur

opea

n In

nova

tion

Pro

ject

payment system thatrewards farmers formaintaining or improvingtheir upland habitats.

An issue that is of greatconcern within both the KerryBiosphere Reserve area andthe project area for the ReeksEIP is the threat of invasivespecies, in particularRhododendron ponticum.One of the innovations of theReeks EIP project is theirsolution to this spreadingproblem. They have formedand trained a group of localfarmers, who now worktogether treatingrhododendron. Outreachevents have been organisedto raise awareness withinlocal communities and toencourage people to managethe impacts of rhododendonwithin the EIP area.

If you’d like to learn moreabout how to treatrhododendron, watch a recentcommunity talk on ourYouTube channel, KerryBiosphere.

➤ Kerry UNESCO BiosphereReserve, with support fromCreative Ireland and theEnvironmental ProtectionAgency, ran an autumn eventseries, launched on

November 5th, 2020, byMinister for Land Use andBiodiversity, Pippa HackettTD. You can find out more onthe Kerry BiosphereFacebook page ■

New committee chair appointedDavid Pollard is the new Chairperson of Mountaineering Ireland’s Access and Conservation Committee

By Helen Lawless, Access & Conservation Officer

David Pollard was approved by the Board of MountaineeringIreland as the new Chairperson of Mountaineering Ireland’sAccess and Conservation Committee in June 2020. AsCommittee Chair, David also becomes a member ofMountaineering Ireland’s Board.

David is a life-long hillwalker and is an active member of bothWicklow-based Club Cualann and the Dingle Hillwalking Club inKerry. He is a former member of Cork Mountaineering Club andGalway Mountaineering Club. He has walked extensively inIreland as well as in Wales, Scotland, the Pyrenees, the FrenchAlps, the Dolomites, the Jura, the High Tatras and Iceland. Davidjoined the Access and Conservation Committee in May 2019.

The role of the Access and Conservation Committee is toadvise and support the Mountaineering Ireland Board and staffin working towards Mountaineering Ireland’s Access andConservation objectives:

● To promote the conservation and responsible use of the mountain environment and coordinate action inconservation matters.

● To safeguard and secure access to mountain areas.

On behalf of the Access and Conservation Committee, Davidexpressed thanks to Helen Donoghue for her graciousleadership of the Committee for over two years, and for herdeep interest in the work of the Committee, her vision and herstrategic approach. We are delighted to say that even thoughHelen lives abroad for much of the year, she is remaining on as a

The Reeks EIP delivering instruction on upland wlidlife in Kilgobnet National School, Beaufort, Killarney, Co Kerry

David Pollard enjoying a via ferrata route in the Dolomites

member of the Committee.David also conveyed sincere thanks to Jack Bergin, who

recently stepped down from the Committee after many yearstrying to keep us right on access and conservation matters.

The current members of Mountaineering Ireland’s Access andConservation Committee are: David Pollard (Chairperson), NoelCaffrey, Helen Donoghue, Fióna Gallagher, Ursula MacPherson,Vincent McAlinden, Áine McGirl, Orla Prendergast and HelenLawless (Secretary) ■

Guth na talún – ‘voice of the land’

Pho

togr

aphs

: Joy

ce C

ount

ry a

nd W

este

rn L

akes

Geo

park

Pro

ject

(dei

rcs)

, Hel

en L

awle

ss (e

nviro

nmen

tal w

alk)

Explore our whispering landscape in the Joyce Country and Western Lakes region

By Michael Hegarty, GeoparkManager, Joyce Country andWestern Lakes GeoparkProject

There is a fascinating newdevelopment way out west innorth Connemara and southMayo to showcase and tellthe stories of what liesbeneath our feet and in ourtowns and villages.

Many readers will haveheard of Joyce Country, butmay not know that the widerregion – on the Galway-Mayoborder and the area bothsides of Loughs Carra, Maskand the Corrib – has anoutstanding geologicalheritage of internationalsignificance. So significant, infact, that a new project ispreparing the way for anapplication to UNESCO forGlobal Geopark status.

The Joyce Country andWestern Lakes (JCWL)Geopark Project (TionscadalGeopháirc Dhúiche

Sheoigheach agus Lochannaan Iarthair) 2020-2021 is a€1.19 million initiativepromoting sustainabledevelopment of the area.

Supported mainly by the

Rural Regeneration andDevelopment Fund (ProjectIreland 2040), it also hassignificant financial and in-kind support from GeologicalSurvey Ireland (lead partner),

Údarás na Gaeltachta, MayoCounty Council, GalwayCounty Council, Coillte, FáilteIreland and a cross-community group, JCWLGeoEnterprise. The project is

Trish Walsh introducing participants to the karst landscape near Clonbur, Co Galway, during MountaineeringIreland’s 2019 Mountain Environment Weekend

NEWSL0G


The deircs (cirques) and Maumtrasna plateau

Pho

togr

aph

and

map

: Joy

ce C

ount

ry a

nd W

este

rn L

akes

Geo

park

Pro

ject

a major step forward afterten years of dedicatedvoluntary effort andcommunity consultation.

The region includes thefantastic beauty of theMaumturks, Maumtrasnaand Partry Mountains,glaciated lakes andmeandering rivers, stunningkarst landscapes to rivalparts of the Burren, andmuch more. Cong, Clonbur,Leenane, Oughterard,Ballinrobe, Ballintubber andTourmakeady are just a few

of the eighteen towns andvillages ready to share theirfantastic heritage and telltheir stories.

The project model is aboutshowcasing and educatingpeople on the geological andwider heritage of the region,simultaneously creatingpotential tourism marketsthrough attracting peoplewilling to spend time in theGeopark, to linger and absorbrather than to drive through.This will encourage spendingon local services and

resources rather than masstourism – all helping to securesustainable futures for ourvillages and towns.

What to see and doThe Joyce Country andWestern Lakes region now has a brand and a striking new logo (see image). Theattractive new website, www.joycecountrygeoparkproject.ie, is a treasure trove ofinformation about sites ofinterest and our towns andvillages. In the ‘What To Do’

section there’s a great rangeof activities and attractions,including walks, hikes andnational trails, options forfood and accommodation,and a slick interactive map tohelp you.

Other clickable menus haveeasily digestible details onthe impressive geologicalstory, landscape, habitatsand wildlife, the people andculture, including the Irishlanguage and the Gaeltacht,and a whole section onlearning and education.

The project encouragesvisitors to explore thenational walking trails of theregion (including the Galwaysection of the Western Way,the Seanbhóthar and parts ofthe Tóchar Phádraig). Theproject is also a member ofLeave No Trace Ireland and,as such, it promotes acollaborative and sensitiveapproach to highlighting localheritage, while respecting therights of landowners and allothers in the region.

So here it is, Guth na talún... a great opportunity to learnwhat is beneath our feet andto explore our whisperinglandscape ■


Geopark field trip in the Lough Nafooey valley, Joyce Country


Funding for Appalachian Trail through Ulster

Pho

togr

aph

& m

ap: I

nter

nati

onal

App

alac

hian

Tra

il

Funding has been secured to enhance the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) in Donegal.Meanwhile, cross-border collaboration is focusing on improving the user experience on the trail

By Inga Block, RuralRecreation Officer and IATCoordinator in Donegal

Funding of €215,000 hasbeen secured to carry outdevelopment andenhancement work on over120km of the InternationalAppalachian Trail (IAT)running through Donegal. Thefunding includes a grant of€161,000 from LEADER,€50,000 in matching fundingfrom Donegal CountyCouncil, with other fundingbeing provided by the RuralRecreation Programme.

The InternationalAppalachian Trail in Ireland isapproximately 485km(302miles) in length and runsfrom south-west Donegal toLarne, passing through sixdifferent council areas. TheTrail starts at the spectacularSlieve League cliffs, passesthrough Glencolmcille andtraverses the BluestackMountains in County Donegalbefore crossing into CountyTyrone. Here it picks up the

Ulster Way, taking it throughthe Sperrins, along thestunning north coast andinto the Glens of Antrim.

In Donegal, the trail runsfrom Slieve League, via MalinBeg, Glencolmcille, Port,Ardara, Glenties, Disert,Lough Eske, Clar andLeghowney, to the borderwith Northern Ireland atKelly’s Bridge.

Work on the developmentproject has begun andincludes:

● Improved trailwaymarking

● Dedicated trailheads atkey access points

● Trail information boards

● Additional trailinfrastructure (e.g. stiles,fencing, seating, etc)

● Path development worksat Lough Eske

● Trail art includingsculptures along the way

● A Trail Maintenance andMonitoring App.

According to Frank Kelly,

LEADER Rural DevelopmentManager, “the project aimsto connect Donegal to theDerry City and StrabaneDistrict, as well as otherlocal action groupsthroughout NorthernIreland, by improving a trailthat will have both local andinternational appeal.

“This will help stimulatelocal economies by creatingadditional tourist amenities.It will also add value to thecontinuous work beingcarried out under the RuralRecreation Programme andthe Walks Scheme inDonegal.”

Work started to bring theAppalachian Trail to Irelandin 2009 and the route waslaunched on the groundhere in 2013. We now havefunding to enhance the userexperience on the Irishsection of this incrediblydiverse international trail.

The Appalachian Trail isone of the largest trailnetworks in the world, withroute ‘chapters’ in a range of

countries, including theUnited States, Canada,Greenland, Iceland,countries throughoutEurope and ending in theAnti-Atlas Mountains ofMorocco.

Paul Wylezol, Co-Chair ofthe InternationalAppalachian Trail based inCanada, said, “The UlsterIreland section will be aninspiring addition to theInternational AppalachianTrail story, and thecommencement of workson the Donegal section ofthe walking trail is asignificant milestone.

“With shared geologicaland cultural storylines,combined with uniquelyIrish attractions, thedeveloped Ulster Irelandsection has great potentialto attract a wide variety ofNorth American walkers,from eco, geo andadventure tourists, to fansof the well-known Game ofThrones television series.”

As well as improvements

Niamh Kennedy (Donegal County Council), Steven Doherty (North West Forest Services), Inga Bock (RRO, Donegal) and Frank Kelly (LEADER RuralDevelopment Manager, Donegal Local Development Company) pictured at the recent start of development works on the IAT at Lough Eske, Co Donegal.

NEWSLOG


to the Donegal section ofthe trail, five NorthernIreland councils will bemaking improvements totheir sections as part ofworks costing over£600,000. The widespreadinvestment is the result of acollaborative effort toensure the overall visitorexperience is improvedacross the entire trail forboth locals and tourists.

By enhancing the visitorexperience, the trail willhave the potential to attractmore domestic andinternational visitors, and,therefore, generatesubstantial economic

benefit for the businessesalong the route and in thewider area.

As part of the effort toattract more local, nationaland international visitors,there is also significantinvestment being directedtowards a project topromote the trail, worthalmost £120,000. Marketingcampaigns in Ireland andNorth America will beexecuted by OutdoorRecreation NI, anorganisation with extensiveexperience in promotingwalking trails to locals andtourists, towards the end of2021 ■

crossword results

1 2 3 4 5

6 7

8

9 10 11

12 13 14

15 16

T S A H R

F R E E L E A D E R

I V E G C

P R E E X I S T E D

R H S

D O W N O T A S K

R N U

K N O C K N A R E A

A O O K R

S T R O L L E R N E

E K D Y O

The winner of our crossword in IML 135 was Margaret Skuce, ofBallydehob, Co Cork, who won a Microlight Alpine jacket, a prize worth€229.95, from our crossword sponsor, Basecamp. The solution to thecrossword is shown below. Mountaineering Ireland will contact thewinner to arrange collection of her prize.

Microlight AlpineJacket (Women’s)

Original Fine Art Paintings

Inspired by the Outdoors

Visitwww.martinmccormackart.com

Written by Damien O’Sullivan, ClimbingDevelopmentOfficer

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ian

Law

ler (

Eim

ear),

Don

al L

eneh

an (E

ve)

The Youth ClimbingSeries continues toattract youngclimbers from all

corners of the island whowant to test themselvesagainst a range of challengingboulder problems and routes.An exceptional show of youngclimbing talent and friendlyrivalry is what makes theYouth Climbing Series such aspecial event.

The series is comprised offour rounds: two boulderingand two roped climbing. Thetop three climbers from eachof the ten competitioncategories then go tocompete alongside young

climbers from Scotland,England and Wales at theGrand Final.

Round 1The 2020 Youth ClimbingSeries began with abouldering round atAwesome Walls Cork. Youngclimbers travelled from nearand far to test themselvesagainst a wide range ofboulder problems set byChloe Condron and her team.

Round 2For the second round of thecompetition it was time forthe climbers to put on theirharnesses and test their

2020 YOUTH CLIMBING SERIESCovid-19 confined the series to just three amazing rounds


Eimear Henchion taking some air-time in Round 2 of the 2020 Youth Climbing Series

Eve Buckley eyeing up the next hold in Round 1

endurance and strength (aswell as some jumping skills) inthe Dublin Climbing Centre.

Round 3Round three was hosted atBoulderWorld Belfast, wherethe climbers were treated to asuitably challenging range ofboulder problems set by thein-house team.

Round 4Round four fell victim to thedreaded Covid-19. Initially itwas rescheduled to the endof the summer, then to theend of September, beforefinally being cancelled.TheGrand Final also had to becancelled due to Covid-19.

AcknowledgmentsThe Youth Climbing Series isonly possible with a hugelevel of voluntary supportfrom many of thecompetitors’ parents, whoassist with the judging andbelaying at the competitions.Thanks to everyone whohelped. A very special thanksis due to John Henchion andEléonore Conroy who take onthe huge task of running thecompetitions on the day.

The walls who host theYouth Climbing Series arevital to the competition’s

existence. Without theirsupport and goodwill, thecompetition simply wouldnot happen. Thecompetition’s sponsors,Great Outdoor andMammut, add greatly to thecompetition by providing theprizes, t-shirts and hoodiesthat the competitors valueso highly.

The overall results for the2020 Youth Climbing Series(based on the results fromthe three rounds) were asfollows:

Male Youth A1st Dillon McLaughlin2nd George Lassov3rd Matthew Bourke

Female Youth A1st Faith Blaney2nd Amy Orr3rd Amber Burns

Male Youth B1st Reuben Aiken2nd Daniel Creedon3rd Sean Brown

Female Youth B1st Caelin Lenehan2nd Rhyna Conroy3rd Bonita Thurston

Male Youth C1st Patrick Galvin2nd Oliver Szelag3rd Sam Monedero

Female Youth C1st Eve Buckley2nd Clara-Caterina Mayer3rd Freya O’Connor

Male Youth D1st Daniel Shine2nd Maty Petros3rd Joe Feeney

Female Youth D1st Ilmur Jonsdottir2nd Olivia Scott3rd Lilou Conroy

Male Youth E1st Calum O’Connor2nd Caleb Shine3rd Eoin Galvin

Female Youth E1st Lucy McClune2nd Sieve Hoare3rd Duaa Rejeb ■

Ciara Burgoyne at full stretch in Round 1

Joe Feeney fully focused in Round 3


Pho

togr

aphs

:I an

Law

ler (

Joe)

, Mau

rice

Gre

han

(Cia

ra)

SUMMER ROCK CLIMBING DAYSMountaineering Ireland held a series of Youth Climbing Club events in July 2020. Kevin Kilroy reports

Cork Youth Climbing Club enjoying a sunny day at Ballyryan, in the Burren, Co Clare, in July

Phot

ogra

phs:

Joh

n H

ealy

(Bal

lyra

n), I

ain

Mill

er (C

ruit

Isla

nd)

MountaineeringIreland organisedseveral YouthClimbing Clubevents during the

summer of 2020 in Ireland.The events were held inDalkey Quarry, Co Dublin;the Mourne Mountains, CoDown; The Burren, Co Clare;Fair Head, Co Antrim; andCruit Island, Co Donegal.

The aim of these eventswas to help young clubmembers to develop theirskills and judgment on theirjourney towards becomingindependent rock climbers,as well as providing themwith a fun and safeopportunity to go rockclimbing in Ireland.

Thanks to MountaineeringIreland providing instructorstaff time from DamienO’Sullivan (RCI) and KevinKilroy (MCI), as well as tofunding from Sport NorthernIreland, these events were

subsidised to cost less than50% of the standard cost.This enabled club membersto attend more days andfurther develop their rock

climbing skills.To minimise contact

between groups fromdifferent households withrespect to Covid-19, one

instructor was teamed upwith one family household.The necessary sanitationsteps were also put in placeto protect the instructorsand the family groups.

At Dalkey Quarry, manyyoung members from theDublin Cliff Hangers weresupported by instructionfrom John Healy from Corkand Mhairi Baird from Kerry.The instructors reported highlevels of enthusiasm amongtheir students to be backrock climbing again after along break from regularclimbing. They were furtherimpressed by the youngclimbers’ desire to learn andunderstand fully how to staysafe when operating on theshort but technicallychallenging traditional routeson granite that DalkeyQuarry offers in abundance.

In the Mourne Mountains,climbers from the Mourne


Roger Conroy sea cliff climbing on Cruit Island, Co Donegal, belayed by hisdaughter, Rhyna Conroy

and Gilford Youth ClimbingClubs, and families from theBelfast area, teamed up withlocal instructors ClaireHardy, Jonny Parr, EamonQuinn and Mike Smith tovisit accessible crags such asAltnadue Quarry, Spellack,Hen Mountain and PigeonRock. It was fantastic for thecoaches to work withfamilies from the local youthclimbing clubs as theyprogress to climbingindependently on the cragsin the Mournes.

At the Burren in CountyClare, Cork Youth ClimbingClub members enjoyed fourdays with instructors JohnHealy and Mhairi Baird.Glorious west of Irelandsunshine was enjoyed on allbut one of the days, onwhich more time was spentfocusing on rope work andgear placement for leadclimbing and abseiling.

Some of the instructorstook full advantage of thelong evenings to enjoy theirown adventures on theAiladie sea cliffs, with MhairiBaird leading her first of a

new grade on the classiccorner of Pis Fluich.Congratulations, Mhairi!

At Fair Head, the Greggfamily rescheduled theirsecond Mournes climbingday, opting for a dry andsunny Fair Head with KevinKilroy and Claire Hardy.

Oliver Gregg (aged 15) had

been diligent in his lockdowntraining, alongside his family,and it paid off for him bigtime with ascents ofDecember (HVS) and TobyJug (E1). Oliver was onlygetting warmed up at theend of Toby Jug and couldprobably have kept climbingthroughout the night! It was

a fantastic opportunity forthe instructors to introduce akeen and talented youngclimber to the world of FairHead.

On Cruit Island in CountyDonegal, families from theNorth West Climbing Team,Belfast Youth Climbing Club,Hanging Rockers YouthClimbing Club and CorkYouth Climbing Club teamedup with instructors Iain Millerand Neil Busby for four daysexploring the perfect pinkgranite sea cliffs anddeveloping their library of tradclimbing skills. Cruit is an idealvenue for young families, withan abundance of high-qualityroutes across the grades in abeautiful coastal setting.

■ For a list of all ofMountaineering Ireland’syouth climbing clubs, pleasevisit the ‘My Local Club’ linkon the website homepagewww.mountaineering.ie ■

Aoibheann Taylor climbing on the amazing granite in Albatross Zawn, CruitIsland, Co Donegal.

Phot

ogra

phs:

Iain

Mill

er (C

ruit

Isla

nd),

Kevi

n Ki

lroy

(Aoi

bhea

nn T

aylo

r on

Cru

it)

Lilou Conroy enjoying a family sea cliff adventure on Cruit Island, Co Donegal, in July


Written by Kevin Kilroy, Youth DevelopmentOfficer

Phot

ogra

phs:

Joh

n H

ealy

(mai

n ph

oto)

, Pat

rick

O’S

ulliv

an (h

elm

et)

Think of someonedriving a motor-bike in Ireland. Theywould certainly bewearing a helmet.

Then think of the last timeyou saw someone iceclimbing or climbing in theAlps. Again, they would bewearing a helmet to protecttheir head. Now think of thelast time that you were outtrad-climbing. Were you

wearing a helmet? Were theother people at the cragwearing helmets?

Climbing has changed somuch since the days of ‘theleader shall not fall.’ Modernropes and harnesses allow usto try harder on rock, andfalling is now a regular part oftrad-climbing for a lot ofclimbers. When trying hard ona trad route, there is a lotgoing on. Often there are two

ropes to manage – perfect togo behind a leg. Gear to theleft, gear to the right,protruding blocks, little ledges– all ideal to create anawkward fall. It is easy toenvisage a fall where you getflipped upside down by yourrope and, in that situation, itcould be your head that takesthe brunt of the fall. So, whynot protect it?

Now, I want to be upfrontwith you. I am going toencourage you to considerparting with some of yourmoney to buy a new climbinghelmet. Modern climbinghelmets are extremelycomfortable and offeramazing levels of protection. Ibelieve that climbers are morelikely to wear a modernhelmet and that it will provide

you with more protectionthan the older models.

I used to be ambivalentabout wearing a climbinghelmet when trad-climbing;sometimes I would wear one,sometimes I would not. I donot remember if this was anactive decision or just apassive reaction to where Iwas climbing and who I wasclimbing with. Now I alwayswear my helmet when tradclimbing. Why the change ofattitude? I put it down tothree main things.

Firstly, I have learned howeasy it is to get a serious braininjury and to suffer thelifelong repercussions of suchan injury. While standingchatting to friends outside apub, a friend of mine got apunch in the head from a


PUT A LID ON IT!Damien O’Sullivan on the benefits of owning and wearing a modern climbing helmet

Written by Damien O’Sullivan, Climbing Officer

Old-style helmet that sustained a severe blow in a climbing accident

passer-by who mistook himfor someone else. Totallyunexpecting a punch, hestumbled, fell, and hit hishead on the ground. Theassailant had run off. Thereseemed to be no obviousinjury, no blood, nothingapparently serious – just apunch, a fall, and a bang onthe ground. However, it wasserious. Later that night, myfriend was in a coma andundergoing brain surgery. Forweeks the prognosis wasbleak and there were no signsof response to stimuli. On theday that he was to betransferred to a ward forpeople in a permanentvegetative state, his eyesbegan to flicker. That was thebeginning of a long, slow andvery difficult healing processthat, five years later, is still farfrom complete. All of thatfrom a head injury from a fallthat would be considered verysmall in comparison to thefalls any of us could havewhen we are climbing.

The second reason I nowwear a climbing helmet farmore frequently is that mysafety is now not just my ownconcern. In the past few years,I have become a husband and

a father, and my safety is alsothe concern of my family.Climbing has always been apart of my relationship withmy partner, not always a goodpart, mind! My wife does notclimb, but she knows howimportant it is to me – it ispart of what makes me! In theearly days of our relationship,it was a balancing actbetween spending qualitytime together and me gettingmy climbing fix so that Iwould be tolerable! Morerecently, with the arrival of ababy, that balance has shiftedagain. Although I do not haveas much time to get outclimbing, I have managed tohave some great days outwith friends over the past twoyears. Now when I put on myclimbing helmet, I am not justdoing it for myself, I am doingit for my wife and daughter. Ijust wish that I had alwaysworn a helmet and saved myown parents from worryingabout me.

The third reason to wear ahelmet relates to thedevelopments in climbinghelmets. Climbing helmets arenow so light and comfortablethat I cannot come up withany reasons why not to wear

one. My current helmet, aPetzl Sirocco, is socomfortable that I oftenforget that I have it on. It isvery well vented, with morethan enough airflow foranything an Irish summercould shine at it. It is light,almost unbelievably so.Despite being so light, itseems to be more than robustenough to survive life in andout of rucksacks. No doubt, ina few years’ time some geniuswill come up with even bettertechnology that will allowclimbing helmets to becomeeven more wearable andprotective. For now, I think it isfair to say that there are arange of helmets available,which are highly wearable andwill not negatively impact onyour climbing performance.

If you climb and are theproud owner of a helmet thatyou choose not to wear moreoften than not because it isuncomfortable to wear, now –

as in Christmas time – is theperfect time to start droppingsome hints that a newclimbing helmet would makea great present!

There is a great range ofclimbing helmets availablefrom companies like Petzl,Mammut, Black Diamond andEdelrid in climbing shopssuch as Great Outdoors,Alpine Sports and JacksonSports. Do your research andfind a helmet that suits yourown needs. If possible, try ondifferent makes and models.Ask other climbers what typeof helmet they use and whatthey think of it. Speak with astaff member in your localclimbing shop and get theiradvice too. Aim to buy thebest helmet that you canafford – or, to put it anotherway, aim to buy the helmetthat you are most likely towear.

Thanks to Petzl, Mammut,Black Diamond and Edelridyou can be in with a chanceof winning a climbing helmet.To be in with a chance, pleasego to www.mountaineering.ie/climbing/helmets and keepan eye out on theMountaineering IrelandFacebook and Instagrampages ■Ph

otog

raph

s: D

amie

n O

’Sul

livan

Helmets are so light and comfortable now there is no reason not to wear one


I have witnessed howeasy it is to get a braininjury and to suffer thelifelong repercussions

If you get flipped upside down, your head might take the brunt of the fall

A PERSONAL REFLECTION

THE LURE OF THE HILLS

Pho

togr

aph:

Mar

ian

Wal

lis

Marian Wallis first became aware of the magic and mystery of the hills during her youth, in the Ballyhouras

For all who love themountains, this is the face ofthe Sacred. Since time began,people have looked at themountains as the gatewaybetween Heaven and Earth.From Peru to Nepal, and fromHawaii to Australia,mountains appear in themyths, stories and legends ofmany cultures. In Ireland, wehave our own Celtic traditionof holy mountains, withErrigal, Croagh Patrick andBrandon. Like thoseancestors of old who soughtout the mountains,surrounded by their majesty,ferocity and uniqueness ofcreation, we are more aliveand more in rhythm with ourbreath, our consciousnessand our bodies. On thesummit, free from the clutterand noise of everydaydemands, we learn to stopand be silent in the moment.The hills are constant,permanent and eternal. Herewe belong.

The hills andmountains arelike magnets,which pull usupwards andchallenge us toexplore

beyond the horizon.We are intoxicated by the

expanse of the mountains,the colours, the rainbows, thesudden shafts of light castingmysterious shadows, thefascinating rock formations,the mists steaming in thesun, the high ridges bridgingreality and enchantment, theuntamed wilderness, and thereward of reaching thesummit.

The lashing rain, the bone-chilling wind or the icy flutterof snow are of littleconsequence at that time, asour senses are entrapped bythe grandeur and wonder ofthese remote landscapes. It isthen we are humbled andsilently acknowledge that weare in the presence ofgreatness.

Hillwalking takes us toplaces we might otherwisehave not visited. Weadventure in every provinceat home in Ireland, but manyalso cross continents to walkin the shadows of the greatmountains, including, forexample, Mont Blanc, MountKilimanjaro, Machu Picchuand Mount Everest. We areenriched by interacting withindigenous people aroundthese mountains, and withtheir cultures.

Our walks in Ireland are noless enriching as we cross alandscape littered with stonecircles, standing stones andother ancient monuments.These remind us that westride through history andmyth, connecting with

When fun and hope are lostto the pain of tragedy, the hillsare steadfast. They embracethe broken-hearted withsolitude and stillness. Theysoothe with natural melodiesand rhythm, allowing theanguished to escape the

wildlife and plants we nolonger recognise.

Every summit gainedadds to our inward journey;our achievements add toour confidence; new skillsencourage us; and newfriendships, born out ofshared sweat and tears onthe ascent, are precious. Wehave new relationships withour companions, with thehills and mountains, butmostly with ourselves.

THE HILLS ALLOW THE ANGUISHED TO ESCAPE THE SUFFOCATINGEXPECTATIONS OF A WORLD NO LONGER FAMILIAR.


➤ Marian Wallis is a member of Mountaineering Ireland’sHillwalking Committee.P

hoto

grap

hs: M

aria

n W

allis

suffocating expectations of aworld no longer familiar.

The repeated mantra of ‘onestep at a time,’ as you struggleuphill, becomes the physicalfocus of one’s existence, anddistracts you from your innerpain. As you stumble, curse andcry in agony, this mantrabecomes the code to help younavigate the new reality. Eachsummit reached is anotherhandrail for you to grasp and tostand a little straighter.

The hills have always playeda part in my life, as I was rearedat the foot of the BallyhouraMountains. There I found fun,mystery and magic. Mythsbecame real, as we followedthe path of Fionn and his men,gazed down on the valley towhich Oisín returned from Tírna nÓg, scrambled overoutcrops of rocks, and felt ontop of the world. I wasenthralled. There, on the slopesof Blackrock, began a life-longpassion, which has shaped andenriched my last six decades.

Hills and mountains inviteus to visit their summits andto look beyond. They offer thepossibility of adventures andchallenges. Even when we goback to the same hill ormountain, it is different. Everywalk we do has its owndistinct sky, colours, sounds,challenge and craic. There wecan make memories andcelebrate our achievements,free of our everyday cares. We are awakened to the joyof living ■

HILLS AND MOUNTAINS INVITE US TO VISITTHEIR SUMMITS AND TO LOOK BEYOND ... TO ADVENTURES AND CHALLENGES.


ULSTER WAY

KICKING WITH BOTH FEETGerdette Rooney describes completing a seven-week continuous walk along the UlsterWay in 2002, four years after the signing of the Peace Agreement

Above: Gerdette(front row, fourthfrom left) at hersend-off at theSliabh BeaghCentre,Monaghan, onAugust 10th, 2002.

Below: An oldsweathouse or‘teach alluis’ inCountyFermanagh.

In late summer of 2002, I took a notion to walkthe entire 1,070 kilometres of the Ulster Way,which circles Northern Ireland, with a spur goinginto the Republic in County Donegal and a shortdetour into my home county of Monaghan. Bythen, I had climbed many peaks and hiked to

Everest Base Camp, but it was time to explore myown turf and follow the ‘yellow man’ signposts.

Sadly, Ulster has been synonymous with theTroubles, but this ancient province of Ireland provedto be an area of outstanding beauty for hikers.

I walked solo, wearing the bright yellow t-shirt ofAware, the Northern Ireland charity which supportspeople who experience depression. This was inmemory of my late mother, Clare Rooney, whosuffered this debilitating condition for many yearsfollowing the death of my brother Cathal in a caraccident. I understood only too well the impact ofdepression on immediate family and how helplessone can feel to help and provide adequate support.

On my hike, I would rattle my bucket at events Ihappened on, and target small businesses in townson the route.

I set out on August 10th, 2002, from the SliabhBeagh Centre in north Monaghan, where a largegroup of family, friends and representatives of Awarecheered me off. The local walking groupaccompanied me across the pristine blanket boglandof Bragan to link up with the Ulster Way. It was anarea I knew well from my childhood, as we hadcollected turf there and picnicked near a Mass Rockfrom the Penal Laws era.

In the afternoon, my cheery companions left me tocontinue on the quiet boreens of the Clogher Valleyand, for the first few days, the Ulster Way darted backand forth across the border.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ger

dett

e R

oone

y C

olle

ctio

n

➤ Gerdette Rooney is originallyfrom Monaghan and now lives inSydney, Australia. She is an avidtraveller and has hiked in manyparts of the world, including intoEverest Base Camp in Nepal andTibet, on the GR20 in Corsica, and onthe Waitukubuli Trail in Dominica.Gerdette has also climbedKilimanjaro and Kinabalu. Her firsttravel book, Womadic Wanders:Stories of a Compulsive Traveller, willbe published soon.


The first week was pleasant walking on quietcountry lanes amongst gently rolling hills and tranquillakes, frequented by fishermen. In this ‘banditcountry’ of south Armagh, each village I came to hadits Orange Hall and the churches of the twopersuasions, with either the Union Jack or theRepublican tricolour flying from poles, depending onthe majority in the locality. However, kind peopleeverywhere told sad stories of pain and loss to astranger.

I got fitter by the day and soon averaged thirtykilometres most days, with a rest day each week. Toavoid blisters, I wore cushioned trainers on the roadsand changed into sturdy boots on rough ground.

Above: Map ofthe Ulster Way(the Donegalsections are notshown here).

Below: Thedisused UlsterCanal in ‘banditcountry’ inCounty Armagh.

I carried an official letter from Aware as well aspolice permits sanctioning public collections. Abikers’ rally in Glaslough village was a good beginning,where riders in the pit stop and the audience liningthe route were generous and supportive.

Growing up on the border, and knowing the subtlepsychology of being either Catholic or Protestant,was advantageous in understanding the littleinnuendos of many situations I would find myself in. Ididn’t care ‘which foot a person kicked with,’ as theysay in Ulster to define your religious persuasion.

To minimise detours off the main route for a bed, Icarried a bivvy bag and asked local farmers if I couldcamp on their property. It was this decision thatwould bring the greatest joy on the walk. Pastsuspicions didn’t prevent peopleoffering a ‘quick cuppa’ that oftenevolved into marathon counsellingsessions at kitchen tables. Theguessing game would commence,figuring out which foot I kicked with, aslow comedy I learned to enjoy. With aquasi-Northern Irish accent and astrange name, I wasn’t easy to box.However, once they had got themeasure of me, I was frequentlyoffered a comfy bed, sometimesunder the glaring eyes of Ian Paisley,hovering above me on the wall. Onvisiting the toilet in one house, aportrait of the Queen watched myevery movement. My hosts and Ijoked about it the following morning.P

hoto

grap

hs: G

erde

tte

Roo

ney

Col

lect

ion

➤


ULSTER WAY

Above: Batt’sWall in theMourneMountains.

Below: Gerdetteat Helen’s Bay, CoDown, where she‘cat-sat’ for a bedwith the Sheldonfamily.

The terrain varied greatly, ranging from minor lanes toforest tracks, stunning coastal paths and wet bog. Inpoorly signposted regions, my compass became mybest friend; and it required twenty-one OrdnanceSurvey maps to cover the entire walk.

The Mourne Mountains were the first taxingwilderness area that I had to navigate, with heavy rainacross a constant up-and-down boggy traverse ofbarren moorland. Batt’s Wall, constructed in Faminetimes, served as an excellent landmark in poorvisibility. The wall was built some eighty years beforethe Mourne Wall, which it joins at the top of SlieveMuck. I dried out at a friend’s farm that night, where Iearned my keep assisting in the Caesarian section ofa heifer!

The picturesque shores of Strangford Lough were awildlife haven and, after two weeks’ walking, the‘yellow man’ led me through the grounds of StormontCastle. I collected my Northern Ireland permit, andthe security guards contributed to the worthy cause.

The Ulster Way took me through some dodgy areasrenowned for sporadic sectarian violence in the past.I met young ‘cider-heads’ with glazed eyes in a park,but they wished me well on my journey. In an areawith burned-out cars, where idle youths eyed mesuspiciously, I just beamed and waved. Trusting thathumanity is fundamentally good is a premise of minewhen travelling alone, and I was never once afraidduring the walk.

Leaving the bleak Belfast Hills, I crossed theSallagh Braes, detouring around the infamousSinking Bog, a graveyard for livestock where I didn’twant to meet my own end. Before descending to thelovely Glens of Antrim, the views across to the Mullof Kintyre in Scotland were breathtaking and the‘ladderfield’ method of cultivation intriguing, a touchof Asian terraced rice paddies in Ulster.

I struck lucky that my walk coincided with the AuldLammas Fair at Ballycastle, where I bought a different‘yellow man,’ divine-tasting honeycomb toffee thatboosted my energy levels! My bucket speedily filled asI mingled with farmers at livestock sales and crowdsgathered listening to street musicians.

The weather turned wild on the stunning northAntrim coast, with only the screech of seabirds forcompany. The track descended to slippery, boulderedbeaches, where rough swells battered chalk stacks inthe tiny bays. I was relieved to sight the organ-pipecliffs and basalt steps of the Giant’s Causeway,signifying the end to a crazy day.

I didn’t linger at the famous rocky site, as theBushmills Whiskey Distillery nearby beckoned and,as my father’s favourite drop, I toasted his memoryon a wee dram and warmed my jaded bones.

I stayed with the Doaks nearby, a family beset bytragedy when their daughter was murdered in 1985by the IRA. Parents Jean and Beattie coped with theirgrief by doing positive work in uniting a bitterlydivided community. These strangers to me, who hadgood reason to be prejudiced against Catholics,became dear friends. We discussed ordinary lives,whether Protestant or Catholic, and wondered how itcould all go so wrong in a small province like Ulster. I was delighted to learn years later that both weredecorated by the Queen for their outstanding efforts.

I had walked over 600 kilometres and, looking

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ger

dett

e R

oone

y C

olle

ctio

n


Above: Wildmoorland on theSallagh Braes inCounty Antrim.

Below: View ofspectactularAntrim coastline(before the windbegan to howl).

leaner and tanned by the wind, I headed into theSperrin Mountains, which was the most solitarysection of my entire walk. I thought rumours of gold inthe remote hills must be true, noticing one or twograndiose Spanish haciendas in the middle ofnowhere. I reflected that this was the new face ofaffluent Ireland, as no one was ever at home, theowners hitting the urban sprawl to cover the highmortgages of the time. Often a lonesome dogwhimpered when I knocked at a door looking forwater.

I met a lonely farmer one day as I struggled to hopforward on a muddy and puddled nettle track. Jimheard me swear in frustration and approached for achat. “No one wants to stop and talk anymore,” hecomplained. “Everyone is too busy.” I felt sorry for himand, as I listened to his woes, it was a valuable lessonon the purpose of my walk.

I had an extraordinary experience stepping back intime near Pettigo in Donegal.The terrain was throughconfusing forestry and I hadstrayed off the correct path.As the light faded, I joggeddown a firebreak, hoping toclear the forest. A dog barkedand I emerged sweating andscratched into a clearingwhere a woman stood in acottage doorway. Marythought me a scared deer andI only stopped shaking aftertwo pots of tea! The colliedozed by the turf fire and, inthe dim light of an oil lamp,Mary related her story. Shelived alone with no electricity,running water or toilet,fearlessly content with thecompany of her dog and herbooks. Later, she led me bytorchlight to the main road,wishing me God speed for my

walk. It was a rich encounter with a welcomingstranger.

The weather turned damp and miserable as Iwalked north through the Bluestack Mountains tothe coast again, climbing Errigal on a rare fine day. Ina small village, the unexpected generosity of a smallbusinessman reminded me why I was walking. A dearfriend of his, heavily in debt, had committed suicidethe day before. The man was devastated by thetragedy, regretting that he hadn’t noticed his friend’stroubles. There were tears in his eyes as he handedme a fat cheque for Aware.

I detoured over to Tory Island where the king, PatsyDan Rodgers [who passed away in 2018], greeted mewarmly in his unique accent, which reminded me ofchildhood days in the Ranafast Gaeltacht. The island isrich in myth and legend, and a wild cliff walk took meto Balor’s Fort, home to a one-eyed giant in pagantimes and now inhabited by nesting gannets.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ger

dett

e R

oone

y C

olle

ctio

n


➤

a quiet prayer to my motherand thanked my feet forgetting me this far with onlya few blisters.

Waking to a pea-soupmist on the lake, myferryman arrived at 8.00amand I embraced the last legof my walk, spirituallyenriched and with renewedvigour in my step.

The Fermanagh region ofNorthern Ireland is a hiddengem of striking limestonecliffs, peaceful lakes andwooded estates withhistoric yew trees. It wasmagical one day to comeacross an old Irishsweathouse. These earth-and-stone saunas were

primarily used for treating arthritis but also helpedwith fertility problems and psychiatric disorders. HowI wished this one was still in use to heal my achingjoints!

There was exhilaration, yet reluctance, arriving backat my starting point on September 28th after sevenweeks walking. It was time to abandon thetranquillity and peace of nature for the noise andbustle of real life and work. My walk raised over€7,000 for Aware and I requested that the moniesraised help deal with youth suicide and post-nataldepression, two issues I came across often on myjourney.

As a hiker, I felt immensely uplifted to have walkedin beautiful landscapes, but the real reward was thememory of engaging with the people of Ulster, whosekindness, warmth and hospitality were legendary andwould remain with me forever ■

In memory of my mother, Clare Rooney (1928-2000)

Above: View ofErrigal (762m) inCounty Donegal.

Below left: Onthe Sliabh BeaghWay withmembers of alocal walkinggroup.

Below right:Gerdette withthe late King ofTory, Patsy DanRodgers, on ToryIsland, CoDonegal.

I was on a mission to score some ‘blessed Tory clay,’supposed to get rid of rats. It must be blessed by amember of the Duggan clan, and, sure enough, I metthe shaman elder himself in the pub and was given mylittle holy pouch for the price of a pint! However, Iconfess that the rats in my shed continued tomultiply!

September days were getting shorter in the sixthweek of my walk. It is said that solitude, as opposedto loneliness, can benefit the mind, body and soul. I had permission to spend a solitary night at StPatrick’s Purgatory on Lough Derg, as the pilgrimseason had just ended. This would be the spiritualelement to my walk – food for the soul.

In the evening, I left the fading light of the basilicato watch a glorious sunset over the surrounding hillsand I sat by the shore until a crescent moon rose overthe dark waters. The feeling was as good as anymonastery in the Himalayas or ashram in India. I said

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ger

dett

e R

oone

y C

olle

ctio

n

ULSTER WAY



COMERAGHS

WHAT’S IN A NAME?Michael O’Donoghue delves into the meanings of the Comeraghs’ place names

Above:Coumduala (ComDubh Fhalla,‘hollow of theblack cliff’) fromCnoc an Aifrinn.What’s in a name, indeed. The

Comeraghs, like everywhere else in Ireland, have a variety of placenames. The vast majority of thenames are Gaelic in origin, butmany have changed over time.

The Comeraghs have always been a remote, barrenplace and this has greatly helped to preserve the oldnames.

Here in Waterford, we owe a great debt to Canon Patrick Power for the Trojan work he did inresearching, recording and explaining so many of ourlocal place names. Canon Power understood theimportance of place to a rural people. In his book The place-names of Decies, published in the early 20th century, he gives us a wonderful insight into themany influences, both natural and human, that haveshaped the names of the places around us, downthrough the ages.

AnglicisationMany place names were nearly lost in translationwith the arrival of English as the spoken language inthe mid-19th century. However, Canon Power’s greatunderstanding of Irish enabled him to makeintelligent and almost always correct interpretationsof the anglicised names we were left with. Beforehim, John O’Donovan, working for the OrdnanceSurvey as Master of Antiquities, visited 62,000townlands and recorded 144,000 place names in the1830s and 1840s. Scholars like O’Donovan, Power andPatrick Joyce all emphasised that the present formof many Irish place names was derived from theancient Irish names as they were spoken, not written.For example, from Sliabh na mBan in Irish, you nowhave Slievenamon in the anglicised version.

The 19th century saw the rapid replacement of Irish by English as the vernacular in Ireland. Tens ofthousands of native speakers died out or emigratedduring and after the Great Famine. The NationalSchool system – or The Murder Machine, as PatrickPearse called it – introduced in 1831, greatlyencouraged parents and children alike to turn theirbacks on the old language. The Catholic Church andinfluential political leaders like Daniel O’Connell didlikewise. It was against this background that youngKilkenny man John O’Donovan was charged withpreserving as many of the old place names aspossible, and he did so by putting a huge emphasison preserving the sounds in the old names as spokenby native speakers. The Brian Friel play Translationsgives us a great insight into this chapter of ourcultural history.

➤ Michael O’Donoghuelives near Rathgormack,County Waterford. He isa founder member of theRathgormack Ramblersand has led walks inIreland, England,Scotland and Wales.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Mic

hael

O’D

onog

hue

38 Irish Mountain Log Winter 2020

Above: StuaicínGarbh (‘roughrock pinnacle’)aboveCoumshingaun.

Below: Bóthar naSocraide (‘thefuneral path’)near An Bearna(The Gap).

Early Celts: the bestowers of namesThe language of the early Celts, who came to Irelandin about 500 BC, was a forerunner of old Irish. TheCelts were fond of naming places from features inthe landscape around them. Most of the placenames in the Comeraghs today have an Irishlanguage source, with many referring to physicalfeatures, which suggests that the names are quiteancient and go back to early Celtic times. Power tellsus “Irish place names are the simplest of simplethings.” Much can be derived from the townlandname, according to Power. It has, he says, “the hoaryantiquity of centuries.”

Root wordsProbably the most common root word in theComeraghs is com, which means ‘marshy hollow.’

Since there are at least fourteen large marshyhollows on the mountains, scoured out by glaciers,it is not surprising to see the name Comeraghsapplied to the place. Coum Knockaun means‘hollow of the hillock;’ Coumduala (Com DubhFhalla), ‘hollow of the black cliff;’ and Comalochas,‘hollow of the lakes.’

Cnoc, a hill, and carraig, a rock, are two otherimportant physical-feature root words.Knockavannia means ‘hill of the milk;’Knockanaffrin, ‘hill of the Mass;’ Carricknagower,‘rock of the goats;’ and Carrigeen, ‘little rock.’

Rocky ribs are represented by the words stuaicand cruach. You have Stookeenmeen, ‘smoothrock cone,’ and Stookeengarriff, ‘rough rock cone,’above Coumshingaun. There are two Cruacháns onthe Comeraghs: Cruachán Paorach near Clonea ➤

Irish Mountain Log 39Winter 2020

(where the Powers of Curraghmore are buried) andCruachán Déiseach above Dungarvan.

Cluain, meaning ‘meadow,’ gleann, ‘glen or valley,’ cúl, ‘recess’ or ‘corner,’ and currach, meaning ‘marsh,’are other physical-feature root words. You haveClondonnell, ‘O’Donnell’s meadow;’ Glendalough, inthe Nire valley, ‘valley of the two lakes;’ Coolnalingadynear Rathgormack, ‘recess of the long lake’ or ‘recessof the lake of the robbers;’ and Curraghduff, on theplateau, meaning ‘black bog’ or ‘black marsh.’

Root words relating to water include loch (LoughMohra), glaise (Douglas, ‘dark river’) and uisce(Iske Sullas, ‘water of light,’ near Coumshingaun).

Words indicating a passage through the mountainsare represented by mám and bearna; both wordsmean ‘gap.’ The Mauma Road, from Bóthar an Mháma,is a gap between Cruachán Déiseach and theMonavullaghs, while The Gap(Béal an Bhearna) is a colbetween the Comeraghplateau and the Knockanaffrinridge, through which an oldfuneral route between the Nireand Rathgormack passes.

Animals and birds were alsopopular for place names.Carrigshanean means ‘rock of the old birds;’ Coumfea,perhaps ‘hollow of the deer;’Coumnagappul (near Colligan),‘hollow of the horses;’ Davbeg(near Kilrossanty), ‘small ox orstag;’ and Glenary (nearClonmel), ‘valley of theshepherd’ (aoire). The word‘Nire’ itself possibly comesfrom the old Irish word for cow(uidhir). Coumshingaun maymean ‘hollow of the ants.’


COMERAGHS

Above: AnSeanbhean (‘theold woman’)waterfall abovethe Sgilloges inthe Nire valley.

Below: Top ofComlara, or ComLadhair (‘hollowof the junction’),looking towardsKnockanaffrin.

Vegetation root words include móin, meaning‘turf,’ and coll, ‘hazel.’ Aitinn is ‘furze,’ seascann,‘sedge,’ and fraochán, ‘whortleberry (bilberry).’ You find Monavullaghs (‘turf on the summit’),Colligan (‘hollow of the hazel’), Coolattin (‘recess of the furze’), Curraghteskin (‘sedgy marsh’) andKilfrehan (‘church or wood of the whortleberries’).

The early Irish were a superstitious lot, hence theappearance of names relating to fairies andmythical characters. Carraigsheegowna may mean‘fairy rock of the calves;’ Shanballyanne may refer toÁine, a Celtic goddess (with Shanbally meaning ‘oldtownland’); while Seefin is ‘Finn McCool’s seat.’

There are some root words relating to settlement,some of them going back a long way. Rath, as inRathgormack (‘Cormac’s fort’), was an earthen ring

Pho

togr

aphs

: Mic

hael

O’D

onog

hue

fort from the early Christian period. Graig, as inGraigavalla (‘village on the route’) was a name usedfor a village often associated with early monasteries,though ‘Graig’ here may also mean rock.

Buaile is a very interesting root word. It was used inpre-Viking times to mean ‘a summer herding ormilking place,’ as in Boolabrien in the Nire valley andthe Boolas near Rathgormack. Leave out the ‘u’ andyou have baile, which came to mean ‘homestead’and eventually ‘town’, e.g. as in Ballymacarbery.

There are some place names connected withpeople. The O’Briens from Thomond got land aroundKilrossanty in the 15th century. As a result, you haveLemybrien and Mahon Falls (Mahon, or Mathún, wasa common first name amongst the O’Briens).Crotty’s Lake is named after the 18th-century robberWilliam Crotty. Knockaunapeebra (Cnocána’píobaire) above CoumMahon means ‘piper’s hill.’

There is little evidence ofrecent invaders influencingplace names (Viking, Normanor English planters), though inthe Nire valley you haveCurtiswood and Russelstown,while in Kilrossanty you haveRoxboro and Newtown Palliser.

Focal scoirMar fhocal scoir – or, as we sayin the fairly recent languagewe speak, “as a parting word” –the place names around theComeraghs today haveevolved and are constantlyevolving. What we have now isprobably a small enoughpercentage of the names thatwere once known before the


Above: TheBoolas (Na Buaillí,‘the herdingplaces’) and theirPater NosterLakes from theComeraghplateau.

Below: Seefin (Suí Fhinn) onMonavullaghswith modern hutand Bronze Agecairn.

arrival of modern times. Just think, what do we knowabout the language spoken in Ireland before the arrivalof the Celts? What were our places called then?

Canon Power refers to the name often used byscholars when writing about the earliest settlers inIreland, Ivernians, and from that some of the namesgiven to this land – Hibernia, Érin, etc. What, if any,evidence have we got of times back then? Powerbelieved that the names of many of the rivers of theDéise “defy analysis.” It is difficult to see a Celtic orGaelic origin in rivers’ names such as Lingaun, Tay,Brickey, Lickey, Funcheon or Dalligan. The language andplace names of the ‘Neolithic Aboriginals’ were wipedout by the Celts and, in turn, our Irish place names arenow in decline. What will we have left in anothercentury or two? That is a sobering thought! ■

THE WARM HEART OF AFRICARegina Flynn visits the Mulanje Massif in Malawi in south-east Africa

Above: MountMulanje.

Below: Smallfishing boats onLake Malawi.

“On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.”– Jules Renard

The young guide looked at me expectantlyand introduced himself as Leason. He saidthat he was an accredited guide for thenearby Mount Mulanje, which is alsoknown as the Mulanje Massif, a range ofover twenty peaks. I had arrived in the

nearby town of Mulanje in the south-east of Malawionly two hours earlier, after using various modes oftransport to get there from the country’s capital,Lilongwe. The almost 400km journey had taken allday, using a fast, non-stop coach going south fromLilongwe to Blantyre, followed by a series of localminibuses of dubious mechanical prowess heading toMulanje, packed with passengers, babies and theoccasional hen.

Malawi is a small, landlocked country located insouth-east Africa. It is about one and a half times the

size of Ireland, but one-third of its surface area is takenup by Lake Malawi. In 2018, it had a population of justover 18 million people, with 85% of that populationliving in rural areas.

Malawi is one of the ten poorest countries in theworld, with half of the population living below thepoverty line and 25% living in extreme poverty. Highunemployment, poor governance, alarming levels ofHIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, a lack of natural resources,poor quality of education provision and thesubsistence farming practiced by the majority of thepopulation contribute to the poverty of the Malawianpeople.

Nevertheless, it is a country of stunning beauty,home to Lake Malawi, the great Shire River, the ShireHighlands, which include the Zomba Plateau and theMulanje Massif, and game parks.

I was going to Mount Mulanje to go hiking for threedays in that magnificent range of granite peaks, the

➤ Regina Flynn has been anactive member of GalwayWalking Club for several years.She is also a keen traveller, whofrequently participates inwalking trips overseas.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Dav

id D

avie

s (M

t M

ulan

je),

Reg

ina

Flyn

n (L

ake

Mal

awi)


MALAWI

Above: SapitwaPeak (3,002m),the highestpeak in theMulanje Massif.

Below: ReginaFlynn on theLichenyaPlateau.

highest in central and southern Africa. The peaksstretch up to just over 3,000m, with the highest peak,at 3,002m, being Sapitwa Peak, as Leason informedme. It is part of a protected area measuring 22 km by26 km.

Today, villagers, families and small farmers continueto live around the massif in one of the highest ruralpopulation densities in Africa. Much of the areaconsists of rolling grassland at elevations of 1,800mto 2,200m, intersected by deep, forested ravines.Many of the other individual peaks reach heights ofover 2,500m, including Chambe Peak (2,557m), theWest Face of which is the longest rock climb in Africa.

Ten basic huts are dotted throughout the range forhikers to sleep in and in which a fire is lit for light, heatand cooking purposes. A caretaker is responsible foreach of these huts; hikers and guides carry their ownfood and the caretaker collects MK3,000 (€3) foreach night’s stay. Apart from the Church of Central

Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) hut, Hope’s Rest Cottage,where I was to stay the first night, these huts are allmaintained by the Mountain Club of Malawi (MCM).

Guides and porters are necessary, as both theascent and descent are very difficult, covering varyingforms of terrain, often with rocks and boulders. Thepaths are often barely visible and there are nolandmarks to guide a lone hiker, so groups of localpeople, both men and women, are employed to clearthe way.

Leason had come to the Mulanje Motel, where Iwas staying, to offer his services as a guide at thestandard rate of US$25 per day. An hour later, we hadwrapped matters up and had arranged to meet at7.00am the following day. I was chuffed. Within oneday I had travelled a long distance from Lilongwe, hadfound a place to stay, had organised a three-day tripto Mount Mulanje and was about to embark on agreat adventure.

Packing only the minimum of clothing, food and asleeping bag, I set off from the Mulanje Motel withLeason the following morning. For the first fourkilometres we walked through a tea estate. MountMulanje presides over many tea estates, for which thearea is noted. According to Leason, Prince Charlesowns many of these estates! Malawi’s highunemployment rate is partially attributed to theclosure of tea factories, which has had a devastatingimpact in the region.

The Lichenya PlateauSoon after we got through the tea estate, the ascentbegan in earnest. Leason had explained to me that wewould follow the Boma Path from Mulanje town upand across the Lichenya Plateau. This was a verytough climb, sheer and steep, consisting mainly ofhuge boulders and rocks that involved extensivescrambling. These boulders and rocks straddledstreams and waterfalls, whose waters were cold,spring-like and delicious to drink.

It was probably the hardest climb that I have everdone, outdoing Mount Kilimanjaro. It was so sheer andP

hoto

grap

hs: R

egin

a Fl

ynn

Winter 2020

➤


Above: Boulder-strewn hill on theLichenya Plateau.

Below: Hope’sRest Cottage, the Church ofCentral AfricaPresbyterian(CCAP) hut.

a lot of scrambling was involved; and the boulderswere big and quite intimidating. There were fewbranches to clutch on to, but the local guides climbedin loafers, brown runners or open sandals, withoutqualms and seemingly without minding their ownsafety. Those guys were amazing, but their income issporadic and precarious.

The sun shone all day. At about 2,000m, afterclimbing almost 1,300m, I was getting weary and itwas time to call it a day. The CCAP Hope’s RestCottage (1,981m) was a welcome sight. The hutcontained a bench, a table and chairs, and had roomfor up to eight hikers to stay. A thin mattress on awooden frame was my bed. Everywhere wasspotlessly clean, maintained by the caretaker,Henderson.

Huge logs burned in the large fireplace. I boiled thekettle and pots for rice and pasta. One other hikershared the accommodation, Juris from Barcelona.William, his guide, had hauled a live chicken up fromMulanje. I didn’t witness its killing outside the hut, butJuris and William were eagerly anticipating their two-course meal of chicken soup followed by chicken withrice. They polished off the pot and I wasn’t offeredany!

The majestic peaks, the silence, the purity of the airand even the open latrines and the makeshift showerfilled me with a sense of awe. Darkness fell at 6.00pmand, soon after, the sky was luminous with thousandsof stars twinkling brightly. I felt very near to the skyand it was as if I could reach out and pluck the starsfrom it.

After being in bed the previous night at theunearthly hour of 7.20pm, I welcomed the early7.00am start the following morning. The sun shonebrightly again and we set off to climb the nearbyChilemba Peak (2,365m).

Chilemba PeakYellow and purple flowers danced in the slight breezewhile large cacti dotted the landscape. Sounds oftree-cutting could be heard and I was informed thatthey were poachers who are illegally wiping out theindigenous cedar tree unique to Mount Mulanje.Hardy young men carry the blocks of wood down themountains where it is sold in neighbouring

Mozambique and SouthAfrica, for use by artists andcraftspeople. Authorities seemto turn a blind eye to thislucrative practice.

Another exhilarating dayensued. The splendour of theencircling granite andlimestone peaks, the lack ofhuman activity, the stillnessand quietness of thelandscape, the space and thebush combined to create atimeless, magical, mindfulexperience. Yes, the climb washard and arduous. I think itwas the hardest that I have

ever done, again on a par with the final ascent ofKilimanjaro, but it was intriguing, exciting andchallenging.

MCM’s Chambe Hut, where we stayed that night,was located at an altitude of 1,860m. Firewood wasavailable but it was suggested by the caretaker thathikers should not burn too much of it. Hence anotherearly night was called for. It was also the custom ofthe guides, porters and caretakers of the huts to eat ahot meal of their staple nsima (maize) early in theevening and then to sleep, so it was implied thatvisitors should do the same. I was on my own in thehut, so there was no company except the stars.

When the last day of the trip finally dawned, it couldnot come soon enough, as I had been in bed since6.00pm the previous night! We set off on thedownward journey. I was nostalgic and lonely, and didnot want to leave this magical, inspiring range ofmountains. The crossing of streams and rivers provedchallenging, but we made it safely to the bottom,where I paid MK1,000 (€1) to the Likhubula ForestryOffice for the three-day adventure.

For a climbing experience, for a low-cost expeditionand for the sheer adventure of it, I would highlyrecommend a trip to Malawi’s Mount Mulanje. Icertainly enjoyed my visit to this memorablemountain range ■

Pho

togr

aphs

: Reg

ina

Flyn

n (b

ould

er-s

trew

n hi

ll), M

ount

ain

Clu

b of

Mal

awi (

CC

AP

hut)


MALAWI

ICELAND

Lar Matthews has warm memories of a trip to Iceland

Above:Landmannalaugarlandscape.

Right: GullfossWaterfall.

Ihad always regarded Iceland as a place for realmountaineers to go to, but not for the likes ofhillwalkers like myself. However, when I got anopportunity to go there in the first week of July2006 with a group of friends, I grabbed it.

The country’s spectacular beauty is the stuff oflegends, and the strangeness of its landscape isawesome. Iceland is quite new in terms of how theEarth is developing, and visiting there is akin totaking a geological trip through recent history. It isinteresting to learn about Iceland’s geology in thecontext of its receding glaciers. Indeed, some peoplesay that it is like visiting the moon.

We landed in the world’s most northerly capitalcity, Reykjavik, replete with its wooden houses withblue, green, red and white roofs. I recommend goingup on the roof of Hallgrimskirkja, a church with agreat view of the city.

➤ Lar Matthews is a veteran ofover 60 years’ mountain hikingexperience, throughout Ireland andbeyond. He is still an intrepidhillwalker and is an occasionalwriter.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Jos

hua

Sort

ino

(Lan

dman

nala

ugar

), Kh

amké

o V

ilays

ing

(Gul

lfoss

Wat

erfa

ll)

Irish Mountain Log 45Winter 2020

MAGICAL HIKING IN ICELAND

➤

Above: One of the many stunningwaterfalls on theFimmvorduhalsTrail.

Below:SkogafossWaterfall, thelast waterfalldownriver on theFimmvorduhalsTrail, at the endof the route.

Early on, one of the real surprises there wascoming out of a pub at 11.30pm and seeing the sunstill shining on the top storeys of the buildingsaround us. There were nearly 24 hours of daylightwhen we were there, so some found it a bit difficultto sleep at night. However, the sun disappears therefrom November to February, when there is theopportunity to see the Northern Lights.

Iceland is not a cheap place to holiday. A pint ofbeer was the equivalent of around €10 and, whentwo of our party ordered puffins in a restaurant as astarter, they found out that it was a rather costlyentrée, at €28 each!

We took a full-day tour to Thingvellir NationalPark, where the great Atlantic Rift tears Iceland apartalong the tectonic plates. We also visited thepowerful Gullfoss Waterfall and the very impressiveStrokkur Geyser, which erupts with boiling waterevery ten minutes to a height of a hundred feet –certainly a ‘wow’ moment! Warning: don’t standdownwind of it!

Fimmvorduhals trekThe trek over the Fimmvorduhals mountain pass islisted as one of the twenty best treks in the world byNational Geographic magazine, and is only open for afew short months of the year. We were transportedto Thorsmork by a high-chassis eight-wheel buswith six-feet diameter wheels, as we had to drivethrough rivers four feet deep in places.

When we started walking, we were in light clothes,but, as we climbed, we put on extra layers. Afterseveral hours we came to a dodgy, knife-edge arêtewith long drops on either side.

Later, we had to traverse a one-foot-wide narrowshelf on the side of a high cliff where the wire

handrails had been swept away, presumably by anavalanche. Some of the group found this very testing.

Nearing the top of the pass, we found it difficult tofind the hut, as the mist was right down on us and thewaymarks were covered in snow, but we were lucky tosee some footprints, which guided us to the hut wherewe were staying.

Hut sleepoverThe hut was located in a very precarious place on thehighest point of the pass. Tons of rocks were piledagainst it, up to the sills of the windows, to stop itbeing blown away. The Eyjafjallajokull volcaniceruption in 2010 created two new craters there anddestroyed the hut. The ash it emitted disrupted airtravel for ten million people, and the locals were verymuch affected by the sulphur dioxide gas.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Nic

ky H

ore

(wat

erfa

ll, t

op),

Rio

Hod

ges

(Sko

gafo

ss W

ater

fall)


ICELAND


Above: ThingvellirNational Parklandscape.

Below: Hot steamrises amongstsnow-coveredblack rhyolitemountains on theLandmannalaugarTrail.

That night, we stayed in the hut and were rockedto sleep by the wind shaking it. We had to meltsnow for our drinks and meals, as there was norunning water. The toilets, which included a unisexurinal, were holes in the floor with barrelsunderneath, which had to be transported down tothe coast periodically to be emptied.

The next day, the mist was still down when wewere leaving the hut and, to make things worse, itwas raining and windy on our way down to Skogar.We came to a ford in the river, which wasimpassable, so we backtracked and were lucky tofind a footbridge. It was just as well, as otherwise wewould have had to return to the hut, even though itwas booked out for that night.

Arriving in Skogar, we were allowed into thereception area of the local museum to change intodry clothes and then literally had to pour the waterfrom our boots outside.

Landmannalaugar hikeOn another day, we went to Landmannalaugar(‘the people’s pool’). This is a geothermal areaflanked by rhyolite rock, steaming hot springs,black lava, green moss, red iron, and blue-greenmountains, a perfect setting for a great day’s hike!

We went for a four-hour walk through thestrange, sprawling lava fields, with sulphur vents allaround. We finished with a dip in one of the hotgeothermal pools.

On our way back to the hotel, the bus driverpointed out some car tracks on a hillside that hadbeen created by an off-road vehicle twenty yearsago. The tracks were still visible, which underlinedthe fragility of the environment in Iceland.

The Blue LagoonThe Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is surreal, withsteam rising among the jet-black lava formations.This was a great way to finish a magical holiday, sodifferent from anywhere I have hiked before ■

Pho

tos:

Gun

nar S

igur

ðars

on (T

hing

velli

r), N

icky

Hor

e (h

ot s

prin

g)

Trekking in IcelandBy Nicky Hore, Features Editor

Iceland’s most popular trek doesn’t actuallyhave a name. It consists of the Laugavegur Trail,which runs south from Landmannalaugur toThorsmork, and then continues as theFimmvorduhals Trail to Skogar on the southcoast.

As Lar Matthews describes in the main article,it is possible to start sections of the trail fromeither end or from Thorsmork. The LaugavegurTrail is 55 kilometres long and the secondsection over the Fimmvorduhals Pass is 22km.Usually the full 77km trek is completed over sixor seven days.

Most trekkers use the services of travelcompanies for transport from Reykjavik, to bookaccommodation in the huts, and for theexpertise of their guides.

Independent travel is another option,however, and camping is also possible. Bothoptions keep the costs down, but they requiregood preparation.

Food and a sleeping bag need to be carriedon the trek, as the mountain huts are basic,though warm and dry.

The weather can change quickly in Icelandand, in the summer, despite up to twenty-threehours of daylight, it is advisable to carry full raingear, wind proofs and additional warm clothes.River crossing shoes will also definitely berequired, and the boots that you wear to walk inthe Irish mountains would be ideal for trekkingin Iceland ■

ISLE OF SKYE

It was July 1974 and we were in retreat from theCoire Lagan, an impressive corrie in the Cuillin, onthe Isle of Skye. My more experienced partner,Billy Plews, had decided that to go beyondCollie’s Ledge in poor visibility, with a rookie whodidn’t know what an abseil was (never mind not

knowing how to do one), was at best inadvisable.Although I didn’t actually get to see the Cuillin on

that occasion, I was captivated, obsessed even. I usedto fantasise about walking out of my boring job inBallymena, catching the early boat to Stranraer anddriving non-stop to Glenbrittle, then a grim, midge-infested backwater on Skye. It is better now, some say.

I have been back quite a few times since, more oftenthan not with others whose main objective was acomplete traverse of the main Cuillin Ridge. I joinedthem once, but opted out about halfway along. Don’tget me wrong, I love scrambling. I also like Victoriasponge but I wouldn’t consider eating a whole cake atone sitting. Better one slice of the Cuillin at a time,methinks, and savour it.

The peaks that caught my eye there weren’t alwaysthe highest. First, it was Sgurr an Fheadain from theSligachan/Glenbrittle Road, its striking profile split by

the aptly-named Waterpipe Gully. Then it was thecrenellated summit and seamed flanks of Sgurr naStri, best viewed from Elgol. And finally, Sgurr na h-Uamha, a spur of Sgurr nan Gillean towering overHarta Coire. Because of their modest heights, thesebeauties are often clear when all above and behindare hidden in the murk.

Sgurr na Stri (494m)This peak has a very long approach from, well,anywhere, so it is best to take a boat in from Elgolto Loch Coriusk. You can cross the Coruisk outflowon stepping stones in most conditions and followthe coastal path, with one bad step, which isn’t thatbad, south-east along the base of the mountain toa broad, grassy saddle (GR 504 186). The SSEbuttress gives a 2-star, grade 2/3 scramble to thesummit, which is well described in the ScottishMountaineering Club’s Skye Scrambles guide. I thinkI just followed my nose, choosing or avoiding

Above: Sgurr nah-Uamha, Isle ofSkye, Scotland.

Below: Bathers inthe Fairy Pools(the biggesttourist attractionof the Cuillin)with Sgurr anFheadain behind.

SCRAMBLES IN THE CUILLINAlan Tees scales some of his favourite peaks in the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ala

n Te

es

➤ Alan Tees has been a memberof Mountaineering Ireland for overforty years and is a past President.He is an all-round outdoorenthusiast and an instigator of theGlover Highlander and theClimbfest. He likes to climb duringthe warmer months and to hillwalkfor the rest of the year. Alan editedthe 2001 Donegal Rock ClimbingGuide, produced the Scrambles inUlster and Connacht guide, andmore recently assisted in theproduction of Irish Peaks.


obstacles, to the summit, which is greatly fissuredwith great boulders. If the main ridge is obscured,there are still amazing views down over stunning LochCoruisk and out to Rhum and Eigg. Best to descendnorth and then west to the stepping stones, hopingyou are in time to catch the last boat out. Thealternative doesn’t bear thinking about, unless youcan get into the hut.

Sgurr na h-Uamha (736m)I first noticed this peak from Druim nan Ramh aboveLoch Coruisk, its K2-like profile rising from Harta Coireand totally eclipsing all its loftier neighbours. I wasback a couple of years later but, being on my own, Iopted to pass on the Harta Face and take a risingtraverse from Glen Sligachan to the connecting ridgebetween it and Sgurr Beag, leaving only a short climbto the top. It looked wet, slimy and exposed, so Iopted for another ascent of the easier Sgurr nanGillean. I would like to go back and do either theNaismith Parker route on the South Ridge or thePilkington Route, the original route of ascent in 1887,both grade 3 scrambles.

Sgurr an Fheadain (689m)Another shapely spur of the Cuillin, most oftenviewed from the twisty, single-track Glenbrittle Road(if you can take your eye off the road for long enough),and driven past many times en route to some morelofty objective. Pointy and cleft by Waterpipe Gully, itpresents a unique profile. It finally got onto my ‘mustdo’ list for the 2020 post-lockdown Scottish trip.When we got there, we had to dramatically rethinkour preconception that we were approaching a low-profile, unfrequented mountain. Directed into amassive new car park and charged a fiver, we joinedthe hordes descending a well-constructed path tothe Fairy Pools, a series of small cascades and poolsin the river emanating from the base of the mountain.

Our remote mountain was now the backdrop for amillion selfies, as the Fairy Pools have become themain tourist product of the Cuillin and Skye. Prior tothis there was little in the Cuillin for the tourist to take

Above: Sgurr naStri from Elgol.

Below: BideanDruim nan Ramhfrom Sgurr anFheadain.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ala

n Te

es

home, other than perhaps a murky photo and a fewmidge bites. It is easy to draw some comparisons with‘The Stairway to Heaven’ in Fermanagh, which iscertainly also a catchy name and image, circulated onsocial media, that draws huge crowds. However, thepools are natural and were always there. Whilst thereare any number of similar pools all over Scotland,these just got handed celebrity status.

Leaving the snappers and dippers behind to themercy of the midges, we climbed The Spur, a 2-stargrade 2 scramble taking the ridge left of WaterpipeGully, with no need for a rope. We had the route toourselves, though on our descent there were threeother parties on it. A fine short day and a good tasterto Skye scrambling, with parking and the approachnow much easier, provided you don’t mind the crowds.

No longer an obsession, the Cuillin nevertheless stillhave an ongoing attraction for me and I would reallylike to go back there again in 2021, when the currentCovid-19 crisis has been sorted out. It would be nice tostick around long enough to go to all the places I havenever visited before. That would not just be the CuillinRidge, but also the remote, inaccessible corries, thegullies and the ramps, to really get to know the Cuillin ■


ICE CLIMBING IN THE ROCKIES

Naoise Ó Muircheartaigh goes ice climbing with friends in the Canadian Rockies

Above: Naoise ÓMuircheartaigh onP2 of WhitemanFalls (WI6).

Right: Naoise onPhysiotherapy(WI5, M7), EvanThomas Creek.

Note: Canadian Ice Climbing GradesWinter Ice – WI (from WI1 to WI7)Mixed climbing, ice and rock – M

Mount Dennis, Field, British Columbia

It was a 5.00am start in mid-February, 2019. Four of us had travelled to climb ice and mixedroutes on Mount Dennis in British Columbia. The weather was cold and calm in the valley,although we saw signs of wind high above,

not an uncommon occurrence but potentiallydangerous with movement of the snow cover on the faces.

After a little deliberation, we decided the riskswere acceptable and marched into our routes alongthe fringes of an avalanche debris field. Pilsner Pillaris graded Winter Ice 6 (WI6), with the crux pitchforming a 40m dead-vertical and free-standing pillar

➤ Naoise Ó Muircheartaigh is a native of theKingdom of Kerry and took to the mountains froma young age. He has walked and climbedextensively throughout Ireland and around theworld. Having been introduced to winter climbingby his mentors growing up, his passion forcommitting and technical climbing has naturallyled him to search for steep winter routes.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ben

San

ford

Med

ia


ICE CLIMBING

Above: BenSandfordbeneath theStanleyHeadwall.

Right: GerryDumouchel(left) and TaylorSullivanfollowing theteam’s ‘FA’ (first ascent) ofSick Day (WI3,M2) on StormMountain.

of dripping wet andchandeliered ice. It is aformidable beauty and atestament to the skill andnerve of the first ascensionistsin 1978, who had nothing likethe aggressive curved-shaftice tools or the fast-placingscrews that moderninnovation has afforded us.

Leaving the belay cavethrough a hole in the pillar, wecould hear Doug Hollinger’sprogress as his grunts andkicks echoed through thehollow ice, and he occasionallycursed a stuck tool or the lackof solid ice for protection. Icecrashed down as he cleared avertical path through the wetchandeliers.

Reaching the top, shiveringand soaked to the jocks, Dougbelayed Ben Sanford up,leaving him there at the top ofthe climb to shoot pictures ofTaylor Sullivan and I ascendingTraditional Ale. As we roped up,heavy spindrift spilled downalongside the route. We brieflydiscussed the possibility ofsomething bigger comingdown, but we felt safe in theoverhanging terrain and carried on. Doug scurriedback to the car to dry out.

Traditional Ale (WI5, M7) climbs steep mixedground by the Pilsner Pillar, finishing up a free-hangingdagger and joining the top half of the pillar to finish.Balancing my mono-point crampons on little edgesand searching above for thin hook placements, Iscratched my way up the steep rock to gain thedagger, and higher, to some rusty old pegs, which Ihappily clipped.

At the top, Ben and I delighted at the climbs, as Ibelayed Taylor. I felt his weight on the rope and triedto call out. However, except for the faint sound ofcursing carried on the wind, communication wasimpossible owing to the noise from one of theRockies’ massive trains, which was passing below.Knowing it would be passing for quite some time, andfiguring that Taylor had swung into free spacebeneath the overhang, I lowered him to the ground.Then I, set up an abseil and descended, leaving Benon the spacious ledge.

Several metres down a free-hanging abseil, havingcleared enough daggers for a safe retreat, I heard anoise. It was that deep grumbling sound that I hadread about and heard of in stories but until thennever experienced myself. There was no mistakingwhat was to come. My insides clenched in nervoustension. Seconds later a tsunami of snow eruptedfrom the top of the cliff, the bulk of which was luckilysent sailing over my head. The torrent of snowpummelled me as I clung to the rope. I was gripped

out of my mind, every gap in my clothing filled withcold snow. Daggers from above rained down, narrowlymissing me.

Glancing down, I saw Taylor and Ryan running forcover as the slope they were standing on was draggedinto the debris. I saw Ryan lose his footing and getdragged towards the churning mass before my sight

Pho

togr

aphs

: Nao

ise

Ó M

uirc

hear

taig

h


➤

ICE CLIMBING

Above: Naoisebridging the daggeron CascadeKronenbourg (WI5).

Below: Naoise andBen Sanford onRainbow Serpent(WI6).

was obscured by powder in the air. The skydarkened and the deafening noise grew moreviolent for what seemed like an eternity. After itpassed, light powder dust was still settling and theair was filled with shouting, as we checked in witheach other.

Amazingly, Taylor had managed to catch Ryan,who was now sitting clutching an injured knee butotherwise unharmed. We roared up to the top, butheard nothing from Ben. The bloody train was stillpassing below! Minutes passed as we scannedthe debris field, shouting and searching for a redjacket amongst the mangled trees and scatteredrocks.

“Aye, mate?” Ben’s unmistakeable Australianaccent drew our gaze upward. What a relief to seehis head sticking out from the top of the route! Hehad taken cover under the rock I was anchored to,as the avalanche roared past. Checking in witheach other on the ground, it became apparentwhat had happened to Taylor. He was missing halfa front tooth after getting too close to the back ofhis ice tool when it popped off a delicateplacement. With only a missing tooth and sometorn ligaments between the four of us, we hadescaped very lightly and had learnt someimportant lessons about the power of themountains.

Winter ice climbing in the Canadian RockiesThe Canadian Rockies are a range of astoundingbeauty, a true wilderness in places, the likes ofwhich is uncommon in western Europe. Flying intoCalgary over the prairies, you are confronted by awall of mountains as far as the eye can see, hidinglifetimes of skiing and climbing of every discipline,

if you can find your way into them.Climbing there is always an adventure, often

requiring long ski approaches or 4x4 driving with nolifts or phone service, adding to the feeling ofexposure. It has long been a testing ground for iceclimbers, and a winter climbing paradise.

The western Rockies take the brunt of the heavymaritime snow, leaving a lower volume of crisp, drypowder to be dropped over the eastern side. Freeze-melt cycles of cold temperatures, sometimesextreme, and warm Chinook winds bring to life someof the most spectacularly sculpted ice linesimaginable. There are steep ice spills over sheermountain faces everywhere you look. Long mountainice lines like Polar Circus (WI5), steep featured pillarslike Curtain Call (WI6) and ephemeral lines such asSea of Vapours (WI6/7), that can come and go in a

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ben

San

ford

Med

ia (C

asca

de K

rone

nbou

rg)


Above: Naoise onRainbow Serpent(WI6).

Below: BenSanford after asuccessful climbon Ice Nine (WI6).

matter of days, tell a story of daring ice climbingspanning half a century.

Since the late 1960s, visionary pioneers of ourdiscipline, such as Swiss climber Urs Kallen andSouth African/Canadian Dave Cheesemond, alongwith American Jeff Lowe and his contemporariesfrom the mid-1970s, have left an historical markthrough these routes, each generation laying thegroundwork for the next, shaping the great alpinistsof our time, such as American Steve House and thelate Marc-André Leclerc from Canada.

Moving to the RockiesIt was a single photograph that prompted me tomove to the Rockies in 2018 – a photograph of The Sorcerer, a stunning 210m streak of WI5 ice set inthe back of a limestone amphitheatre in the GhostRiver area of Alberta. At the time, Iknew little about where the route was and felt that it would be wellabove my abilities. Nevertheless, I was looking for somewhere to go, so I went.

I had a lot to learn and wasincredibly fortunate to make solidpartnerships early on and to bewelcomed into a climbing communityfull of people more than willing toshare their knowledge. While workingas a ski patroller at one of the resorts,my climbing partners and I startedticking our way through the classicsand, much to our delight, up throughthe grades.

Thanks to a solid climbing partner,with no shortage of psyche, weclimbed the goal route of The

Sorcerer sooner than we expected, which was ahuge confidence boost for what was to come. Ourelation that day was flattened a bit after we drovethe pickup through a river ice-shelf and had tospend a night out in -25°C.

Nonetheless, we were keen for more of it, so wegot cold and scared on many more routesthroughout the Rockies, including dream climbs ofmine, including Rainbow Serpent (WI6) and Ice Nine(WI6).

We worked our way through a progression ofsteep ice routes over two winter seasons, leading usto some wild routes and unforgettable experiences,from encounters with wolves, new routes,successes, failures and the odd close call. Still, weonly scratched the surface; there are lifetimes ofclimbing to be done in the Rockies ■

Pho

togr

aphs

: Ben

San

ford

Med

ia (R

ainb

ow S

erpe

nt),

Nao

ise

Ó M

uirc

hear

taig

h (Ic

e N

ine)


Written byRuth Whelan, HillwalkingDevelopmentOfficer

Club supportP

hoto

grap

h: C

hris

Mon

tgom

ery

Several Club and Member Support Meetings were held by Zoom during September 2020

This year’s Club SupportMeetings were held onlinedue to the ongoing Covid-19restrictions. Four meetings intotal were held during themonth of September, one foreach province, to enableclubs to engage with otherclubs in their region.

The main purpose of themeetings was to provideclubs with an opportunity toraise questions and concerns,to network with other clubsin their region, and to shareknowledge and experiences.Clubs were asked to submitany specific topics theywanted to discuss in advanceof the meetings to ensurethat all meetings were

tailored to the clubs’ needs,but all topics were addressedon the evening.

The meeting was hosted byRuth Whelan, the HillwalkingDevelopment Officer,supported by DamienO’Sullivan, Climbing Officer,Helen Lawless, Access andConservation Officer, andJane Carney, Training Officer,who were all on hand toanswer any specificquestions the clubs mighthave.

Overall, fifty clubs wererepresented at thesemeetings, with lots ofinteraction from everyonepresent, and an array oftopics discussed.

Club Support Meetings

Key pointsCovid-19 Updates andconcerns as ofSeptember 2020There was a lot of discussionon how clubs were managingwith the restrictions, parkingconcerns, group sizes andtrying to keep numbers low.

One of the main topicsdiscussed throughout wasthat of car-pooling. Therewas lots of conversationaround possible solutions tothis issue that is being facedby clubs. MountaineeringIreland has raised the issuewith Sport Ireland forclarification, to see if thereare any safe options for

sharing a car with someonefrom outside of yourhousehold.

Sport Ireland advised thatyou should not share privatevehicles with people fromoutside your household. Ifthis is not possible, such as inthe case of an emergency,face coverings should beworn when sharing a vehicle.

The advice from thegovernment is that car-pooling with anyone fromoutside your household couldpotentially increase the risk ofcatching Covid-19. Therefore,it is not advised to car-share.

The practicalities aroundadditional advice for contacttracing, recording and


storing data, and followingand enforcing governmentguidelines, were alsodiscussed. Lots of clubs aregetting interest from newmembers, but a number ofthem are not in a position totake them on due tocapacity.

The difficulties in runningAGMs at the moment, andhow best to approach them,were discussed.

The discussions also lookedat whether there were anychanges to access due to thecurrent restrictions.

Restrictions on climbingwere also considered, and theimpact they have on youngpeople training forcompetitions.

It was also highlighted thatmany of the problemscurrently arising from theinflux of people to the hillsare being caused by otherusers of the hills and notnecessarily members ofMountaineering Ireland.Members can help thesituation by becomingadvocates forMountaineering Ireland’smessages, or be our eyes onthe ground for issues relatedto access, littering, parking,group size and behaviour,and responsible recreation.

Other general discussionsincluded details on whatresources are available to

clubs, including the additionalonline training supportsavailable onwww.mountaineering.ie,details on the training grantsthat are available, and onGDPR guidelines, particularlyin relation to Covid-19.

Ways to retain clubmembers and to bring in newmembers were alsodiscussed, and how trainingwithin clubs, and fosteringindependence amongst clubmembers, can support this.

Action frommeetings• The names and details of

club contacts werecirculated to those inattendance at eachmeeting, so that clubscould connect with eachother at a local level.

• We communicatedclarification on our adviceon Covid-19 concerns.

• We published advice onhow to run AGMs onlineand circulated this to allclubs.

Note: At the time of writing,the Republic of Ireland hasmoved to Level 5 of Covid-19restrictions. MountaineeringIreland continues to engagewith Sport Ireland to seek

clarification on the practicalimplications of the Level 5restrictions for hillwalking andclimbing.

Mountaineering Ireland isalso engaging with thegovernment to seek anamendment to the domestictravel restriction of 5km inLevel 5, to allow hillwalkersand climbers to participate intheir activities in a safe andresponsible manner in thelonger term of living withCovid-19.

The physical and mentalhealth benefits of hillwalkingand climbing are welldocumented. Researchindicates that outdoorenvironments pose a low riskof Covid-19 transmission.Considering these twofactors together provides astrong basis for reconsideringthe 5km restriction, whicheffectively prevents ouractivities and other physical

activities from taking place.We would urge all clubs to

remain in contact with theirmembers, particularly thosewho may be more isolateddue to their livingcircumstances.

Mountaineering Ireland ishere to support all clubs andmembers, so please contactus directly if we can be of anyassistance.

At the start of November,Mountaineering Irelandlaunched a series of onlinechats, presentations, skillsworkshops and lectures.These events hopefully willhelp us to keep in touchthroughout lockdown andkeep our passion forhillwalking and climbing alive.

• Keep an eye on ourwebsite and social mediapages for further events thatmay be added ■


Mountaineering Ireland continues to provide the

book service previously operated by Joss

Lynam. We can supply you with guidebooks

and maps to almost any part of the world.

For the walker, there is a large collection of

Cicerone guides and books, or the wider

selection of books and guides distributed

by Cordee which also includes many

climbing guides. Books reviewed in the

Irish Mountain Log can usually be

purchased through Joss Books with a

members’ discount. To place an order,

ring the Mountaineering Ireland office

on (01) 6251115 or email

[email protected].

Gathering for a navigation course on Croagh Patrick duringEuropean Week of Sport in September

Written byHelen Lawless, Access &ConservationOfficer

Access & Conservation

Minister rejects Sperrins windfarm


Mountaineering Ireland welcomed thenews on October 26th, 2020, thatNorthern Ireland’s Infrastructure Minister,Nichola Mallon, had refused permissionfor the largest ever application for awindfarm in Northern Ireland. The 33-turbine Doraville development wasproposed for a location to the south ofthe Glenelly Valley, at the heart of theSperrin Area of Outstanding NaturalBeauty (AONB). The application wasrejected because it would causeconsiderable harm to the landscapeinterest of a large part of the SperrinAONB and to its unique archaeological,cultural and tourism assets.

This decision vindicated the concernsexpressed in Mountaineering Ireland’s2017 submission on this application.Mountaineering Ireland’s submission wasmade in the context of supporting theprinciple of sustainable, renewable energydevelopment, but also adhering to ourstrategic objective to be a voice for theprotection of mountain landscapes. Agreater diversity in renewable energysources, improvements in grid capacity,better energy storage solutions and there-powering of older windfarms will allassist in achieving the UK target of netzero carbon emissions by 2050, withoutthe further loss of undeveloped sceniclandscapes.

The scale of the Doraville proposal (33turbines of 136 to 149 metres in height)and its central location within the AONBwere key concerns. This huge windfactory would have industrialised animportant scenic landscape anddetracted from the quality of visitorexperiences in the Sperrins into thefuture. In September 2019,Mountaineering Ireland emphasisedthese and related concerns to a PlanningAppeals Commission (PAC) public inquiryon Doraville. The Minister's decision wasin line with the PAC recommendation.

Windfarm proposed in the MournesNews of the refusal of the Doravilleapplication came on the same day thatMountaineering Ireland Board memberDawson Stelfox presentedMountaineering Ireland’s concerns

regarding proposals for a windfarm nearHilltown in the western Mournes toNewry Mourne and Down Districtcouncillors. Dawson highlighted that theproposed windfarm would be ‘industrialexploitation’ of part of the MourneAONB, an area that has been sodesignated in recognition of its scenicbeauty.

The Mourne proposal is for eightturbines with an overall height of 142.5metres at Gruggandoo, south ofHilltown. This is the third attempt by thesame developers to secure planningapproval on this site. In examining thelatest proposals, Mountaineering Irelandidentified issues with the landscape andvisual impact assessment submitted bythe developers. Mountaineering Ireland isstrongly of the view that thisdevelopment would completelyundermine the integrity of the AONBdesignation in the Mournes and that itwould be unacceptably damaging to thevisual amenity and landscape characterof the area.

The development would also diminishthe quality of current and futurerecreation experiences in the Mournes,thereby reducing the economic benefitthat recreation and tourism bring to thearea. Mountaineering Ireland submitteda robust objection to the proposal inOctober 2020, complemented by

observations from a charteredlandscape architect.

As the proposed Gruggandoowindfarm is considered to be regionallysignificant, it needs to be decided on bythe Department for Infrastructure.Although Newry Mourne and DownDistrict Council’s Planning Officeradvised that the council shouldrecommend that the Department refusethe application, councillors insteaddecided to vote on a motion calling onMinister Nichola Mallon to refer theapplication to a public inquiry before thePlanning Appeals Commission. Thatmotion was passed overwhelmingly bythe councillors, so it now seems likelythat Mountaineering Ireland will have toprepare its case for a public inquiry onthis application.

While the Sperrins decision isextremely positive, both theseapplications bring into focus the weaklegal protection for Northern Ireland’smost highly valued and exceptionallandscapes.

Read our submissionsMountaineering Ireland’s submissions onthe Doraville and Gruggandoo windfarmscan be accessed on the Downloads pagewithin the Access and Environmentsection of www.mountaineering.ie ■

'The 19 turbines in the Brockaboy windfarm in the northern Sperrins have an overall height of 136m.

Responsible Enjoyment of Special Places with Empathy, Care and Trust

This has been a tough year for everyone.Especially tough for those who have lostloved ones, and for those who have losttheir jobs. For hillwalkers and climbers,missing the activities we love has beenanother dimension to a difficult year.

Those who got back to the mountainsand crags over the summer experiencedthe wonderful feeling of returning totheir happy place – the sense of space,the air, the views and the physicalexertion. The period of absence made

the experience sweeter. We will all getback there again.

When we do, let’s extend ourappreciation to the landowners andlocal communities in Ireland’s uplandand coastal areas. It has been a toughand worrying time for them too. Forthose in popular locations, add to thatthe sense of being overwhelmed byvisitor numbers, traffic congestion andhaving to deal with the litter left behindby a minority of people.

When reconnecting with the placesyou love, try to include a sociallydistanced chat with someone livingthere. Listen to how it’s been for themand put yourself in their shoes. As cafésand other businesses in upland areas re-open, they will need our support. Takethe opportunity to express yourgratitude for the enjoyment we get fromour time in the mountains. Thoseconversations will help ensure we allhave many happy returns ■

Many happy returns

Pho

togr

aph:

Zöe

Dev

lin

Current Access & Conservation activitiesIn the last issue of the Irish Mountain Log (IML 135, pages 38-39), we provided an overview of Mountaineering Ireland’sAccess and Conservation work in 2019. Here, we briefly outline a selection of projects we’re currently involved with.

National Outdoor Recreation StrategyMountaineering Ireland is participating ina Working Group tasked with developinga new National Outdoor RecreationStrategy. The new Strategy will provide avision and an overarching framework forthe growth and development of outdoorrecreation in Ireland.

Review of the Walks SchemeMountaineering Ireland is providing inputto a current review of the WalksScheme, under which landowners arepaid to maintain sections of designatedwalking routes on their land. Our inputhas been mainly in relation to thepotential for a Walks Scheme model forthe uplands, and how this could belinked to Comhairle na Tuaithe’sMountain Access Project.

Wicklow Upland PathCondition SurveyWorking with the Wicklow UplandsCouncil, Wicklow Mountains NationalPark and others, Mountaineering Irelandhas been involved in commissioning apath condition survey of over 100km oferoded hillwalking routes in the WicklowMountains. The survey will identify pathsand sections which are in need of repairand prioritise these.

Croagh PatrickMountaineering Ireland has providedsupport to the Croagh PatrickStakeholders group in its recentrecruitment of a team to undertake path

repair work along the Pilgrim Route. Workshould be happening on the ground bythe time you read this.

‘Walking With Wildlife’Mountaineering Ireland is currentlyupdating its popular, and long out ofprint, Walking With Wildlife guide to keyflora and fauna in Northern Ireland’suplands. Versions of this laminated fold-out guide will follow later for the east,west and south-west of the country.

• If you have queries on these or other aspects of Mountaineering Ireland’s Access and Conservation work, please [email protected] ■


Heath Milkwort, one of the species included inthe new Walking With Wildlife leaflet. This low-growing plant, found on acid, peaty soils andblanket bogs, flowers from May to September,but flowers may be found during the winter.Photograph: Zöe Devlin

■ Winter Meet 2021The 2021 Winter Meet is planned for Inchree, Onich, Scotland,February 13-20th, 2021. Bookings are open!

The online information evening on October 20th, 2020, wentwell and was well attended. An information pack and thebooking form are available on the website. There is a shortvideo on the Mountaineering Ireland YouTube channelcovering the key aspects of the meet. There is already snowon the ground there! Please book early. See you there,government guidance permitting! ■

■ Summer Alpine Meet 2021The 2021 Alpine Meet is planned for Saas Grund, Switzerland,July 3-17th, 2021. Bookings are open!

An online information evening at 7.00pm on January 25th,2021, will provide all the details for this event.

Youth bursary places will be available for aspirant alpinists aged 18 to 25 years for 2021

Of the 65-plus members who attended the Alpine Meet in2019, 50% were in the youth category, aged 18-25. This wasundoubtedly due to the very generous bursary received byMountaineering Ireland for youth alpinists in 2019. We are

News for members

Training

Jane Carney reports on training news and events run by the Training Office

Pho

togr

aphs

: Jan

e C

arne

y

excited to announce that this support has been promisedagain for 2021. The Youth Alpine Bursary supports youngaspiring alpinists and helps subsidise course costs for thoseavailing of the Alpine walking, mountaineering and climbingcourses. Your first trip to the Alps should be seen as the startof a lifetime of new adventures. Mountaineering Ireland iskeen to support our future alpinists.

Saas Grund offers free lift passes for resident visitors, just oneof the many benefits of this fabulous location.

We will continue to offer courses there and opportunities tomeet others and expand your skills repertoire as alpinists.

Participants can avail of the Alpine walking, mountaineeringand climbing courses. They can also learn to lead climb andexperience using Alpine huts and trails for the first time.

The Alps offer a lifetime of new venues to explore,accessible to meet the needs, aspirations and abilitiestypically sought by clubs, individuals, families and students.The meet sees the experienced mentoring the inexperiencedin an apprentice-style pathway, and others following themore formal guide/client approach.

Courses are run at cost and not for profit, and are just oneof the many benefits of your Mountaineering Irelandmembership.

See you in Saas Grund, July 3-17th, 2021,government guidance permitting!

Please consult the Mountaineering Ireland website,www.mountaineering.ie, for more information, to book andfor updates ■

Forthcoming meets

Scenes from Dalkey Hill and Quarry during the European Week of Sport in September

Written byJane Carney, Training Officer


We are planning for the usual Mountaineering Ireland meetsnext year, but obviously whether or not we will actually be ableto hold them will very much depend on how the Covid-19pandemic progresses in the coming months.

Pho

togr

aphs

: Jan

e C

arne

y

• 4th December Online Senior ProvidersWorkshop

• 25th January Online Summer Alpine MeetInformation Evening, 7-8pm

• 30-31st January Train the Trainers, Wicklow/Mournes (TBC), Covid-19 guidance permitting

• 1st February Online MTBI Meeting

• 13-20th February Winter Meet, Onich, Scotland

• 5-8th March Mountain Leader Assessment

• 13th March Online MTBI Meeting

• May Skills Workshops (TBC)

• 8th June Online MTBI Meeting

• 3-17th July Summer Alpine Meet, Saas Grund, Switzerland

• September Skills Workshops (TBC)

• 19th September Online MTBI Meeting

• 30th November Online MTBI Meeting

Please see the website for events and bookings orcontact the Training Office for further details.

Please book early!

All events will adhere to the current governmentguidance; online options will be used as alternativeswhere appropriate. Events may only run if permitted

by the current government guidance.

Key dates 2020-21

Stay safe out there!

News for providers■ In September, delivery of the NGB awards, instruction and leadershipceased in the Republic of Ireland due to the Covid-19 restrictions, butremained possible in Northern Ireland. I would again like to thank allproviders for their cooperation and support during this second cessationof work. We will continue to support providers and candidates pendingtheir return to business and training in the future. The Training Office willcontinue to monitor and update as the situation develops.

■ Protocols during Covid-19Please see the latest guidance on the Mountaineering Ireland websiteand check update emails. During any permitted course delivery, trainersare verbalising the need to stay 2m apart, engaging in good hand hygieneand wearing face coverings where necessary and practical.

Online platforms are being used for briefings, preparatory sessions andto provide interactive classes, to help remove or reduce the need forindoor sessions. Protocols for equipment cleaning have been adoptedand participants are completing pre-course questionnaires.

■ Move to the MTUKI Candidate Management System (CMS) fortraining course reportingProviders are to continue to use the existing reporting system until thego-ahead to switch is given. A huge thank you to providers for completingor deleting any outstanding course reports.

European Week of Sport 2020Mountaineering Ireland participated in this year’s European Week ofSport by organising twenty introductory rock climbing sessions intwenty different locations under the Women In Sport banner.

As the national coordinating body for European Week of Sport inIreland, Sport Ireland coordinated the events in this year’s EuropeanWeek of Sport, which ran from September 23rd to the 30th. There was amixture of online and offline events available in different sports to caterfor the needs of everyone in these difficult times, helping everyone inthe country to #BeActive.

In 2019, an estimated 110,196 people took part in over 800 events inIreland during the week.

Sport Ireland hoped that this year’s event would inspire even morepeople and provided funding to multiple flagship events as well as localevents run by Local Sports Partnerships.

European Week of Sport is a European Commission-led initiative,which aims to increase the level of participation in sport and physicalactivity in the EU. European Week of Sport aims to tackle the inactivitycrisis and reduce obesity levels by encouraging Europeans to embrace ahealthier and more active lifestyle. In Ireland, many of the events heldduring the week were also supported by Healthy Ireland ■

Women climbers in Dalkey Quarry during European Week of Sport


Call to action■ We are looking for further presenters for onlinesessions. Please contact the Training Office to expressyour interest.

Please contact the Training Officer, Jane Carney, withany training queries, on 01 625 1112 or 01 625 1115 ■

Training awards and registration■ Registration for training courses remains open, andcourses are running in Northern Ireland, but they haveceased in the Republic of Ireland due to governmentrestrictions, except for second-level and third-leveleducation courses.

■ We are back to exploring our 5km radius forrecreation, relaxation, wellbeing and adventure.Providers and leaders have enjoyed a brief period ofreturn to course delivery, which we hope will be thecase again shortly. Participants and candidates willagain need to wait for a return to the mountains ■

Training continued next page...

Pho

togr

aph:

xxx

xx

Books

incredibly miraculous skill,which we take for granted;how walking evolved overmillions of years; and howrecent research is nowrevealing how the brain andnervous system perform themechanical magic ofbalancing, navigating in acrowded city and using ourinner GPS system. Our uprightposture changed ourrelationship with the world,including our social world.

This is a very interestingread for all walkers, which isjust about everyone. Thispopular recreational activity isgood for mind and body, andgood for our muscles andposture. It helps to protectand repair organs and canslow or turn back the ageing ofour brains. With our minds inmotion, we think morecreatively, our mood improvesand our stress levels fall. Asour lives are becomingincreasingly sedentary, thereare risks to our health. Wemust start walking more,whether up a mountain, down

to a park or in our normal dailyactivities, to work or for theshopping. We and oursocieties will be better for it.

I liked how the value ofsocial walking is stressed,rambling with friends,particularly in the greatoutdoors, making new friends– for many Ramblers, a partnerfor life! What better, morenatural way to meet your truelove! With even more walkingand rambling groups available,all ages can access the walksor climbs that suit them best.Walking makes us more socialby freeing our hands forgestures to signalmeaningfully to others. Citydwellers should explore andavail of the many enjoyablerambles in and close to urbanareas.

Quotations from somefamous authors andphilosophers are enriching forthe reader. For example, “Everyday I walk myself into a stateof wellbeing, I walk away fromevery illness, I know nothought so burdensome that

one cannot walk away from it,”wrote Danish philospher SørenKierkegaard.

William Wordsworthcomposed many of his lovelypoems while out walking,showing the vital relationshipbetween movement of thebody and the flow of creativethinking. He said that walkingbrings a clarity of thinking, ofcreativity, of mood.

Walking is a lifeline, awonderful, useful, enjoyableand worthwhile recreationalactivity that is freely availableto all of us. As the author says,“It is the simple, life-enhancing,health-building prescription weall need.”

This interesting book is anexcellent read for all walkers,whether lower level ramblers orhill and mountain climbers. It isalso a strong encouragementto others to get involved now,in their own best interests.

Seán Quinn Hillwalker, Founder-President of the Irish Ramblers Club,member of Mountaineering Irelandand An Taisce, life-member of AnÓige, founder-member of NaCoisithe

All the benefits of walking, on hills or on the flat

IN PRAISE OF WALKING: THE NEW SCIENCE OF HOWWE WALK AND WHY IT’SGOOD FOR USBy Shane O’MaraBodley Head (2019), Norton (2020),Vintage (2020), 224pp, £6.99 (ppbk), ISBN 978-1-784707-57-6

As Professor of ExperimentalBrain Research at TrinityCollege Dublin, the author,Shane O’Mara, is the idealexpert to explain all aboutwalking to us: how walkingupright on two feet is auniquely human skill thatdefines us as a species, an


■ Online Skills WorkshopsThese workshops are proving to be very popular and areattracting good numbers. Please book online for these freesessions on a diverse range of topics to support us all throughthese strange and restrictive times.

Free to members, €10 for non-members!If you are planning to book four sessions, why not joinMountaineering Ireland and attend all of these workshops forfree.

Make an evening of it!Why not watch a video or the live session with your fellow clubmembers from the comfort of your own homes? You could alsoget together on Zoom afterwards to share a post-sessionanalysis with members of your club.

■ Please see the National Guidelines for Climbing & WalkingLeaders, and the Good Practice guidelines for Hillwalkers,available on the Training pages/Training Downloads on theMountaineering Ireland website, www.mountaineering.ie.

News for members ■ Training Grant applicationsPlease submit applications for the June-December period.

■ Please see the newly launched Happy Hiking leaflet (formerlythe Walk Safely leaflet) on the Mountaineering Ireland website.

■ Please continue to share the AdventureSmart message, andthe three questions to ask yourself before heading out to thehills and crags, with those less experienced than yourselves inthe outdoors.

■ Please continue to note and observe the Covid-19 Guidanceupdates on the Mountaineering Ireland website.

■ Please provide those newer to the outdoors with positiverole models for responsible and safe recreation, particularly inrelation to taking home your litter, leaving no trace, campingresponsibly and parking considerately, and in relation to routeselection, being properly equipped for the terrain and possibleweather conditions, checking the weather forecast and learningthe necessary navigation skills.

■ Please continue to help share these messages and informothers ■

Training (continued from previous page)...

Pho

togr

aph:

Cal

vin

Torr

ans

Irish climbing legend who broke down barriersproduces an inspirational memoir

sensationalism. Clare is notthe hero of her own storyand I loved that about thebook. Serious climbing inIreland, Yosemite, the Alps,the Himalayas, the Andesand Alaska is recounted well,but unremarked upon,leaving me, the reader, tofind it all the moreremarkable.

Unexpectedly for me,though, it is not theimpressive climbs in thisbook that will stick with me;it is the attitudes to life thatpermeate through them, theraw passion for the outdoors,and the resilience and good-naturedness in the face of

UNCOILING THE ROPES: THEMEMOIR OF A TRAILBLAZINGIRISH CLIMBERBy Clare SheridanMweelrea Press (2020), 200pp, 8 pages of photos, €18.99 (ppbk), ISBN 978-1-78846-159-7

I don’t remember the firsttime I met Clare Sheridan,author of Uncoiling theRopes. She simply seemed tomaterialise at the same timeclimbing took centre stage inmy life. I would see her andher husband, Calvin Torrans,climbing together at the walland I just knew that theywere two legends in Irishclimbing. More importantly,however, they were also twowelcoming, friendly, funmembers of the climbingcommunity.

Mountaineering books aremy ‘go to’ and I’ve read many,but Clare’s book resonatedwith me more than most. Infact, I think my husbandmight be getting sick ofhearing about it! As I writethis review, I am 35 weekspregnant and many of mysentences recently havebegun “Clare climbed theCuillin ridge when she was30 weeks pregnant, so Ishould be able for…” (insertnon-midwife-approved

Buy nowThis is the book werecommend mosthighly from our winter 2020

reviews

climbed anyway and prettysoon she climbed hard.

When Calvin was told he’dnever climb again, he wasback on the rock within afew short months. Yes, wehear stories like this all thetime, but what camethrough uniquely for me inthis book was the lack ofbitterness or anger. Clare andCalvin didn’t climb out ofspite, because others saidthey couldn’t. They climbedbecause they loved it andbecause they knew theycould.

I should point out herethat this book hassomething for every reader.You don’t need to have aconnection with climbing toenjoy it. What is writtenabout life in Ireland (northand south) since the 1950salone is more than enoughto merit the read.

Uncoiling the Ropesinspires; whether it is toclimb harder, take upclimbing, delve deeper intoIreland’s history, or simplyditch the excuses and pushyourself that little bit more inlife, depends on you. For me,I have to lace up my runningshoes, even though I can nolonger see my feet, becausethat’s what Clare would do!

Vanessa Kirkpatrick Climber, pastmember of IMC, has climbed onbig walls in Yosemite and Zion andin places like Kenya, Namibia,Oman and Saudi Arabia

Literary EditorPeter O’Neillpresents reviews of some recentlypublished books.

outdoor adventure here), or“Clare and Calvin broughttheir two-week-old babycamping, so we should…,” orsometimes I just gesturetowards the book mid-argument with a simple“Don’t limit me!” and weburst out laughing.

Mark Twain once said, “Ididn’t have time to write ashort letter, so I wrote a longone instead.” At less than200 pages, Uncoiling theRopes is relatively short, and Idon’t know how Clare didthat – I’m guessing acombination of naturaltalent, hours upon hours ofwork and careful editing. She

somehow manages tointerweave threeinspirational climbing storieshere: her own, Calvin’s andthe one of their sharedpartnership. She does thissuccinctly and modestly,with no fluff, noembellishment and no

adversity.At a time in Ireland when

women were telling otherwomen “girls don’t climb,”and it was accepted as factthat, even in the rare caseswhen they did, they wouldnever have the strength toclimb hard routes, Clare

Clare Sheridan below the Dibona on the Écrins massif


Books

covered the Kerry, Dingle andWicklow Ways, they now turntheir attention to north Antrimwith a circa six-day itinerarythat combines the rarely-walked Moyle Way 26-mile(42km) with a trip to RathlinIsland, followed by thecomparatively popular 32-mile(52km) Causeway Coast Way.

Older guidebooks suggestconnecting the Antrim HillsWay with the Moyle Way tocreate an even longer walk.Sadly, the loss of access overthe Garron Plateau now meansanyone tackling this route facesa 10-mile (16km) road march.

Back to the review: there areexcellent photos and maps foreach of the routes, along withdetailed step-by-stepinstructions – hardly neededon the Causeway Coast buthelpful for the poorlysignposted Moyle Way,especially the very boggyupland section betweenTrostan and Slieveanorra. There

is also detailed and up-to-dateinformation on everythingfrom wildlife, accommodation,transport and the geology ofthe Giant’s Causeway, throughto local history and locationsfrom the ubiquitous Game ofThrones.

Some readers mightwelcome encouragement towander a little further from thewaymarked route. The Moyle

Way passes close to thesummits of both Trostan andKnocklayd, but both the routeand this guidebook visitneither. Otherwise, this isperfect for anyone seeking acomprehensive guide to thearea, especially the first-timevisitor.

James Butler Member ofMountaineering Ireland, hillwalkerand runner, based near Ballymena

Guide to north Antrim coast covers all the bases

CAUSEWAY COAST WAY, WITHMOYLE WAY AND RATHLINISLANDBy Eoin ReillyRucksack Readers (2020), 72pp, manycolour and b/w photos, and maps,

£12.99, ISBN 978-1-898481-93-5

Rucksack Readers is anEdinburgh-based publisherspecialising in guidebooks forlong-distance walks in the UKand Ireland. Having already

The Giant’s Causeway

section in Cornwall ofEngland’s longest waymarkedlong-distance trail, the SouthWest Coastal Path. The path’sorigins were to facilitate thecoastguards, who moved fromlighthouse to lighthouse,patrolling for smugglers. Thefirst section of the trail openedin 1973 and it now stretchesacross four counties for morethan 1,000 kilometres.

The South West CoastalPath’s Land’s End Circuit takes3-6 days to walk, and theguide’s OSI map-likedimensions would be spot onfor this type of an outing. Interms of weight, it is more flyswatter than door-stop.Coupled with rainproof paperand spiral-bound, open-flatpages, the Rucksack Readersformat is a good design, morecomfortable to hold than the

ubiquitous smartphone.Despite its handy size, the

guide contains sufficientpractical information forplanning and preparation, plussome history and a summaryof key features of the circuititself. Almost half of the guide’s72 pages describe the route indetail, using turn-by-turn

walking directions in text, andan abundance of photographsand 1:35,000 maps.

I recommend this guide. Itwould be a welcome aid to awalk in this beautiful part ofEngland.

David Ridgeway Hillwalker based inDublin, has previously walked partsof the South West Coastal Path

Guide to Land’s End loop walk details every twist and turn

LAND’S END CIRCUITBy Max LandsbergRucksack Readers (2020), 72pp, many

colour photos and 1:35,000 maps,

£12.99, ISBN 978-1-898481-92-8

This is another handy guidefrom Rucksack Readers. Itcovers a 68-km (42-mile)

Land’s End, Cornwall

Pho

togr

aphs

: Die

go_c

ue (G

iant

’s C

ause

way

), R

icha

rd C

roft

(Lan

d’s

End)


Pho

togr

aph:

htt

ps://

jast

rzab

post

.pl

well placed to write this book,because Polish climbers werethe pre-eminent climbers inthe second stage of that race,making the first winterascents of those mountains.Her knowledge of thatgeneration is used to greateffect to tell the stories of theteams and individuals thatmade those ascents, and thetragedies and triumphs thatoccurred.

The later phase of climbingthe 8,000ers in winter sawthe arrival of climbers likeSimone Moro and Alex Txikon,who also sought Polishexperience and teammates toadd winter pedigree. Thatcontinuity carried on into oneof the more harrowing storiesof that period, involvingÉlisabeth Revol and Tomasz‘Tomek’ Mackiewicz, a Polishclimber who was living inKildare at the time. It is grimlyrivetting. It can be hard forany book to convey thedifficulty of climbs of anykind, to describe the sufferingwithout sensationalism, but

I’m not sure I’ve ever read abook that did it so well. Thestory of Elisabeth and Tomekin particular stands out.

There’s now just one8,000m mountain leftwithout a winter ascent, K2.The last major attempt on itwas a Polish expedition thatinvolved some of thestrongest alpinists in theworld today, including DenisUrubko and Adam Bielecki. Itmight have been fitting thatPolish climbers closed thebook, but that attempt ended

in arguments, accusationsand breakaway solo bids asthe harsh conditions tooktheir toll. Another winterexpedition to K2 has recentlybeen announced. Everyone onthe mountain from thisDecember is going to need allthe luck and good weatherthey can get if they’re going toforce McDonald into rewritingthe final chapter of thisexcellent book.

Kevin Duffy Rock climber andmountaineer

Winter ascents of the world’s highest mountains

WINTER 8000: CLIMBING THE WORLD’S HIGHESTMOUNTAINS IN THE COLDEST SEASONBy Bernadette McDonaldVertebrate Publishing (2020), 272pp, many b/w photos, 16pp ofcolour photos, £24.00 (hdbk), ISBN 978-1-912560-38-7

The author of Winter 8000,Bernadette McDonald, alsowrote Freedom Climbers, thestory of the generation ofPolish climbers who wereamong the first to climb anumber of the 8,000m peaks.That makes her particularly

To Live gives a succinct,gripping and powerfulaccount of the tragic eventsthat occurred on NangaParbat less than two yearsago, when Élisabeth Revoland Tomasz ‘Tomek’Mackiewicz foundthemselves alone on thesummit of an 8,000m peakin winter, with Tomaszblinded and ill.

Excellently authored,Élisabeth Revol writes with adirectness and clarity thatmatches her style in themountains; within the firsttwenty pages you are drawninto the building horror oftheir situation. What followsreads almost cathartically.

Throughout it all, Revol’s loveand respect for both herclimbing partner and themountains is clear. Even whiledescribing her descent, herfirst thoughts are aboutTomek and she almostminimises her own heroics tosurvive. It is only when youtake a step back that you canreally put her efforts intocontext.

Overall, a captivating bookthat I felt was an honest andgenuine tribute to Tomek,whilst acting as a soberingreminder of how little thingscan add up in the mountains.

Seán Fortune Climber andmember of UCD MountaineeringClub

Gripping account of tragic climb on Nanga Parbat

TO LIVE: FIGHTING FOR LIFEON THE KILLER MOUNTAINBy Élisabeth RevolVertebrate Publishing (2020, 1st

English edition), 160pp, 8pp colourphotos, 3pp maps, £24.00, ISBN 978-1-839810-17-6

Revol’s account of herstruggles is written with animmediate feel that allowsyou to comprehend theanguish, fear and confusionshe goes through. Thisintense immediacy is brokennicely in places withinterspersions of thoughtsfrom present-day Revol,which provide more context.

I remember those eventsunfolding at the time and theinsane media coverage theygot. These recent memories,along with Tomek’s life herein Ireland, make it hit a bitcloser to home than manyother similar stories, but, ifanything, it only adds to thepower of the narrative.

Élizabeth Revol and Tomek Mackiewicz in their last photo together


Books

popular and people weredrawn into the sport throughclimbing walls, as well as viatraditional routes such asclubs and outdoor centres. Atraining culture developed.Part of that evolution was agrowing body of literature asclimbers wanted to find outhow to get the best out ofthemselves and their time atthe crag or wall, rather thanjust pitching up and hoping toimprove. Books like Training forClimbing by Eric Horst, andDave McLeod’s 9 Out of 10Climbers Make the SameMistakes, helped the trainingculture to gain a toe-hold inclimbers’ minds.

The latest addition to thatcanon is The Climbing Bible. Thebook harnesses the knowledgeof authors with 40 years ofclimbing between them and

years of experience coachingnational climbing teams. Oneof the authors, Christophersen,is also a physiotherapist, andthat expertise is reflected inthe book’s treatment ofclimbing injuries.

The book is jammed withtechniques, physical andmental training and injuryprevention advice to get youinto a position to climb whenready. It also has chapters ontactics and roping in the rightpartners to take all thattraining outside. There aresuggested training plans for astructured approach totraining, but you can still applya lot of the lessons, even if youwant to just lay back and enjoyit without taking that route.

If that all sounds a bit dryand technical, it’s not really. Itis just the basics set out really

well for anyone who needsadvice about getting the mostout of their climbing ability. It isa fairly comprehensive bookthat should take anyone a longway from their first routetowards whatever grade theyaspire to, while helping them toavoid falling into bad habits ornot falling into good ones.

As the authors note, theknowledge of training forclimbing is still in the foothills,so they have added asuggested reading list andsome websites that should tiein with continued learning.However, I suspect that thisbook will be sufficient for mostclimbers’ training needs and itshould be a while before theytop out and need somethingmore.

Kevin Duffy Rock climber andmountaineer

Training manual that sets out the basics really well

THE CLIMBING BIBLE:TECHNICAL, PHYSICAL ANDMENTAL TRAINING FOR ROCKCLIMBINGBy Martin Mobråten & StianChristophersen

Vertebrate Publishing (2020), 368pp,circa 400 colour photos, £30.00(hdbk), ISBN 978-1-912560-70-7

As standards in climbing rose,competitions became more

hours, the author has sensiblybroken down the hillwalk of93km with 6,193m of ascentinto seven linear routes. Thesecould reasonably separately bedone as day walks.

Plenty of route details aregiven about all of the walks,and the author’s localknowledge and love of theMournes shine through. Theroutes do not always followobvious lines but will interestthose with a more adventurousmind. The route maps are fromthe 1:25k map and show thegeneral line, but walkers shouldbe able to navigate themselves.As a Mourne Mountain RescueTeam volunteer himself, theauthor emphasises the carefulplanning and personalmountain skills that areessential before embarking onany trip into the mountains.

There is a multitude of theauthor’s own photos, which is arecord of the landscape initself, including a couple of

the challenge of completingthe route in sections.

This interesting book isavailable through the MourneMountain Rescue Team’swebsite,www.mournemrt.org/product/cassies-challenge. Proceedsfrom sales will go to supportthe team in its important work.

Nicky Hore Hillwalker with BlayneyRamblers

Popular route for completing fifty tops in the Mournes

CASSIE’S CHALLENGE: ANADVENTURE IN THE MOURNEMOUNTAINSBy Harry TeggartySelf-published with S Design/SeanMcCrystal (2018), 100pp, many colourphotos and map, £10.00 (ppbk). Allproceeds to go to Mourne MountainRescue Team

This is a lovely book for anyonewho walks or runs in theMournes. Despite a smallminority of mountain runnerswho will take on the challengeof completing the fiftymountain tops in twenty-four

Cassie, his late, mountain-loving dog.

The author has completedthe self-designed challengetwice. There is a list (short!) ofthose who have completed thechallenge in under 24 hours,both supported andunsupported. Anyoneinterested can log on tocassieschallenge.com, but Ican also see great interestamong hillwalkers in taking on

On the Cassie’s Challenge route in the Mournes

Pho

togr

aph:

cas

sies

chal

leng

e.co

m


The 2020 Banff Centre MountainFilm and Book Festival took placein early November. The winner ofthe Banff Festival’s Grand Prizefor the Mountain BookCompetition was Raven’s Witness:The Alaska Life of Richard K Nelson,by Hank Lentfer. That book alsowon the Jon Whyte Award forMountain Literature (Non-fiction).

Lentfer’s book is a biography ofa modern-day John Muir setagainst the backdrop of Alaska’swilderness, native cultures, thewriting life and friendships rootedin nature.

Among the other awards atBanff, the Adventure Travel Awardwent to Labyrinth of Ice: TheTriumphant and Tragic Greely PolarExpedition, by Buddy Levy.

The Mountain Fiction andPoetry Award was won by TheBear, by Andrew Krivak; theMountain Environment andNatural History Award went toWild Himalaya: A Natural History ofthe Greatest Mountain Range onEarth, by Stephen Alter; theGuidebook Award to CrackClimbing: The Definitive Guide, byPete Whittaker (already reviewedin the Irish Mountain Log); theClimbing Literature Award toEmilio Comici: Angel of theDolomites, by David Smart; andthe Special Jury Mention toHimalaya: A Human History, by Ed Douglas.

Among the other finalists wereSky Dance, by John Burns, andWinter 8000: Climbing the world’shighest mountains in the coldestseason, by Bernadette McDonald,both already reviewed in the IrishMountain Log. In the Guidebookcategory, Down: The CompleteDescent Manual for Climbers, byAndy Kirkpatrick, was alsoshortlisted.

As I write, the winner of the2020 Boardman Tasker Award forMountain Literature has yet to beannounced. With twenty-twoentries from Great Britain, Ireland,Canada, New Zealand and theUSA this year, five books havebeen shortlisted. These are:

The Unremembered Places:Exploring Scotland’s Wild Histories,by Patrick Baker – a lyricalexploration of Scotland’s regionsof ‘rumour and folklore,’ of hiddenplaces and often-forgotten tales.

Where There’s a Will: Hope, Griefand Endurance in a Cycle RaceAcross a Continent, by EmilyChappell –a book that deftlycaptures the physical andpsychological intensity of ultra-distance cycling.

The Uncrowned King of MontBlanc: The Life of T Graham Brown,Physiologist and Mountaineer, byPeter Foster (also alreadyreviewed in the Irish Mountain Log)– an intricately researchedbiography of a Scottishmountaineer, whose contributionsto climbing history on Mont Blancand other mountains have longdeserved a close look.

Slatehead: The Ascent of Britain’sSlate-climbing Scene, by PeterGoulding – an in-depth history ofthe climbs and characters ofBritish slate quarries.

Two Trees Make a Forest: OnMemory, Migration and Taiwan, byJessica J Lee – a poetic anddeeply moving account ofTaiwan’s mountains, waters andforests.

Peter O’Neill Literary Editor of theIrish Mountain Log

The 2020 mountain book awards



Coping with the challenges of Covid-19Claire Griffin has been seeking refuge in nature during the lockdowns

Since the outbreak of Covid-19,I have realised that nature canoffer positive copingmechanisms. The challengesof a pandemic include

intensified emotions of frustration,isolation, worthlessness and uncertainty,which threaten mental well-being.Experts suggest that these negativefeelings can be combatted by returningto nature and keeping active in theoutdoors. I would certainly agree. Inrediscovering my locality, I have hadnumerous uplifting experiences, acquired new knowledge and walkednearly 800 kilometres!

As a volunteer with the South EasternMountain Rescue Association, and anactive member of two hillwalking groups,I have, for a long time understood theimportance of the outdoors as a salvefor the soul. However, with thelockdowns, this has meant coming downfrom the hills and exploring a variety ofwalks in my native Kilkenny.

Even under the tightest ofrestrictions, gardens andnearby parks haveprovided abundantnatural charms. Thesecret is to bereceptive and toemploy all thesenses. Look,listen, taste,touch and smell,and nature willreveal itselfaccordingly.

Throughoutthese challengingtimes I have wondered atrainbows, enjoyedtumbling waterfalls and beenstruck by amazing cloudformations. I stood by as deer walked nonchalantlypast, a red squirrel munched on an acornand an otter deliberately checked meout. I spied a stoat on its errands beforestrolling through clouds of damselfliesand butterflies on a sun-drenchedriverbank. I heard not one but twocuckoos, fairly assured that I would hearnone at all this year. I found myselfcompelled to learn the identification ofcloud genres, constellations, bumblebees

and butterflies, particularly when, like aheroine in an animation movie, I sat amid

lots of the latter but could notname them.

I learned, too, that miceare extremely vocal when

almost trodden upon,and whoever coinedthe phrase ‘quiet as amouse’ never metthat little chappie.

I witnessed atclose quarters anaerial battle betweena herring gull and a

heron, a bird I ammore used to seeing

standing sentinel.Likewise, two duelling

jackdaws settled theirdispute right at my feet,

having fallen out of a tree abovemy head. I passed along as a white egreteyed its fellow river birds over fishingrights, and later was overjoyed to spot akingfisher, having not seen one for a longtime. I watched families of swans maturefrom small cygnets early in the year toadult birds in recent weeks. There were,however, some less agreeableencounters ... with a cranky goose,nettles, midges and swarms of St Mark’sflies.

We, who are hillwalkers and enjoy theoutdoors, know that sunshine follows

showers and that nature withdraws inthe autumn, only to return again,refreshed and full of vitality, inspringtime. The Covid-19 challenge willalso pass and we will again be able toreturn to our normal hillwalkingactivities. In the meantime, celebratethe small things and embrace thepositive and therapeutic qualities thatthe outdoors offers. Oh, and I intend toreach 1,000 kilometres, continuing tocommend nature as I walk on by ■

Coping with CovidP

hoto

grap

hs: C

laire

Grif

fin C

olle

ctio

n

Kilkenny Castle Park, Kilkenny

Peacock butterfly

AUTHOR Claire Griffin is from Kilkenny and is amember of Tyndall Mountain Club and the KilkennyHillwalkers. She has hiked all over Ireland and inmany other countries in Europe. She is also amember of the South Eastern Mountain RescueAssociation (SEMRA), which she joined in 2011.


Mountaineering IrelandSUMMER ALPINE MEET

July 317th, 2021, Saas Grund, Switzerland

For details see www.mountaineering.ieor contact [email protected]

00353 (0)1 625 1112

SUBSIDISED BURSARY PLACES for 18 to 25yearolds

Come along and develop your wintermountain skills, expand your knowledgeand meet fellow walkers, mountaineersand climbers who enjoy snow and ice

FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONCall the Training Office on 01 625 1112or email [email protected]

DISCOUNTS for early bookings and group bookings

Main photograph View from the slopes of Buachaille Etive Beag looking across Glencoe to Aonach Eagach Ridge. Photograph by Andy Ravenhill

Irish Peaks has been produced in memory of Joss Lynam,who died in 2011 and who made a significant contributionto the development of hillwalking and climbing in Ireland.Joss edited the original Irish Peaks that was published in1982. This new book contains descriptions contributed byMountaineering Ireland members of more than seventyroutes taking in the summits on the MountainViews list of Ireland’s Highest Hundred Mountains.

The recommended retail price for Irish Peaks is €29.95.However, there is a special 10% discount for allMountaineering Ireland members who order through theofficial online website, which means you pay €26.95 pluspostage, if it has to be posted out to you. To order yourdiscounted copy, please visit www.irishpeaks.ie.

Irish Peaks, Mountaineering Ireland’s new hillwalking guidebook,is now available for purchase through Mountaineering Ireland’swebsite. It is a must-have, large format hardback with routedescriptions and a beautiful collection of images covering thehundred highest peaks on the island of Ireland. The book can beordered at: www.mountaineering.ie/shop.

In his review of Irish Peaks in the Irish Mountain Log (No 135,Autumn 2020), Mike Keyes, past Chairperson of the Mountaineering Council ofIreland (now Mountaineering Ireland) says: “If you love or are even curious aboutIreland’s uplands and wild places, this book has to be on your shelf.”

Documents

Visit Joyce Country - Mountaineering Ireland