IML88 News p3.qxp - Mountaineering · PDF fileTHE MAGAZINE FOR WALKERS AND CLIMBERS IN IRELAND No89Spring2009 ISSN07908008 €3.20(£2.20)

THE MAGAZINE FOR WALKERS AND CLIMBERS IN IRELAND

No 89 Spring 2009

ISSN 0790 8008

€3.20 (£2.20)

www.mountaineering.ie

and represent those involved inhillwalking, climbing, bouldering andalpinism. Mountaineering Ireland is a32-county organisation which has amembership in excess of 9,650 individualand club members in over 130 clubs.

Mountaineering Ireland is the nationalgoverning body for the sport ofmountaineering in Ireland and isrecognised as such by the Irish SportsCouncil, Sport Northern Ireland, theInternational Mountaineering andClimbing Federation (UIAA) and theInternational Federation of Sport Climbing(IFSC).

While the name change comes intoeffect immediately, primarily you will seethe new identity first on our website andin our e-zine. It may take some timebefore you see our new identity on ourpaper-based resources, as we will rundown our stocks before introducing anynew materials in order to keep our costs

in the change-over as low as possible.

As a consequence of the namechange, a new Memorandum ofAssociation and Articles of Association ofthe organisation were approved at theAGM to reflect the name change. Anadditional element was also added intothe Mountaineering Ireland GrievanceProcedure at the AGM which uses JustSport Ireland as a mediation andarbitration process. Copies of bothdocuments can be downloaded from ourwebsite, www.mountaineering.ie.

Stuart GarlandChief Officer

The MCI changes its name to Mountaineering Ireland

Name change

membership�

www.mountaineering.ie Irish Mountain Log - Spring 2009 3

MOUNTAINEERING IRELAND,the new name for the MCI,was voted in by the

members present at the MCI’s AnnualGeneral Meeting 2009 at KnockreeYouth Hostel, Glencree, Co Wicklowon Saturday 21 February.

Work had been going on behind thescenes for some time on the rebrandingof the organisation. It was felt that theword “Council” was too stuffy and thatthe Council structure was no longer partof the organisation.

As part of our Strategic DevelopmentPlan 2009-2013 consultation process, itwas felt by members that a moreinclusive name would better engage newmembers and reflect the sport andactivity of mountaineering.

Mountaineering is the sport, activity orprofession of walking, hiking, trekkingand climbing mountains. We work for

The cross on Carrauntoohil,Co Kerry, in a mid-winter sunset.Photo: Tim Gallys.

WELCOME TO...ISSUE 89The Irish Mountain Log is themembership magazine ofMountaineering Ireland. Theorganisation promotes the interestsof hillwalkers and climbers in Ireland.

Mountaineering IrelandSport HQ, 13 Joyce WayPark West Business ParkDublin 12, IrelandTel: (+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: Joss LynamTel: (+353 1) 288 4672 (pm)[email protected]

Advertising: Mountaineering [email protected]: Cóilín [email protected]

Printing: Kilkenny People PrintingTel (+353 5677) 63366

The Irish Mountain Log is published byMountaineering Ireland four times a year– 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 Summer 2009issue of the Irish Mountain Log isSaturday, May 16th, 2009.

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 Bord Oiliúnt Sléibhe(BOS, The Irish Mountain TrainingBoard) administers a range of trainingprogrammes for walkers and climbers.

4 Irish Mountain Log - Spring 2009 www.mountaineering.ie

Features26 The crosses of Galtymore

Jimmy Barry on the history of the

crosses on a famous Tipperary

mountain.

30 Walking in the ProvenceAlpsIan Kelly goes hillwalking in France

with the Glenwalk Hillwalkers.

34 In the Wilder KaiserAodhnait Carroll and Angela Carlin

visit the Tirol.

35 The long marchLindsay McVean takes on a 60km

hike in the Reeks of Kerry.

38 Kaçkar journeyMargaret Scully goes eco-trekking

in the Kaçkar Mountains of Turkey.

42 Bouldering in HampiNaomi Sturdy goes climbing

in India.

44 Paradise next doorColm Ennis takes part in a BMC

Meet in Wales.

Regulars6 News 14 IMRA news 47 Training

news 50 Access & Conservation news

52 Books 58 The last word

�contents

Get more involved

ON THE COVER: The JB Malone memorial on the Wicklow Wayoverlooking Lough Tay and Luggala, County Wicklow.Photo: Patrick O’Sullivan.

THIS PAGE: Descending from Lugnaquillia, Co Wicklow,in the aftermath of the big snowfall in February 2009.Photo: Declan Carolan (UCD Mountaineering Club).

editorial�


S pring is here and our thoughts are turning to the wide openspaces. With the stretch in the evenings, it is possible to be

more ambitious during the days that we do get out on the hills,and even the longer evenings give us the opportunity to get ashort walk in while returning in safety before darkness falls…orbefore we do!

For those who are still planning their summer holidays, apart frominformation about the usual Mountaineering Ireland Alpine SummerMeet which this year is being held at Innertkirchen in the SwissBernese Oberland, in this issue we also have reports of walking tripsto various other parts of the European Alps, which may also whetyour appetite for trips further afield. For the rock climbers, we have areport on the joys of climbing in southern India.

Apart from the sense of turning the corner and heading into thehalcyon days of spring and summer, the first three months of theyear also bring the AGM season. We have various reports from thisyear’s MCI AGM when the name change to Mountaineering Irelandfor our sport’s National Governing Body was approved. Sadly,despite being held in the splendid surroundings of Glencree in therecently refurbished Knockree An Óige Hostel, the AGM was verypoorly attended again.

Those present heard reports of the significant progress made inthe last year by Chief Officer, Stuart Garland, and the other staffmembers, supported by President, Alan Tees, Chairperson, Ruairí ÓConchúir, the Board and the other volunteers who clearly make suchan important contribution to our organisation’s development andwork. ‘A lot done, a lot more to do’ was the message that camethrough repeatedly, together with an emphasis on the importance ofthe contributions of the volunteers.

As the NGB for our sport goes from strength to strength, in thesedifficult times financially we should all give a thought to contributingto its work. Perhaps, you can start by planning to attend next year’sAGM or one of the other meets planned in the coming spring,summer and autumn months?

Patrick O’SullivanEditor, Irish Mountain Log

HAVE YOU made your plans for the summeryet? If not, why not join us in Innertkirchen inthe Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, this Julyfor Mountaineering Ireland’s Summer AlpineMeet? There is an even wider range ofcourses on offer this year, from a five-daywalk from Meiringen to Kandersteg, throughto our new, one-day walking climbingcourses and right up to our Alpine courses.

There is something to suit everyone nomatter what your interest or budget.Alternatively, if you would like to do your ownthing in Innertkirchen, you can join us on thecampsite any time between Sat 4 July andSat 18 July. Please remember that if youwant to stay on the campsite you mustreserve your place with us by completing theapplication form. If you’d like moreinformation or have a question, please emailus at [email protected].

Get all the latest news at www.mountaineering.ie

News�news

6 Irish Mountain Log - Spring 2009

We join sport climbing federationWE ARE delighted to announce that theInternational Federation of Sport Climbing(IFSC) Plenary Assembly has formallyaccepted the application of MountaineeringIreland for membership. The IFSC now spans75 countries and has 83 memberorganisations. Membership of IFSC will allowMountaineering Ireland members toparticipate in European and worldchampionship climbing events, which ties inwith our Strategic Development Plan for2009-2013.

At the same Plenary Assembly session,Arco di Trento (Italy) and Imst (Austria) wereelected to host the World Championship 2011and the World Youth Championship 2011respectively.

The IFSC was established in 2007 in theplace of the International Council for

Competition Climbing, which had been inexistence since 1997. In April 2007, theGeneral Association of International SportsFederations General Meeting accepted theIFSC as a new member. A few weeks later,the International World Games Associationalso did the same, confirming that therewould be a climbing competition in the 2009Kaohsiung World Games. In December 2007,the International Olympic Committee grantedprovisional recognition to the IFSC, welcomingsport climbing into theOlympic movement.

• For moreinformation onthe IFSC, pleasevisit the websitewww.ifsc-climbing.org.

GENERAL [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident

Alan Tees

[email protected]

Chairman

Ruairí Ó Conchúir

[email protected]

Honorary Treasurer

David Batt

[email protected]

BOARD MEMBERSTomás Alyward

[email protected]

Pat Kenneally

[email protected]

Vincent McAlinden

[email protected]

Deirdre McCarthy

[email protected]

Jerry O’Dwyer

[email protected]

Patrick O’Sullivan

[email protected]

Ross Millar

[email protected]

Dawson Stelfox

[email protected]

STAFF AT SPORT HQChief Officer

Stuart Garland

[email protected]

Administrator

Una Feeney

[email protected]

Accounts Administrator

Terry Canavan

[email protected]

Training Officer

Tim Orr

[email protected]

Training Administrator

Kate Hebblethwaite

[email protected]

Access & Conservation Officer

Aodhnait Carroll

[email protected]

STAFF AT TOLLYMORENI Youth Development Officer

Angela Carlin

[email protected]

Alpine Meet

Come along this summer

Innertkitchen, Switzerland.

OFT-RUMOURED but rarely seen, theMountaineering Ireland library holds near-mythicalstatus among the membership. Reports of loftyvaults lined with dusty tomes of mountain lorehave given rise to comparisons with the Libraryof Alexander because of its elusiveness andinaccessibility.

Last year, I donned horn-rimmed spectacles and leather-elbowed cardigan and began themammoth task of cataloguing thepiles of diverse books that makeup the library. Several monthslater I emerged, spectaclesaskew and cardie slightly moth-eaten, to announce that theherculean task was complete.Forgotten accounts of Irish firstascents had been plucked fromobscurity and strange volumes onlong-obsolete climbingtechniques found.

The library contains almost 2,000 volumes andincludes texts on national and internationalclimbing and walking routes, maps,mountaineering biographies and travel literature.It also holds a comprehensive range of backissues of many outdoor adventure magazinessuch as Walking World Ireland, Outsider, Trail andClimber. The collection is now all held in theMountaineering Ireland office at Sport HQ and isopen for any member to come and browsethrough. Most texts are available for (free) loan,although p&p will be charged on all items thatmembers require to be posted.

A full library catalogue will be added to thewebsite over the coming months, with regularupdates made as further books are added.Copies of all books reviewed in the Mountain Logare put in the library. Requests for loans of itemsfrom the library can be made by members byphone, fax or email and they can either beposted or held for collection.

With your help, the intention is to establish the

library as Ireland’s premier collection ofmountaineering literature and an unrivalledresource for all enthusiasts, be they armchairtravellers or expedition planners. To this end, ifanyone has any unwanted copies of a hillwalkingmagazine, an unread copy of Krakauer’s Into Thin

Air or a duplicate copy of OS Map 52 that theywould consider donating to the library, pleasecontact us on the new Library Hotline [email protected]. No item will berefused. Similarly if, in perusing the onlinecatalogue, you see any glaring omissions, get intouch and we’ll endeavour to plug the paper gap.

Great adventures are often inspired by thewritten word. In This Game of Ghosts (1993), JoeSimpson recalls reading Heinrich Harrer’s TheWhite Spider at age 14 and vowing that hewould never be a mountaineer. He recalled that“the book held me spellbound and terrified.”However, it was to these very accounts that hesubsequently turned in preparing for his ownascent of the Eiger’s North Face. “Reading thebooks had been my way of breaking down thepsychological baggage associated with the wall,”he wrote (The Beckoning Silence, 2002).

I hope that the library may help to inspireexciting adventures or, at least, adventurousdaydreams. – (Kate Hebblethwaite)

Irish Mountain Log - Spring 2009 7

Calendarof eventsFor more information about anyof these events, please see therelevant section of this magazineor the events section of thewebsite, www.mountaineering.ie.

Fri to Sun 10-12 AprilMountain Leader Assessment,Kerry

Sat 25 AprilYouth Climbing Competition,Gortatole, Fermanagh

Sat & Sun 25-26 AprilWalking Group Leader refresherworkshop

Sat 6 JuneSingle Pitch Award refresherworkshop, Dublin

Sat 4 July to Sat 18 JulySummer Alpine Meet,Innertkirchen, Switzerland

Sat 11 JulyMulti Pitch Award refresherworkshop, Wicklow

Sat & Sun 1-2 AugustMulti Pitch Award assessment,Wicklow

Sat 8 AugustSingle Pitch Award refresher,Clare

Sat & Sun 12-13 SeptVolunteer Training Officerworkshop, Donegal

Fri to Sun 2-4 OctoberWalking Group Leaderassessment

Fri to Sun 9-11 OctoberAutumn Gathering, An Daingean(Dingle), Kerry

Sat & Sun 10-11 OctoberBOS Providers Symposium,Kerry

Sat & Sun 17-18 OctoberMountain Leader refresherworkshop, Kerry

Sat to Mon 24-26 OctoberMountain Leader assessment,Connemara

Free taster sessions in hillwalkingand rockclimbing will run

throughout July andAugust. Dates andlocations will beadvertised in theTraining and Safetysections of thewebsite.

news�

Scaling paper mountains

Mountaineering Ireland catalogues its library

Melk Abbey Library in Melk, Austria. Easilyconfused with the Mountaineering Ireland library.

THE ANNUAL REVIEW 2008 for the MCI (now Mountaineering Ireland) is now available fordownload from our website www.mountaineering.ie. Launched at our AGM in February,the report highlights our achievements, activities and programmes for the year of 2008. Alimited number of hard copies of the review have been sent to club secretaries forcirculation to their members. If you would like to receive your own copy, please call theoffice on (+353 1) 625 1115 or email [email protected]. Available while stocks last.

MCI Annual Review 2008 available now


WHEN VIEWING the annual accounts, itshould be remembered that they are apresentation of ‘Income and Expenditure’and that they are not a ‘Profit and Loss’account.

One of the main reasons why theexpenditure of Mountaineering Irelandincreased in the 2008 financial year(November 2007 to October 2008) wasthat a full complement of professionalstaff had been recruited since theprevious year and they were busydeveloping their programmes and workareas, which involved additional costs.

There are perhaps three main areas ofexpenditure in the accounts that areshowing an excess of expenditure overincome in the current year. They are:

1. Guidebooks During the year, thewe produced and published Climbs inthe Burren and Aran Islands. As this waspublished quite late in the year, there wasonly a small element of sales prior to theend of the financial year on 31st October.We are currently carrying a stock of theseguidebooks and expected sales of theseover the next three years will not onlycover the cost of production but return aprofit. The 2008 accounts also reflect thecosts of the new Rockclimbing Guide tothe Mournes, but this has yet not gone toprint. As part of our cost-saving plan, weare currently reviewing the options ofdigital printing, which will allow shorterprint-runs, meaning that we will not takethe charge in a single year for printing alarge stock of guidebooks.

2. Bord Oiliúint Sléibhe (BOS –Mountain Training Board) During2008, BOS revamped the Mountain Skillsscheme and produced a new handbookfor participants. This was printed in largevolumes and we are currently carrying astock of these handbooks, which will besold in the coming years.

3. The Irish Mountain Log: Duringthe year, editor Patrick O’Sullivan and histeam spent a good deal of timerevamping this publication. The addition

of pages has added to the cost ofprinting, but we are currently reviewingthe printing costs to see if we can bringthis publication closer to cost-neutral.

2009 Accounts We received thesame grant allocations in 2009 as we didin 2008, but we are well aware of theimpending mini-budget and the possibilityof this being cut. We are also taking theview that there will be a cut in the 2010allocations. To counter this, there was a

proposal of a €5 increase in membershipfees, but the board of MountaineeringIreland has taken a very firm decision thatit will not raise membership fees at thistime but instead will try to make costsavings in the coming year and toachieve greater value for money withinthe current budget.

David Batt,Honorary Treasurer

Annual Accounts

Annual Acccounts for November 2007 to October 2008

The Mountaineering Council of Ireland(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Supplementary information relating to the Financial Statements

Income

Alpine Meet 31,750 28,377BOS 25,473 12,900Lectures & library 2,471 3,562Membership Subscriptions 227,451 224,788Mountain Log 71,911 67,485NIYDP Programmes 17,986 25,250Sale of Publications 11,639 -Spring Meet 1,700 -Other Income 14,189 7,172Irish Sports Council Grants 257,000 197,550Sport Northern Ireland 37,741 37,624Sponsorship 3,863 -Environmental Defence Fund 2,348 2,762

_______ _______

705,522 607,470_______ _______

Expenditure

Wages and Salaries 249,295 170,356Rent Payable 18,526 18,526Marketing & Exhibitions 24,636 5,513Audit 4,500 5,105Bank Charges 2,913 2,322General Expenses 6,356 260Administration Expenses 38,801 34,930Access and Conservation 7,621 2,136AGM 2,332 -Alpine Meet 33,810 30,633Area Meetings 4,113 -Board Expenses 10,042 17,121BOS 35,532 17,900Chief Officer 8,473 -Climbing Wall Seminar 1,224 1,869Guide Books 29,960 11,651Expedition Grants 2,476 -Members’ Support Officer 951 -Membership Costs 86,136 81,989Mountain Log 93,978 81,073NIYDP 63,287 78,801Special Projects 5,723 4,531Spring Meet 2,653 -Lectures & Library 8,615 -UIAA Membership 2,629 -Girls Outside Programme 15,000 -Subscriptions 1,821 -Depreciation 4,098 -

_______ _______

765,501 564,716_______ _______

Net (deficit)/surplus (59,979) 42,754_______ _______


‘Leave No Trace’ – theword is spreading!MORE AND more people are engaging ina wider range of water- and land-basedactivities than ever before. We are reallyfortunate in having the fantastic range ofenvironments for this that we do – ourcoasts, rivers, lakes, forests andmountains. However, these environmentsare fragile and vulnerable to damage. Forexample, trampled vegetation, pollutedwaters, damaged tracks and campsites,and litter are just a sample of the impactsthat can be linked directly to recreationalactivities. Even the most thoughtful ofvisitors leave footprints andunintentionally disturb wildlife.

The Leave No Trace organisation relieson training to promote and raiseawareness of the principles and practicesof Leave No Trace in order to reducethese unwanted impacts on theenvironment. It has now almost doubledthe number of Leave No Trace MasterEducators available to deliver TrainerCourses in Ireland and, in 2008, deliveredthirteen Trainer Courses, a 54% increasecompared to the number in 2007. It alsodelivered over 50 awareness sessions, a68% increase on 2007. Leave No TraceIreland would like to thank all its MasterEducators and Trainers for spreading themessage of Leave No Trace in Ireland.

The Leave No Trace programme isbacked up by a tiered educationprogramme with three different levels oftraining. For more information on thetraining courses and awareness sessions,please visit the training section onwww.leavenotraceireland.org.


news�

THIS YEAR’S AGM washeld in the impressivefacilities of the new AnÓige Hostel at Knockreein the Glencree valley,Co Wicklow. The hostelis spacious, luxuriousand ideal for meetings ofthis nature.

A separateExtraordinary GeneralMeeting was held toconsider a proposal bythe Board that the nameof the organisation bechanged to reflect itscurrent structure. Theproposed name wasapproved by thosepresent andMountaineering Irelandwas born.

The day had commenced with organisedwalks of historical interest around theGlencree valley. When the formalproceedings started, there was apresentation by Mountaineering Ireland’sinsurance brokers, Perkins Slade, about thecover provided to members. Manyquestions were raised from the floor, withmembers anticipating every possiblecontingency including angry farmers andbulls.

The Members’ Forum and a presentationof the work reports of MountaineeringIreland’s staff followed, which showed thevast amount of work being undertaken onbehalf of members by Chief Officer StuartGarland and his staff. The work onimplementing the training policy and onissues relating to the environment wasimpressive, together with that on youthdevelopment, where the focus has been onNorthern Ireland but is now coming south ofthe border. Again, there was much debate

by members on these crucial areas,including discussion about the role forMountaineering Ireland in regard to themany foreign walkers who visit Ireland toaccess our uplands. Stuart and his teamhave clearly added a vibrancy to theorganisation in the last year and the futureis bright as we, the members, have had ourinput into the strategic Development Planfor 2009-2013.

The honorary officers presented theirreports for what has been a busy year.There were no elections this year. Theaccounts showed a shortfall for the year ofabout €60,000, related to increased costsand to the increased activity by the newstaff members. It is hoped that additionalgovernment grants will be available this yearfrom Sport Northern Ireland. No increase infees was proposed this year, but it ispossible one may be sought next year.

Donald GillWayfarers’ Association

An information session orworkshop on Leave No Trace

A courseenabling those

qualified toteach Leave

No Trace

Highest level of training, a course enablingthose qualified to deliver Trainer courses

MCI promotes the principlesof Leave No Trace

AGM of Mountaineering Ireland, February 21, 2009

Members of the staff and Boardof Mountaineering Ireland meet atthe AGM in Knockree in February.


�news

www.mountaineering.ie10 Irish Mountain Log - Spring 2009

Ulster Way re-opens

New route, new signage, new website

A SERIES of events will be organisedduring 2009 to promote and celebratethe re-opening of the Ulster Way.

The Ulster Way now has a revisedroute, new signage and a website, thelatter being available as a link from thehome page of the WalkNI website(www.walkni.com), operated by CAAN.There is not, as yet, a printed version ofthe route and accompanying information,but this will follow in due course.

On the website, the Quality Sections(marked in red on the accompanyingmap) will have detailed routedescriptions, 1:50 000 interactive maps,accommodation details, and informationon points of interest.

Alternative Sections to QualitySections, or parts thereof, will be similarlysupported.

Link Sections (marked in blue), arethose still in the process of being revised,or which may remain mainly on-road.These will have maps which are notinteractive and route descriptions withoutdetailed instructions.

Every Link Section will haveaccompanying transport information sothat walkers can avoid the long, on-roadsections, if they so wish.

The NI Environmental Agency has

already established a warden system,

with the help of the Ulster Federation of

Rambling Clubs, which will monitor

stretches of the Way and report on

maintenance issues, usage, and access

problems, etc. Any other interested party,

group or club would be very welcome to

join the scheme.

The website will facilitate walkers who

complete the whole Way, or possibly

individual sections, to record their

achievements, which in turn will provide

feedback for future funding for continuing

development, revision and maintenance.– (Margaret Tees)

Walking in Lough Navar Forest onLower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh,

part of the Ulster Way.

THE 2009 Mourne International WalkingFestival will take place from 26-28 June,based in Warrenpoint, Co Down.

Now in its 11th year, the festivaltraditionally attracts walkers from all overthe world; this year is no exception, withwalkers from a host of other countriesalready registered. This year, however,the committee is also actively invitingthose closer to home to get involved.

There are a range of both guided andself-guided walks to suit various levels offitness and experience so that families,strollers and serious walkers alike cantake part. Under-16s must beaccompanied by an adult. The lowlandroutes will be pre-marked, allowing youto walk at your own pace, andare perfect for those wishingto take kids along. Therewill also be control pointswith refreshments atintervals along theseroutes.

Over the festival weekendthere will be twelve defined walksincluding a 10km road walk aroundWarrenpoint and Burren, a 20kmmoderate mountain ramble around theRostrevor and Killowen area and a morestrenuous 20km mountain hike aroundSpelga.

Full details can be found on www.mournewalking.co.uk or contactWarrenpoint Tourist Office tel 028 41752256 (048 from ROI) for more details.

Walking festival

Mourne International

The Ulster Way


The Trailtrekker challenge

Other challenge walks this year

Complete 100km in 30 hours and raise funds for Oxfam

Bóthar fundraising treksin Antrim and Wicklow

IRELAND WILL become the ninth country

in the world to host an Oxfam

TRAILTREKKER event when this tough

team challenge is held here for the first

time in September 2009.

Teams of four will have to complete a

challenging 100km course, requiring

stamina and teamwork, within a time limit

of 30 hours. The participants will raise

money for Oxfam Ireland, to help it

overcome poverty and injustice around

the world.

The first Trailwalker (as it was then

called) was established in 1981 as a

military exercise for the elite Queen’s

Gurkha Signals Regiment in Hong Kong.

The teams used the 100km route as a

BÓTHAR, the Irish international aidorganisation, is offering those interestedtwo unique opportunities to walk with apurpose this summer and get toexperience up close the beautifulWicklow Mountains and the Glens ofAntrim.

The first of these two challenge trekswill be held in the Glens of Antrim onSaturday-Sunday 23-24 May, withwalkers overnighting in the Glens Hotel,Cushendall. The two-day trek will follow aspectacular route through the hills, andthere will be time to relax and enjoy thecompany of new friends.

The second fundraising trek will takeplace in August in Wicklow. Bóthar arecurrently looking for entrants for either orboth events.

For more information, contact PatMcCarrick (Director of FundraisingProjects), Bóthar, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo(tel: +353 (0) 719120100 ) or visit thewebsite www.bothar.ie.

KnockmealdownCrossing, 25 April 2009

PEAKS MOUNTAINEERING CLUB inClonmel, Co Tipperary, is organising achallenge event in the Knockmealdownson Saturday, 25 April 2009. It will followbeautiful mountain ridge that traces thecounty boundary of Tipperary andWaterford and looks down on the Vee.

Three walks of varying distance anddifficulty are being held. The longest walk,the A Walk (26km), begins on theAvondue Way, is self-navigating, andshould take about about nine hours tocomplete. The B Walk (16km) is a led,seven-hours walk, while the C Walk(13.5km) is led and should take fivehours. All walkers must check in at theCommunity Hall in Newcastle village inClonmel, Co Tipperary, for a bus to thestart of each walk.

For more information, contact NualaO’Connell (086 835 7290) or JimO’Flaherty (086 257 6788), [email protected], or visit thewebsite www.peaksmcclonmel.ie.

training exercise to test their soldiers’

stamina and teamwork skills. There are

now an impressive eleven trails in nine

countries (Hong Kong, Great Britain,

Australia, New Zealand, Japan,

Netherlands, Canada, Belgium and now

Ireland), with more planned for the future.

The Irish TRAILTREKKER will take

place from 26-27 September 2009,

starting in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor, Co

Down, and finishing in Carlingford, Co

Louth. Participants will cover 100km of

rugged countryside, trekking together in

their teams by day and by night.

Along with the physical and mental

challenges, TRAILTREKKER will offer the

opportunity to take in the dramatic cross-

border scenery of the Mourne Mountains,

the Ring of Gullion and Tain Way, as well

as points of special archaeological

interest along the way.The event is supported by both Newry

& Mourne District Council and LouthCounty Council.

Registration for the event is just€200/£200 per team and participantsmust also commit to raising a minimumof €2,000/£2,000 sponsorship per team.Oxfam Ireland is aiming to recruit 200teams to take part in TRAILTREKKER2009 and there will also be opportunitiesfor those who don’t want to walk the100km but would like to volunteer at theevent.

• Full details are available on the websitewww.oxfamireland.org/trailtrekker.

news�

MORE CHALLENGE WALKSMAY-JULY 2009

(For more information, seewww.walkersassociation.ie)

Achill Walks Festival (Galway)1-4 May 2009Donegal Bluestacks Walking Festival2 & 3 May2009Ballyhoura Marathon Challenge2, 3 & 4 May 2009Moyle Challenge Walk (Antrim coast)Sun 10 May 2009Blackstairs Walk (Carlow-Wexford)Sat 23 May 2009Clare Burren Marathon ChallengeSat 23 May 2009The Lug Walk (Wicklow)June 2009Comeragh Crossing (Waterford)4 July 2009Joyce Country Challenge (Connemara)18 July 2009Hart Walk (Dublin-Wicklow)Fri-Sat 24-25 July 2009


PLEASE NOTE: Mountaineering Irelandencourages the organisers of walkingfestivals and challenge or fundraising walksto ensure that the principles of Leave NoTrace are observed by participants, and it ishappy to advise organisers about ways ofadhering to these principles.

• For more information, contact AodhnaitCarroll at [email protected].

TAMATSU ‘TOM’ NAKAMURA gavea lecture on his exploration of EastTibet and Sichuan in Dublin inFebruary.

On a memorable evening in theStillorgan Park Hotel on February20th, Nakamura showed us amagnificent series of slides of6000m peaks in the EastTibet/Sichuan area, almost all ofthem unclimbed.

This is a fascinating area wherefour of the greatest rivers in Asia,the Tsangpo, Salween, Mekong andYangtze, are squeezed into an areaof less than 400km, separated byridges with high snow and icepeaks. It is an area with so fewtracks and passes that it defiedgreat explorers like Frank Kingdon-

Ward and has only recently beenmapped by modern air surveys.

Nakamura has a uniqueknowledge of the region. He hasmade thirty trips there in the pasttwenty years and has prepared acollection of Kammkarte maps thatwould be useful to anyoneconsidering visiting the area, eitherto trek or to climb.

Unfortunately, most of theunclimbed peaks (200 out of 250)are in the Nyainqentanglha range inTibet and, like all climbing in thatcountry, require permission that isoften difficult to obtain. Climbing inSichuan has no such problems butthere are few unclimbed 6000mpeaks remaining, although“countless alluring rock and snowpeaks from 5000m to 6000m areawaiting visits from climbers andtrekkers,” he said.

Nakamura’s visit was arrangedthrough Joss Lynam, who knowshim as a fellow member of the UIAAExpeditions Commission. Tom wasvisiting England to receive honorarymembership of The Alpine Club andwas happy to extend his Europeantrip to Ireland at his own expense,for which Mountaineering is verygrateful. Joss Lynam has copies ofrecent Japanese AC Journals in hispersonal collection that includemany articles (in English), maps andpictures, and a fine, well-illustratedbook (in German) about the region,which are available for study at hishome.

Explorer visits Dublin

Nakamura explored East Tibet and Sichuan

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Joss Lynam (right)meets Tamatsu Nakamuraat his recent talk in Dublin.Photo: Patrick O’Sullivan.

THREE IRISHMEN, Gavin Bate from Belfast,

Richard Casey from Cloyne, Co Cork, and Derek

Fanning from Birr, Co Offaly, were part of a group of

five mountaineers who took part in an expedition to

Aconcagua in January. The trip was organised by

Gavin Bate’s company, Adventure Alternative.

Derek Fanning reports that it was a wonderful

expedition and the views from the summit were

awesome! There was a good atmosphere in the

group, with Gavin Bate being a relaxed presence.

While they were in Mendoza, they were informed

that five climbers had died on the mountain a few

days before, including two Italians who had

become lost and a 42-year-old Englishman who

died of a heart attack just below the summit.

On summit day, one of their group turned back

because he was worried about getting frostbite. He

had developed frostnip with blackened toes, but his

toes subsequently recovered. Starting from Camp 3

(aka Berlin Camp) at a height of 5,900m, the rest of

the group joined up with a team of about fifteen

Americans led by Wally Berg. Several of the

Americans turned back and when one of them

slumped into the snow, exhausted, as Derek

walked by, he said ‘Go bud, go!’ Derek says that

these words gave him an adrenalin rush and made

him more determined to reach the top.

Just beneath the canaletta, one of their party

wanted to turn back, but they persuaded him to

continue. At the summit, where the temperature

was -30°C, another of their party was unsteady on

his legs and vomited. Coming down from the

summit, he slipped on a steep, rocky slope and

banged his head; luckily, it was just a superficial cut

and bruising. During the descent he remained

unsteady on his feet and fell down in the snow a

few times, but eventually they all arrived safely back

at Berlin Camp, exhausted but filled with a great

sense of achievement.

Aconcagua success

Thirty degrees below zero

Aconcagua (6,962m), Argentina,the highest peak in the Americas.

Damyon (6324m) SW face,Mekong-Yu Qu Divide, an area

documented by Nakamura.

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TOLLYMORE MOUNTAIN CENTRE isSport Northern Ireland’s National TrainingCentre for Adventure Activities. Itprovides a range of skills and leadershiptraining and assessment courses inmountaineering and canoe-sport,introductory and multi-activity courses forgroups, and some development coursesfor large organisations. Tollymore is thesole provider of hillwalking, climbing andmountaineering leadership/instructor

training

courses inNorthern Ireland

and one of three NationalMountain Centres in the UK and Irelandto provide Mountaineering InstructorAward training and assessment courses.

Tollymore was opened in the early1970s and has had a number ofupgrades since then, the most recentbeing in 1993. However, it was clear thatcourse participants no longer wanted tostay in dormitories, the dining room wastoo small, catering facilities were not upto scratch, we could not cater for peoplewith some disabilities, we could not caterfor young people and adults at the sametime…something needed to be done.

Initial discussions looked at thepossibility of complete refurbishment, butas we began to look at costs, it becameclear that refurbishment was putting offthe inevitable.

Options appraisals were carried out,applications were made to variousgovernment departments through SportNI, and finally, our business case wasapproved by both the Department ofCulture, Arts and Leisure and theDepartment for Finance and Personnel;we had a budget and could continue theprocess.

We tendered for an initial design teamand had wide-ranging consultations withuser organisations, governing bodies,local groups and other sporting bodies.

In 2008, contractors were appointedto build the new centre. Further

consultations followed,costings were made

and our designwas finalised.Work is now

underway and thenew building is due to

open in April 2010.The new building will cater for up to

forty course participants, withaccommodation in en-suite twinbedrooms. There will be plenty ofmeeting rooms, large equipment storagefacilities, drying rooms, a canoe-rollingpool, a training area with kayakmachines, a bouldering wall, campusboards, etc. Tollymore will be able toprovide a wider range of courses, in an

environment appropriate to the needs ofall course participants. The building willbe built in an environmentally sustainablemanner, with heating provided by awood-pellet boiler, solar water heating forthe rolling pool and a modern buildingmanagement system to ensure efficientrunning of the building. Hotrock, theMountaineering Ireland-owned climbingwall at Tollymore, will be fully integratedinto the redeveloped centre and willremain open during the redevelopment.Due to the increase in size and thelayout, we will be able to cater for a widenumber of courses at the same time,something we cannot presently do.

We are due to move into the newbuilding in April 2010, but until then, wecontinue to operate as the NationalTraining Centre for Adventure Activitiesand deliver our range of courses(www.tollymore.com). Some of theupcoming highlights include our annualperformance climbing seminar (March27-29) and the full range of ClimbingWall, Single and Multi-pitch, WalkingGroup and Mountain Leader training andassessment courses, Hill and MountainSkills courses, as well as canoe-sport,mountain-bike and orienteering courses.Contact the centre for further information:[email protected].

Complete rebuild for Tollymore

Artist’s impression of the new Tollymore Mountain Centre, currently under construction.

Tollymore MountainCentre plan.

New mountain centre will open in April 2010

TREVOR FISHER

IMRA’s ANNUAL CONFERENCE and AGMwas hosted by the Mourne MountainRescue Team at the Burrendale Hotel inNewcastle, Co Down, on January 9-11,2009. This year’s event was the mostsuccessful to date, with over 70 attendeesand every team represented.Representatives of the PSNI SAR team,SARDA Ireland North, Mountain RescueEngland and Wales, the Mountain RescueCommittee of Scotland andMountaineering Ireland also attended.

The National Conference took place onthe Saturday. The theme was “WorkingTogether,” reflecting the work currentlybeing done at national level to establishService Level Agreements with our keystakeholders, the Gardaí, Irish CoastGuards, Irish Air Corps and the HSE.

In the morning session, Pat Holland(previous IMRA Chair) discussed “Workingwithin a Mountain Rescue team.” AnnFitzpatrick (Team Leader, Glen of ImaalMRT) and Mark Flynn (Team Leader, Dublin& Wicklow MRT) gave a joint presentation,“A review of two recent major MRincidents.” The two incidents involvedmultiple MR teams and multiplegovernment agencies including the Gardaí,IRCG and Air Corps. In “Gear, gadgetsand gizmos,” each of the conferenceexhibitors had five minutes to present theirnew products to the conference.

Seamus Bradley (Chair, IMRA Training &Development Group) broke attendees intosmall groups to discuss three possiblefuture scenarios for IMRA in 20 years’time:

• things stay exactly the same;• IMRA continues to develop as a self-

funding, autonomous organisation tobecome an RNLI-like SARorganisation;

• IMRA becomes part of an existinggovernment agency.

The first half ofthe afternoon sawthree break-outsessions:• a media training

workshop;• a Training and

DevelopmentSub-committeemeeting;

• a Medical Sub-committeemeeting.

The mid-afternoon session“SomethingDifferent” saw theMourne Team continuing the practiceintroduced by the Mayo Team at last year’sconference, with attendees split intogroups and participating in a number ofactivities both inside and outside the hotel.This session was hosted by Mourne Teammember Marty McMullen who owns anadventure management company calledLife (formerly The Highpoint Group).

The late-afternoon session consisted of:

• a Team Leaders meeting;• a Treasurers/Fundraising meeting,

including a demonstration of the newonline accounting package IMRA isusing, called SQL-ledger (madeavailable through The Wheel/Enclude);

• a presentation by Donal McNamara(IMRA Development Officer for Search& Tracking) reviewing the latestdevelopments in Search Management.

In addition, there were exhibition standsfrom Keela, Paramo, Mountain Equipment,Jackson Sports, Arqiva, the HighpointGroup and Expand-a-Sign to visit.

Later, IMRA held the annual presentationof awards for individuals nominated bytheir teams for their contributions to thedevelopment of their team. The recipients

of the 2008 “Distinguished ServiceAwards” were:

• Ben McCabe and Joe Moore, Glen ofImaal MRT;

• Helen McNamara, SARDA;• Suzy Carson, Ed Kilgore, James

McEvoy and Stephen Synott, MourneMRT;

• Brendan Maher, Dublin & WicklowMRT;

• Colm Byrne, Mayo MRT.

IMRA AGMThe AGM took place on the Sunday.

Besides the obligatory reports from theelected IMRA officers and the teams, thefinancial summary was presented, andthere was a presentation from SheilaNorden of the Irish Charities Tax ReformGroup entitled “The new charity regulationsand how they will affect MR teams.”

• IMRA would like to thank the MourneMRT for their great work in organising andhosting this event. We would also like tothank the Irish Coast Guard for its financialsupport through our 2008 DevelopmentGrant.

National Conference

Biggest turn-out to date

Get all the latest news at www.mountainrescue.ie

IMRANews


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PAUL WHITING

Reinhold Dörflinger, president of AustrianMountain Rescue Service, with the DonegalMRT vehicle during his recent visit to Ireland.

Photo: IMRA.

Exchange visit

Austrians praise IMRA systems

UNDER THE EU Programme for Exchangeof Experts, IMRA was visited by members ofthe Austrian Mountain Rescue Service(AMRS), aka Österreich Bergrettungsdienst(www.bergrettung.at) in February.

The visit followed participation in aninternational Mountain Rescue conference inChamonix last October by Chris Englandand Mark Flynn of Dublin & Wicklow MRT,representing IMRA. This conference is anannual event of the InternationalCommission of Alpine Rescue(www.ikar-cisa.org).

During a presentation by the FrenchPolice Mountain Rescue Team (PGHM) ontheir GPS radio system, the IMRArepresentatives asked about some featuresof the radio system which were already inuse by IMRA teams but which the FrenchTeam were not aware of, impressing theAustrian participants, who then requestedthe exchange visit.

The delegation was like a who’s who ofinternational MR dignitaries and consistedof: Reinhold Dörflinger, President of theAMRS and Vice-President of ICAR; Gebhard“Pablo” Barbisch, Vice-President of theICAR Terrestrial Rescue Commission; FranzMarx, Deputy Country Director AMRS; and

Caroline Tomasch, Austrian Ministry of theInterior.

During discussions with IMRArepresentatives, the Austrian delegationacknowledged a number of new ideas thatthey took away with them:

• the use of GPS radios;• the flexibility and breadth of the Irish

National Training Curriculum;• the fact that some of our teams aren’t

based in a rescue base but operate outof vehicles, which means they are a lotmore flexible and cover larger areas thanthe traditional AMRS unit;

• displaying text on MR vehicles with themessage “This vehicle has beenprovided through public donations.”

They were also surprised at the uniqueIrish phenomenon of the annual CroaghPatrick pilgrimage and the scale of theoperation that IMRA organises to care forthe 30,000-40,000 pilgrims.

The Austrian visitors enjoyed thehospitality they received during their Irishvisit and plans are now being made for areturn IMRA visit to the ÖsterreichBergrettungsdienst later in the year.

�IMRA news


FOG (FRIENDS OF GLEN), a newlyestablished fundraising section of theGlen of Imaal MRT, is seekingparticipants for their first officialfundraising event – the ever popularFlora Women’s Mini-Marathon in Dublinon Bank Holiday Monday, June 1 2009.

All the money you raise will gotowards building the Glen Team’s much-needed Mountain Rescue Base nearGlendalough, Co Wicklow, where themajority of the team’s call-outs occur.The Glen Team’s volunteers have alreadybeen called out to help in sixteenincidents in the Wicklow Mountains inthe first two months of the year, anaverage of two per week.

Why don’t you join forces with FOGand with Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescuepersonnel on the 10km route aroundDublin city and help them raise much-needed funds to build their base?

Willing participants should contactFOG at [email protected] phone 087 634 7286 for theirfundraising pack, information on trainingwalks/runs and transport to and from theevent. You can also sign up for the eventonline at www.womensminimarathon.ie.

Do the Mini-Marathonfor Mountain Rescue

A special donation

Ger McDonnell remembered

LAST YEAR, we were all saddened by news of thedeath of Ger McDonnell on K2. The family askedthose attending his funeral service in Limerick tomake a donation to Ger’s favourite charities ratherthan bringing flowers. The charities identified forsupport included IMRA.

In February, John Dowd of the Kerry MRT visitedGer’s family in Limerick on behalf of IMRA. John, whosummitted Everest himself last year and knew Gerpersonally, accepted the donation of €1,124.97 fromGer’s mother, Gertie.

IMRA would like to thank the family and friends ofGer McDonnell for their generosity and kindness inremembering Ger in this way. The donation will beplaced in our fundraising account for distribution toteams and national projects in our budgeting meetingin the first quarter of 2010.

Ger McDonnell.

Ger McDonnellon K2 in 2008.

John Dowd of Kerry MRT (on behalfof IMRA) receives donation from

Ger’s mother, Mrs Gertie McDonnell.

Juan O’Raw is a talented young Irish climber. At just 18, he has climbed at mostof the major crags around Ireland, leading up to E3, and has also climbed theNorth Ridge of the Piz Badile. In January 2009, he received a MountaineeringIreland subsidy to attend the International Ice Meet in Argentière-la-Bessée,with Ronnie Smith, an MIC and experienced ice climber. This is his report.

Sacré bleu! Quelle glace!International Ice Meet, France, January 2009

DINNER-PLATING, as I discovered, iswhen ice shatters into large, plate-likediscs when excessively beaten with an ice-axe. To call them dinner plates in this casewould have been a bit of anunderstatement, as at the time they feltmore like dinner tables!

Standing like an arthritic pensioner witha lump of ice the size of a microwavetemporarily resting on my knees, itoccurred to me that I may have beenbanging my ice-climbing tools into the icewith a little too much enthusiasm!

Standing half a rope’s distance belowme was Ronnie Smith, attentively belayingfrom the classic rusty peg and frayed tat. Iam not implying that Ronnie’s methodswere unsafe – in fact, he is the safest,most efficient person I have ever climbed

with. This trip was not only a learningcurve for myself but also in some aspectsfor Ronnie, too, who had to take mymistakes and mishaps on the chin, so tospeak, or on the shoulder and knee, as wewere soon to find out.

The transparent block slid ever sogracefully from my burning thighs, as Iwatched in wonder. Glancing up from hisshivering belay, Ronnie didn’t appear to beas entranced as myself. A swift bracingagainst the ice-plastered rock and an evenswifter slip of the tongue, which I can onlydescribe as French, told me that somehowhe didn’t find it quite as enchanting. With ashattering crash, the missile collidedagainst the ice fall, increasing its alreadybreathtaking velocity and inducing afirework-type effect. Generous lumps of icewhizzed at the speed of light past thevictim of my clumsiness, three of themmaking contact with the target below.Thankfully, Ronnie wasn’t phased…and sowent my first lead on ice!

Early starts, clear skies and themasochistic pursuit of those hot aches thatwere felt at the end of each day may givethe impression that this trip was all fun andgames…and believe me it was! Althoughthe ice meet was held in the town of

Argentière-la-Bessée, we based ourselvesin the small, charming village of Le Bez,snuggled against the powder-laden slopesof Serre Chevalier. Paul Swail, a talentedand dedicated winter enthusiast, kindly putus up for the week in his climber-stylechalet overflowing with ice tools, skis anddrying jackets. This cosy little house wassituated in a perfect location half-way, asthe crow flies, between the famous valleysof Le Grave and Fournell.

Le Grave was truly the best venue, in myestimation, first and foremost due to thefact that walking was kept to a minimum.Awe-inspiring lines were a stone’s throwfrom the road and screaming out to beclimbed. From single-pitch grade 3s to500m grade 6s, from broad gullies tonarrow cigars, Le Grave truly was an iceclimber’s nirvana.

Following a few days’ climbing at these“roadside venues,” we decided to ventureinto the secluded yet magical valley ofFournel. The 40-minute drive felt like anadventure in itself as we crept and slid ourway along the powder-enveloped forestfloor, the overwhelming cliffs on either sidecasting ominous shadows upon thedormant dwellings below.

After what felt like an age and a half ofsecluded wilderness, we were amazed tofind a car park overflowing with like-minded climbers. Obviously they knew wewere coming as every classic, easy accessor intriguing climb had been taken, leavingus to wallow in knee-deep powder(shoulder-deep in my case!) beforereaching our unmistakably Scottish-lookingline. Without hesitation and to my surprise,Ronnie leapt onto this smattering of rottenice and commenced to gleefully thrash hisway up this frozen death trap, indicating tome that he was in his element as pick andpoint ripped through the unpredictablemess.

As we slid on our backsides down in thedirection of the car, Ronnie, grinning fromear to ear as I tried to recover from my“experience,” spotted a pristine cigarwhich hadn’t yet been sieged. Eager asalways, the half-man, half-machine blitzedthe short, dead-on vertical formation,which left me for pumped, although I won’tdeny the fact that the climbing wasabsolutely superb.

All in all, my first ice-climbing trip was anabsolute dream. Endless blue skies,immaculate conditions and, moreimportantly, a great atmosphere and evengreater company, all made for a fantastictime!

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Juan O’Raw leading on an ice wall.Photo: Ronnie Smith.


JUAN O’RAW

Paul Swail seconding.Photo: Ronnie Smith.

The newly refurbished WicklowWay, Kilmashogue, Co Dublin.Photo: Cóilín MacLochlainn.


Dublin Mountains Trail

Repairs, website, newsletter

The Dublin Mountains Partnership has rerouted and upgraded aone-kilometre section of the Wicklow Way in Coillte’s Kilmashogueproperty. This section of the trail was badly eroded and washed out;the refurbished section follows a slightly different route to the oldroute. The work on the trail was delayed in early February by theheavy snowfalls but has since been completed.

Elsewhere in the Dublin Mountains, the Tibradden trail upgradehas been completed, and Mountain Meitheal has commenced workon the mountain access route on Cruagh. Here it is building a 400mbog bridge to provide access from the Coillte forest property toCruagh and the uplands as far as Prince William’s Seat. Thematerials for the project are being supplied by the Dublin MountainsPartnership. The work will continue for the next two to three months.

Meanwhile, the Dublin Mountains Partnership has launched anewsletter and website to provide information on recreation in thearea. The website, www.dublinmountains.ie, provides informationon events, sites, trails and how to access them, maps, conservationwork and the promotion of better behaviour through the Leave noTrace programme. The chairman of the Dublin MountainsPartnership, Bill Murphy, said the website is about giving people thetools necessary to access the forests and trails in the mountains foroutdoor recreation and to use the public lands in a responsible andsustainable way.

The newsletter, Viewpoint, is helping to create awareness of theDublin Mountains Partnership and its objectives. It will outline theprogress being made and report on events being held in the area.

The Dublin Mountains Partnership was established to improve therecreational potential of the public lands in the Dublin Mountainswhile balancing recreation with the needs of the various landowners,both public and private. The partnership’s members are Coillte, theNational Parks and Wildlife Service, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown CoCouncil, South Dublin Co Council, Dublin City Council and the DublinMountains Initiative.

For more information, contact Karen Woods, Recreation Manager,Dublin Mountains Partnership, c/o Coillte Teoranta, Newtownmount-kennedy, Co Wicklow; (01) 201 1187,087-050 7022, [email protected],www.dublinmountains.ie.


THE HEN HARRIER (cromán nagcearc) is one of, if not the, mostelegant and graceful, spectacularand exciting birds in the world. It isan asset to the life, biodiversityand heritage of any country inwhich it is found. It is the jewel inthe crown of Irish upland wildlife.

The hen harrier is a rare and threatened bird

of prey. It is native to our uplands and can

be seen in the rolling farmland countryside

and heather bogs during the breeding

season, throughout the spring and summer,

at elevations typically between 100 and 500

metres.

One of the most striking things about the

bird is that the male and female differ

markedly in size and colour, so much so

that for many years the two were thought to

be separate species.

As with most birds of prey (e.g. peregrine

falcon, sparrowhawk, kestrel), the female is

larger than the male. The male is a

stunning-looking white or silver bird, with

black tips to the wings. The female is a

larger bird of a beautiful rich brown

plumage with a white rump and brown and

barred patterns or rings on the tail. To

compare it in size with a bird that mountain

enthusiasts would be well familiar with, hen

harriers are roughly the same size as the

raven, though harriers are a much lighter

and more graceful bird.

Two most spectacular traits single out the

hen harrier from all other birds. Coming into

the spring on our uplands, those who are

tuned in to the awakening of nature around

them will be treated to awesome aerial

displays by the silver male as he tries to

impress potential mates with a show of

agility, stamina and prowess. These aerial

courtship displays, known as sky dances,

are rivalled by no other. They involve the

birds travelling to insane heights before

plummeting like a meteor to Earth, spinning,

gyrating and somersaulting many times

more than an Olympic diver or one of the

Red Arrows. When just feet from the

ground and in almost certain danger of

death, the male will pull himselfout of this controlled frenzy andrise up again, only to drop againin the same manner, andcontinue this exhibition for up to10 or 15 minutes! The female maydecide to partake in the sky danceherself, which I guess is onlycourteous, really!

Another unique and spectacular trait ofthe harriers is the food pass. As the male isthe sole provider of food for the mother andyoung at the critical stage when the motheris guarding the nest, the harriers need away of getting the food from father tomother. This is not simply done by atransfer on the ground or at the nest…thereis nothing ordinary about these magnificentand rare birds! The male, carrying prey inhis talons, will call to the female as heapproaches the nest area. The female willrise to meet the male and, as she comesnear him, will somersault over so as to takethe prey from his feet with her own feet.This “aerial re-fuelling” really is out of thisworld and no words could do this acrobatic

feat justice (see illustration).Occasionally, a male may bepartner to more than one mate

at the same time (polygyny),but the Casanovas who do

so must almost invariablyregret all the extra work of having to supplyso many hungry mouths.

The harriers will typically raise 1-4 chicksby the end of the summer. Too often,unfortunately, they will raise none. This is aspecies which has declined in Ireland mainlydue to clearance and afforestation of theirhabitats, restricting the amount of landavailable to the species. Further threatsarise from poor summer weather, predatorsand lack of food availability. Being birds ofprey, they will capture mice, rats, shrewsand bank voles. They will also take smallbirds, such as skylarks and meadow pipits,

Upland sky-dancer

The hen harrier, a bird under threat

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BARRY O’DONOGHUE


Hen harrier breeding habitat.Inset: Hen harrier with wing tags.Photos: Barry O’Donoghue.

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which co-exist with them on theirupland and boggy territories. Despitethe name, hen harriers will not take hensor any other poultry.

The hen harrier exists in the mostremote parts of the countryside and willshy away from human contact. This iswhy reports from upland enthusiasts areso important.

The stronghold of the species inIreland is in the south and west,particularly on the MullaghareirkMountains in Co Cork and Limerick andacross to the Stacks and GlannarudderyMountains in Co Kerry, whereapproximately one-third of the Irish henharrier population can be found.Counties Clare, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly,Galway, Leitrim, Monaghan, Tyrone andDonegal also hold important breedingpopulations. Today, over the wholeisland of Ireland, there are thought to beless than 200 breeding pairs of thisspecial and endangered bird. Under theEuropean Union Birds Directive, topreserve what is left of the species,Ireland is obliged to implement SpecialProtection Areas for the hen harrier andapply appropriate land managementdirections and other measures withinthese areas. These measures mainlyconcentrate on preserving the traditionalor the present methods of farming andland use.

Custodians of the countryside have amost important part to play incontinuing to support this beautifulelement of Ireland’s natural heritage,which has been here throughout theages, in the same way that the peopleof the Irish uplands look after otheraspects of our heritage such as folklore,traditional music and the very mountainsthemselves.

In an effort to better understand thespecies’ biology and requirements, toensure the hen harrier remains a sight inour upland landscapes, the NationalParks and Wildlife Service is involved inresearch with UCC and is urginghillwalkers, climbers and ramblers toreport any sightings of these birds atany time of the year. Particularly ofinterest are a select group of Irishharriers which have been colour wing-tagged so that they may be followedthrough reports from the public.

This tagging consists of putting acoloured strip on the back of each wing,the colour on the left wing signifying

what year the bird was born in, and thecolour on the right wing signifying wherethe bird is from.

Already, birds tagged in west Clarehave been sighted in Donegal andAntrim (possibly heading to Scotland),birds tagged in Kerry have been seen inWexford and Offaly, and birds tagged inCork have been found in Limerick andGalway.

Movements of hen harriers withinIreland were never known or understoodproperly prior to this taggingprogramme, and so sightings are beingsought from the public. It is just oneway in which those who pursue outdoorinterests can directly add to ourknowledge of this and other rare wildlifein the uplands, and also benefit themilieu which we all enjoy so much andthat we hope will remain for futuregenerations.

• Anybody wishing to report sightings ofhen harriers or to simply learn more aboutthe species can contact BarryO’Donoghue of the National Parks andWildlife Service, Department of theEnvironment, Heritage and LocalGovernment, at [email protected] or 087-911 0715, or log-on to www.npws.ieand/or www.ucc.ie/planforbio/en.

SOME 800 tonnes of rubbish has been removedfrom the Dublin and Wicklow uplands since 2007by an environmental project to tackle fly-tipping andillegal dumping in the uplands. This is equivalent to114,000 standard black bin bags of waste.

The PURE (Protecting Uplands & RuralEnvironments) project was set up by theDepartment of the Environment in 2006 and hasmade over 1,700 collections. The project office hasreceived over 1,800 reports of illegal dumping,many of them through a dedicated Lo-Call phoneline, 1850 365 121. PURE ensures a quickresponse to all incidents of dumping and removesall of the material.

In response to claims that, by collecting therubbish, PURE is just cleaning up after those whoare responsible, project manager Ian Davis said thatif dumped rubbish is left in the landscape “it onlyattracts further dumping.”

PURE, the first project of its kind in Ireland, iscollecting information on the type of material beingdumped, which areas are most affected and, wherepossible, who is responsible for the dumping. It hasrolled out a public awareness campaign and issueda primary schools education pack to all schools inthe Wicklow, south Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county areas. It also has a website,www.pureproject.ie.

The project has embarked on a regionaladvertising campaign to alert people tounauthorised waste collectors and the effects ofillegal dumping on the environment. TheDepartment of the Environment is to fund theproject for a further three-year period, and FáilteIreland has become a stakeholder.

• PURE urges thepublic to report

dumpers and

dumping on Lo-Call

1850 365 121.

Fly-tipping tackled

800 tonnes removed

Domestic refusedumped inGlenmalure.

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OCTOBER 2008 saw the firstYouth Leading and BoulderingSeries at the Ozone climbingwall in Belfast. The fourpreliminary rounds took placeover the dark winter monthswith competitors having amonth to master each of thesixteen routes and boulderproblems ranging in grade from‘surprisingly tricky’ to ‘surelyyou’re joking!’ Points wereawarded on the basis of howmany attempts were required fora successful ascent.

An added bonus of this section of the competition, for thoseineligible to compete, was the opportunity to test themselves on thecompetition routes and find out at first hand how strong andtalented these youngsters really were.

The series concluded on Sunday 15 February 2009 with the final,which took the standard competition form of one attempt at each ofthe four lead routes and three attempts at each of the four boulderproblems. With a squad of volunteer judges and belayers in place,the hard training of the previous months was now put to the test.

Junior (14-18) female category was, as usual, a close-foughtbattle with just twelve points separating the top three places. In theend, the honours went to Katie Maxwell who scored maximumpoints, with Rachel Cooper a close second and Jenny Wright just afurther four points adrift.

Junior (14-18) male category was again a close event with JakeHaddock securing victory with the best performance of the day onthe final male F7c competition route. Andrew Colligan came insecond, with Tim McGlinchey close behind to complete the topthree.

Anja Jones took first place in the Senior (18-25) female sectionwith a perfect score, narrowly beating Michelle O’Loughlin whodropped just one point at the top of the final route. Jane Gallweytook third place.

The senior male (18-25) category was another close competition,with four points separating Michal Wronka in first place from Maciej

Sulek and Jonathon Gibson, who tied for second.Performances on the day were of the usual extremely high

standard that we’ve come to expect. However, particular mentionneeds to be made of both the male and female junior winners, KatieMaxwell and Jake Haddock, who both turned in performances thatwould have seen them placed first in the respective senior sections.

The success of the competition series was only possible with thetireless route-setting of Eddie, Ricky and Rob; the support of thesponsors: Mountaineering Ireland, Northern Ireland Youth ClimbingTeam, Belfast City Council, Surf Mountain, Jackson Sports andTiso; and above all, the young climbers who, over this past winter,showed the rest of us just what’s possible with hard work anddedication, and let’s not forget talent, strength and youth as well! –(Dave Hamill)

Youth Leading and Bouldering Series

High standards set at first series on Ozone Wall, Belfast

Climber atthe Ozone.Photo:Angela Carlin.

THIS YEAR, the Climbfest will move from itstraditional base at Culdaff to Glencolmcillein southwest Donegal. Climbers are invitedto sample the routes at nearby Malinbeg,Skelpoonagh Bay, Port Bay, Sail Rock andMuckross. Camping has been arrangedbeside the GAA pitch, and there are toiletsand water available. The campsite is only a

couple of minutes from shops and pubs inthe village, and there is a new independenthostel at the entrance to the ground forthose who do not wish to camp.

The area around Glencolmcille boasts thefinest coastal walking and scenery inIreland, and the campsite is near a sandybeach. There will be a barbeque on the

Saturday night and it is hoped to providet-shirts for those attending. Registration willbe €10, and the camping fee (to GAA) willbe €5 per tent per night. The eventendeavours to comply with the Leave NoTrace policy adopted by MountaineeringIreland. Further details will be posted on theColmcille Climbers website. – (Alan Tees)

Climbfest 2009

Glencolmcille, Co Donegal, May 1-4, 2009

Climbing CoursesOzone Wall, Belfast

The Ozone is running a new seriesof six-week climbing courses, to suitbeginners and improvers. Theclasses are held on Monday,Wednesday and Thursday evenings(for adults, beginners and improversrespectively) and Saturday mornings(for adult beginners 10am, juniors11:30am) over six weeks.

Course prices£54.90 (regular users)£27 (those receiving

means-tested benefits)£27 (over 60s)£45.90 (students)

All places on the courses areallocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrolment is nowopen. To reserve your place,call us on 028 9045 8024.

Neil Thomaslead climbing atthe Ozone Wall.

Photo: Angela Carlin.


MONDAY, MARCH 23rd, saw young climbers from Aquinas Grammar,Little Flower Girls School, Methodist College and the Royal BelfastAcademical Institution arrive at the Ozone in Belfast to compete in thefinal of the first ever Mountaineering Ireland under-15s Schools’Climbing Competition.

With ten weeks of coaching completed, no one could have guessedjust how closely fought the final would be. Having been tested by threeroutes and three boulder problems, only 10 points separated the firstfour girls. Lucy Mullan claimed 1st place, Emma Bogues was just onepoint behind in 2nd, and close behind in 3rd and 4th were Aoife Shirlowand TJ O’Neill.

Not to be outdone, the top six boys were separated by a mere eightpoints and a super final was needed to decide 1st place between DavidHopkins and Jamie Rankin. On this occasion Jamie won on his finalattempt, leaving David in 2nd, with Eoin Acton and James McLaughlinsharing 3rd.

I would like to thank all the young people who took part in thescheme, along with the teachers and volunteers who made it possible,and Dawson Stelfox for presenting the cups, kindly provided byMountaineering Ireland. Finally, a special thank you to Margi Maxwellwho single-handedly looked after all the administration. We now lookforward to next year when we hope the event will be expanded toinclude more age groups and schools. – (Angela Carlin)

• The competition was run by the NI Youth Climbing Team with the aidof a Support for Sport grant from Belfast City Council. Cotswoldsprovided the prizes.

Results

Girls under 15Placing Name Points1st Lucy Mullan (Aquinas GS) 4762nd Emma Bogues (Aquinas GS) 4753rd Aoife Shirlow (Aquinas GS) 4724th TJ O’Neill (Little Flower) 466

Boys under 15Placing Name Points1st Jamie Rankin (MCB) 4772nd David Hopkins (MCB) 4773rd Eoin Acton (MCB) 4753rd James McLaughlin (RBAI) 4755th Jordan Singh (RBAI) 4736th Joshua Lyness (RBAI) 469

THIS YEAR’S IBL was a great success, with some reallyenjoyable rounds and more than 300 individual competitorsentering the various rounds. The round in Kerry was particularlysuccessful as this new venue, Play at Height in An Daingean, iswell-suited to providing the facilities that the Bouldering Leaguecompetitors need. Being out of Dublin, it also attracted a lot ofnew competitors.

Round 1: DCU (Dublin), Sat 11 Oct

Round 2: Play at Height (An Daingean, Co Kerry), Sat 1 Nov

Round 3: NUIG (Galway), Sat 29 Nov

Round 4: St Colman’s Community College (Midleton, Cork), Sat 24 Jan

Round 5: DCU (Dublin), Sat 28 Feb

news�

IBL results

Irish Bouldering League 2008/2009

Belfast Schools

Climbing Competition 2009

Winners in the Belfast Schools Competition.

ResultsMale

Placing Name Points1 Harry Fogg 9002 Kevin Power 8903 Hamish Graham 8873 Jan Hurdzan 887

FemalePlacing Name Points

1 Cornelia Holzer 8981 Hannah Fogg 8982 Maggie Chojan 8963 Polina Panicheva 893

JuniorPlacing Name Points

1 Andrew Colligan 8992 Naoise Ó Muircheartaigh 8953 Ciaran Rogers 893

Paul Harrington competingat DCU round of IBL

in February 2009.Photo: Patrick O’Sullivan.


IN BRIEF

SeekingrescuedclimberWould the man who wasrescued from Carrauntoohiland subsequently airlifted tohospital in Cork onSeptember 27, 2008,please contact KerryMountain Rescue Team [email protected], as they believe they mayhave located some of hispossessions.

Walkingsticks foundA pair of wine-colouredHitec walking sticks waspicked up at Oldbridge onSunday, March 1, 2009.Contact: Marguerite Davey,087-239 7409.

CompetitionwinnersCongratulations to DanielMcAuliffe and BrendanBullen who won Berghausrucksacks at the IrishBouldering Leaguecompetition rounds held atPlay at Height in AnDaingean, Co Kerry, and atthe Marathon Expo inDublin. Many thanks toBerghaus for providing theprizes.

CorrectionsIn the last edition of theMountain Log, thephotograph on page 25was incorrectly credited; thephotographer was, in fact,Melanie Heather. On page13, the article “DublinMountains plan” was byStuart Garland and thephotograph was taken byCarol Ryan (and not theother way around). Ourapologies for these errors.

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY (DCU) in Glasnevin,Dublin, is setting up an access scholarship fundin memory of Ger McDonnell, the Limerickclimber who died tragically on K2 last year.

Ger McDonnell was the first Irishman to reachthe summit of K2 and died on his descent aftercoming to the aid of his fellow climbers.

Ger had studied at DCU, and graduated in1993 with a degree in electronic engineering.He was a main driving force in the setting up ofthe DCU Climbing Club during his time there.

His friends in the Faculty of Engineeringdecided to set up an access scholarship in hismemory and set about raising the €50,000required by DCU to establish an endowedperpetual Access Scholarship. They havealready raised over €40,000.

The Rock Climbing Club recently lent a handwith the fundraising when it held a specialcharity fundraising event at the DCU climbingwall in March.

The funds raised on the day are beingpresented to the DCU Educational Trust, aregistered charity and the fundraising arm ofDCU, which is setting up the Ger McDonnellMemorial Access Scholarship, a fund that willbenefit deserving students participating in theDCU Access Scholarship Programme.

The Memorial Access Scholarship will be a

wonderful way to remember Ger’s passion anddetermination to succeed – a passion anddetermination that will inspire future students forgenerations to come.

Those wishing to contribute to the GerMcDonnell Memorial Access Scholarship Fundshould contact Claire Whelehan at the DCUEducational Trust, tel: +353 (1) 700 5467, email:[email protected]. – (Richard Spencer,PRO, DCU Rock Climbing Club)

Scholarship fund in climber’s memory

DCU plans scholarship in honour of Ger McDonnell

Richard Spencer and the latelamented Ger McDonnell (right).

�news

THE 2007 Irish Sports Monitor report waspublished in February. It is the first in an ongoingseries of annual reports that will measure andtrack participation in Irish sport.

Based on a nationally representative sampleof nearly 10,000 adults aged 16 and over, theIrish Sports Monitor offers the most detailedpicture yet of sporting life in Ireland.

The report represents the latest in a series ofresearch collaborations between the SportsCouncil and the ESRI on sport and physicalactivity. The report contains a wealth ofinformation which will be of great interest topolicy-makers and everyone involved in thepromotion and development of sport in Ireland.

Findings include:• 24% of the adult population is highly active,

18% is sedentary.• Participation rates in Ireland are broadly in

line with developed countries but lag behindthe best performers.

• Personal exercise activities (gym, fitnessclasses, exercise machines) have becomethe most popular form of physical activity.

• Income and education are significantdeterminants of participation.

• There is a high level of social participation insport, involving volunteering, attendance andclub membership numbers at sports events.

Just how active are we?

Irish Sports Council issues Irish Sports Monitor report

MOUNTAINEERING IRELAND isproposing to set up a database, a sortof “Guinness Book of IrishMountaineering Records,” which wouldinclude successful Himalayan, or other,expeditions, first alpine ascents, firstIrish alpine ascents (both historical andrecent), and, more locally, a Munroists’register, Irish 600m completion register,Cuillin Ridge Traverse, Irish 3000s in 24hours, long-distance walks, feats ofskill or endurance, etc, etc. Basically,anything of interest pertaining tomountain-climbing Irish nationalsresident either here or abroad, or non-

Irish who are part of the Irishmountaineering community.

Rockclimbing first ascents arealready dealt with elsewhere inclimbing guides.

Please submit details of anything youthink should be included, with thename of the person, place ofresidence, date of ascent/completion,and anything else which might be ofinterest (e.g. last Munros and length oftime taken to complete them).

Please submit the details to theMountaineering Ireland office by mail oremail ([email protected]).

New database for facts and feats

Submit your records to Mountaineering Ireland

The winners of the Christmas Quiz in the IrishMountain Log (No 88), sponsored byBerghaus and OSi, were:-

1st prize (€500 worth of Berghaus vouchers):James McBride, Cookstown, Co Tyrone2nd prize (€300 worth of Berghaus vouchers):Pauline Darcy, Leixlip, Co Kildare3rd prize (€200 worth of Berghaus vouchers):Colm Hughes, Tallaght, Dublin 24

Five runner-up prizes for OSI’s Trail MasterDVDs (worth €100 each) were won by:-Karen Westermann, Waterford; RichardCasey, Clyne, Co Cork; Brian Ringland,Ballinode, Co Monaghan; Sean Freeman,Fermoy, Co Cork; Paddy Leahy,Skibbereen, Co Cork.

Winners’ names were picked out of a hat atthe Mountaineering Ireland AGM in Knockreein February. Many thanks to Berghaus andOrdnance Survey Ireland (OSi) for supplyingthe prizes.

Christmas quiz winners

Did you win?

news�

North to the PoleIrish adventurer Kevin Dempsey set outfor the North Pole with his team-mates inthe North2thePole expedition on April10th. In this Last Degree trek, the teamflew from the base camp at Camp

Barneo on the moving pack ice to theirstarting point from where they expect totake nine days to reach the Pole. Wewish Kevin and his companions a safejourney. You can follow his progress onnorth2thepole.com.

�historical mountaineering

T ake a walk or climbto the top of anymountain in Ireland

and you will find thatsomeone has been therebefore you and that they haveprobably left their mark.These marks vary in sizefrom a church, such as theone on Croagh Patrick, to asimple cross.

If we look back further in time we seethat our ancestors did exactly thesame thing thousands of years ago,only then it was piles of stones known

as cairns that they left. Some of thesecairns were used as burial sites, somewere put there as statements: “I livehere” or “Stay away; this is mymountain.”

Over the last thirty years or so, Ihave come to know the summit ofGaltymore, Co Tipperary, very welland, in doing so, I have unearthedsome of the rich history of the marksthat have been left there. Talking tohillwalkers and local people fromaround the Galtee Mountains, I wastold that the mountain only had twosmall stone cairns on it until well intothe 20th century. As more and morepeople started to climb the mountainit was only a matter of time beforethey started building.

The 1933 crossThe first cross was erected on the

summit of Galtymore in 1933 by theChristian Brothers from Mitchelstown,Co Cork. It was an iron cross set intoa triangular plinth on a base. BrotherDominic McKenna, who was BrotherSuperior, had decided to erect a crossthere to celebrate the 1932 EucharisticCongress. Work commenced on June10th 1933 and the cross was blessedby Fr W. Ryan (C.C.) of Galbally onJuly 2nd of that year.

The location of this first cross wasnot far from the broken ‘trig’ pillar atthe eastern end of the mountain, andthe remains of the plinth and the basecan still be seen there. A testimonywas placed under the base giving the

Jimmy Barry recounts the history of the crosses on a famous County

Galtymore asseen from a

mountain trackon Cush.

Photo: JimmyBarry.

The crosses of Galtymore


reasons why the cross was put up andthe names of the people who wereresponsible. It is probably still there.This cross stood for nearly thirty yearsand fell just before Br Dominic’s deathin 1962.

The Marian Year crossIn 1954, a wooden cross was

erected at the western end of themountain by “The Tipperary GalteeClimbing Club.” This cross was Celticin design and later became theinspiration for the cross that stands onthe summit today.

It was built by the Galtee ClimbingClub, which was formed in 1952 aftera group of friends climbed Galtymore.The group included Con Breen, JohnKett (who proposed the founding ofthe club), John Vaughan, the lateMattie Kennedy, Jimmy (now Father)Costello, Conny Carroll, Paddy Kellyand others from around the Tipperarytown area. It was John Kett who cameup with the idea of putting up a crossto mark the Marian Year, 1954, and itwas the same John Kett who made thecross; he was a cabinet-maker.

I will let Con Breen take up thestory from here….

“On the day of the climb to erectthe cross in 1954, we cycled out of

“The 1962 cross weighed in at

three quarters of a ton…the story

of how it was brought to the

summit is an epic.”

The Marian Yearcross, built in 1954.

The 1933 cross.

historical mountaineering�

Tipperary mountain top


town and, with permission, throughthe grounds of Moore’s Castle nearKilshane. We wore berets with a whitetape around the rim. Further materialswere collected from O’Brien’s farm inGlencushnabinnia (Gleann Cois naBinne; ‘glen at the foot of the ben’).Two brothers from the CBS, Br Carrand Br Tracey, carried the main shaftof the cross to the top. The cross wasthen assembled and erected on site.The event was photographed and wasalso captured on 16mm cine-film. Anengraved plaque was placed on thecross. The timber cross didn’t last verylong, though. In 1977, I found somerusty bolts, but the plaque was longgone….”

When Con told me the story of thewooden cross and mentioned theplaque, he wondered who had it now.I was happy to report that I had been

given the plaque just last year for safekeeping! A story for another day.

The Patrician Year crossA limestone cross designed by Cork

sculptor Seamus Murphy was erectedin 1962, the Patrician Year. The storyof how it was taken to the top ofGaltymore is, to say the least, an epic.The cross was driven to around 70feet below the summit in a Bren guncarrier called “The Katie Daley” andthen carried the rest of the way to thetop by five men: Tom Mullins, RobertWest, John King, Tom McGrath andJim Blake. It weighed in at threequarters of a ton. The Katie Daleytook a route up from King’s farmhouseunder Knocknagaltee. It took threedays to get the cross up as the KatieDaley variousy got stuck in the bog orher tracks came off en route.

�historical mountaineering


Galtybeg andGaltymore.

Photo: JimmyBarry.

Members ofGalteemore

Climbing Clubin 1954 on theirway to build the

Marian Yearcross.


Mitchelstown Creameries sponsoredthe cross and all related work. OnWhit Sunday, June 1962, over 1,000people climbed the mountain for theblessing ceremony. Some of those inattendance on the day were RichardHayward, author and historian; DrDaphne Pochin Mould, author of TheMountains of Ireland; and Lieutenant-Colonel Blake, who started the annualclimb of Galtymore which continuedfor many years. Members of StBrendan’s Mountaineering Club,Tralee, came all the way from Kerry, anice drive in 1962. One newspaperreported that “the mountain was blackwith people.” John Coughlan and TomFox from Boston, USA, also capturedthe event on film. The cross wasplaced in a location known asDawson’s Table, in between the twocrosses that already stood on thesummit.

But yet another cross was to bebuilt in a little over 13 years, as thelimestone cross was damaged beyondrepair after it had fallen in wintergales….

Ted Kavanagh’s crossTed Kavanagh of Scallagheen, in

Tipperary town, was determined thata new cross should stand on thesummit as soon as possible, and hedesigned and built a cross at hishome, using 4-inch hollow steelsections.

In June 1975, it was taken to thesummit and assembled with help frommembers of the Tipperary AdventureSports Club. It is estimated that over130 individual climbs were made upthe steeper north side of the mountainto get all the material up. The namesof all those involved in the work, agedfrom six years upwards, were sealedinto the top of the cross, which is overseven feet in height and Celtic inform. On September 14th, 1975, thecross was blessed by Fr T Breen andunveiled by Ted’s wife, Joan.

Ted and Joan Kavanagh climbedGaltymore every year thereafter topaint the cross, until Ted passedaway in 1998.

* * * * * *

Joan Kavanagh’s crossWITH JOAN’S blessing, I started

painting the cross in 1999 and havedone so every year since then. Justbefore my first trip up, Joan asked meto paint her cross also. Yes, there isone more, and it’s as precious as anyof the rest. Joan told me that whenTed and herself went to paint thecross, she also painted a small crosson a stone to mark the spot where theMass was said on the day of theunveiling back in 1975.

Where was this one, I asked her?“You will have to do a bit of lookingaround, Jimmy, but you’re good atthat,” she replied.

So, armed with a photo takenduring the Mass, I eventually foundJoan’s cross, hidden under a small pileof stones. It was a pleasure to paint itfor her, even more so when I was ableto return with a photo of it for her.

“Did you use good stuff on it?” sheasked. “Yes, Joan,” I replied, “onlythe best.”

Last year, on Easter Monday, Ipainted the cross and afterwardscalled into Joan to tell her the job wasdone for another year. As we stood inher back garden looking up atGaltymore and talking about somesmall repairs that were needed to thebase of the cross, we weren’t to knowthat Joan was to pass away two dayslater. I’ll never forget her kindness and

the warm welcome I received everytime I visited her and her brother Bill,who died just a few months after Joan.We became friends the first momentwe met, because we shared a passionfor the Galtees and for a cross thatthousands pass every year and maynever know the story of how it cameto be there. A true friend, sadlymissed, but I know where her spiritcan be found.

* * * * * *

EpilogueTHIS YEAR, if we ever get a dry

day, I’ll be back up painting the cross,using the ‘good stuff,’ and every brushstroke will remind me of the man andwoman who carried out this labour oflove, year after year, long before Iknew the pleasures of walking on theGaltees. I’ll spare a thought also for allthe others that helped to erect thecrosses on Galtymore. If you’rearound, I’ll have a spare brush and abin liner to cover your jacket, and youcan become part of this amazing story.I might even show you where Joan’scross is.

AcknowledgmentsThanks to Con Breen and Paddy

Kelly for filling in the blanks and forputting names to faces for me; also toMaureen O’Brien, a friend and mysource of information on the 1933cross; and to Joan Kavanagh, fellowhillwalker and a lady I will neverforget. I dedicate this to her memory.

Con is actively retired in Dublinand still enjoys walking on Irish andforeign mountains. Paddy is backliving in Tipperary town after manyyears living in the US. The “TipperaryGaltee Climbing Club” lives on. �

Jimmy Barry, self-styled “hillwalker andpart-time cross painter,” is a memberof Mountaineering Ireland and ofMountain Meitheal and is the PRO ofthe South Eastern Mountain RescueAssociation. He lives just outsideTipperary town, a few minutes’ fromthe Galtees and the Glen of Aherlow,and has been hillwalking for the lastthirty years in Ireland and Europe.


Joan and TedKavanaghon Galtymore.

The steelcross in snow,2009.Photo: JimmyBarry.

historical mountaineering�

�hillwalking

Most hikersvisiting the Alpswill be familiar

with the popular areassuch as Chamonix but, faraway from the populartourist destinations, theregion of France betweenBriançon and Nice offerssome of the finest walksin the Alps and is stilllargely undiscovered bythe majority of hikers.

The region includes one national park,Parc des Écrins, and two regionalparks, Parc Naturel Régional duQueyras and Parc Régional duMercantour, where there are specificrules intended to protect the wildlife.These parks provide beautiful scenery(glaciers and other geological featuresof interest) and abundant flora andfauna. They are also ideal places toengage in many outdoor activitiessuch as walking, rockclimbing, skiing,snowshoeing, paragliding and muchmore besides. Among the manyattractions of the region is also thelocal architecture, and preserved

villages like Saint Veran are well wortha visit as they are real masterpieces ofAlpine architecture.

The road access to the region hasimproved significantly over the lastten years, which makes it easy to getthere from the airports at Nice, Lyon,Marseille, Grenoble, Milan and Turinor, more recently, Cuneo. A perfectholiday also requires great food andthis region is well renowned for itslocal Provençal cuisine. As to where tostay within the Provence Alps, the areaaround the Serre Ponçon Lake, thebiggest artificial lake in Europe,caught our attention, with the optionto engage in watersports there as wellas in a multitude of mountaineeringactivities.

We designed the itinerary for ourweek so that we would get a goodoverview of the region and couldminimise the bus transport involvedbecause that can be tiring and difficultto manage with a large group. Ourplan was to explore different areasaround Embrun and the Serre PonçonLake, and the Queyras Regional Park.

We flew into Nice and travellednorth to Embrun with a stop-overalong the way at the Domaine deRégusse vineyard to sample some of

the local wines. To shorten the bustransfer on our return trip, we flewback from Lyon airport. We stayedclose to the town of Embrun in athree-star, three-logis de France (aquality label for good food andcomfort) hotel. The wonderful foodthere was just what we needed tomake sure we had a perfect holiday.

Each day, we planned threechallenging walks to cater for allfitness levels within our group of 38walkers so that we all had a goodappetite for the well deserved mealsserved by the hotel in the evenings.

Day 1Boscodon Abbey to Martin

Jean, Charance and Morgon peaksAs an introduction on the first day,

we picked walks that started justabove Boscodon Abbey. This abbey,located in a beautiful mountainenvironment, is a masterpiece of12th-century architecture. In the late18th century, the abbey was used as aplace to control the production oftimber. The timber logs were thentransported on the river Durance tothe rest of Provence and down toMarseille harbour.

The three walks all started from the

Ian Kelly goes hillwalking in France with the Glenwalk Hillwalkers Club

Walking in the Provence Alps


Mountain trackacross the

Morgon Ridgein Provence.

Photo: Ian Kelly.

car park of La Fontaine de l’Ours, ‘thebear fountain.’ The short walk was toMartin Jean peak, a distance of 9km,with an initial stroll through theBoscondon forest. The effect of thealtitude on the vegetation was clear,with a succession of trees such asbeech and birch giving way further upto a variety of alpine trees such asacacia, alpine pines, larch andcembro. These trees are a perfect hostfor woodpeckers such as the greatspotted woodpecker and the blackwoodpecker, and the holes dug bythese birds were clearly observable onthe trunks.

The medium walk also went toMartin Jean peak first and then on toCharance peak, a total distance of11.5km. Looking south, this walkoffers superb views over the Ubayevalley, with its river joining the SerrePonçon Lake at its southern side.

The long walk went to Col de laBaisse and then on to Morgon peak,an ascent of 964m and a distance of17km. The ascent of the Morgon peakfrom the “Col de la Baisse” is fairlystraightforward. We could imagine thevery open landscape there would be aperfect playground in winter forsnowshoeing and ski touring. Theviews from the top were breathtaking

hillwalking�

Clouds on theway up to PeakGirardin.Photo: Ian Kelly.

over the lake with a splendidpanorama that spread from the ÉcrinsNational Park down to Provence. Theway back followed the south ridge offthe Morgon summit.

Day 2Ceillac to Saint Anne Lake, Col

du Girardin and Girardin peakWe spent the second day in the

Queyras Regional Park. This park islocated between the Italian border andthe town of Guillestre. The cembropine tree is an emblematic species forthe park, with its large trunk and asoft timber that is used to makefurniture and handicrafts. The price ofthis timber is so high that sometimeshelicopters are in charge of bringingdead trunks back down to a safe placewhere they will later be used by thelocal handicrafts industry.

The short walk went to Saint AnneLake, an ascent of 448m over adistance of 8km. Starting from the carpark at 1967m, the walk took a veryclear path through the Cembro pineforest where there were a lot of fairlytame wild deer. This forest is amazingto visit in June when all the Alpinerhododendrons, so small compared tothose in Ireland, are in full bloom.

The Saint Anne Lake (2415m) is aclear example of what a glaciermountain lake can be. The lake issquashed between the sheer cliffs ofFont-Sancte (3292m), the highestsummit in the Queyras Regional Park,and Pic des Heuvières (3271m).

The medium walk went to theSainte Anne Lake and then on to theGirardin pass (2699m), an ascent of732m in 10km. From the pass we hada wonderful view over the mountainsof the Queyras Regional Park and theÉcrins National Park. In particular thePelvoux, Aillefroide and Glacier Blanccould be seen.

The long walk climbed Girardinpeak, an ascent of 909m in 12km.Starting from the car park, this walkwent to the Girardin pass past theSaint Anne Lake and then finished onthe summit of Girardin peak (2876m),a perfect alpine walk with thecombination of a lake, a pass and asummit!

Day 3A multi-activity dayFor a day’s break from hiking, we

had a choice between a wide range ofactivities. Some of us went to the localmarket in the town of Embrun to rest


our legs or to try to find some miracleremedy for sore feet or to enjoyshopping in the typical Frenchboutiques. The other, moreadventurous ones went to a ViaFerrata in Chateau Queyras, whichoffered amazing views over the Guilriver gorge, famous for its extremekayaking courses. The beauty of thisVia Ferrata was its finish at a fort.Then, in the afternoon, we sampledsome of the local watersports with awhitewater rafting trip on the riverDurance.

Day 4The Serre Poncon Lake regionThis day took us to the region at the

border of the Écrins National Parkoverlooking the Serre Ponçon Lake.The walks started from the ski resortat Reallon, probably one of thesmallest ski resorts in the region! Theshort walk went along the Chabrièresridge, 452m of ascent and a distanceof 6km through the larch tree forest sotypical of the Southern Alps. The larchtrees were used in the past to buildships but are now used mainly as abase material for many of themountain chalets in the area. Themain advantage is their resistance tobad weather, cold and rain over time.Some chalets built with larch are morethan 500 years old and still in verygood condition! The walk then

continued up to the Aiguilles deChabrières ridge from where there wasa superb view over the Serre PonçonLake. Being a loop walk, the descentwent down the ski slopes back to thestart.

The medium walk initially followedthe same track as the short walk andthen continued from the view pointup to the Chabrières gully and on tothe other side of the ridge where therewas a wild limestone desert type oflandscape. The flowers there werevery beautiful, as limestone soil isusually more favourable for flowersthan acid soil. For the lucky observer,a couple of golden eagles cansometimes be seen there, butunfortunately we did not spot themthat day.

The long walk was practically thesame as the medium walk except thatit went to the top of Chabrière peak. Itrequired care since the last 50 metreswas quite exposed scrambling, but theview from the top was amazing.

Day 5Andiamo to ItalyFor the second-last day of our trip

we planned a long and tough day,with an objective for most to breakthe barrier of 3000m. So we headed toSaint Veran, the highest village inEurope, at an altitude of 2042m.Wetook a shuttle bus up to the traffic

limit in the valley of Saint Veran, toget closer to the starting point for thewalks and high altitude. These walkstook place at the eastern part ofQueyras Regional Park. This area isparticularly interesting from ageological viewpoint since this iswhere the African and continentalplates came into contact, whichexplains the presence of so manyminerals in the area.

The short walk was to Col Blanchet,starting from where the shuttle busdropped us near an old copper mine;this walk took us to the fine valley ofLa Blanche, dominated by the Tête deToillies (3175m), very famousaccording to the local guidebooks forits interesting and difficult climbingroutes. The first part of the walk wentto the mountain refuge of La Blanche,which we would not recommend dueto the unfriendly nature of thetenants, and the last part was a steepascent to the Col Blanchet (2897m)from where Italy could be seen on afine day. On the way down we saw amultitude of marmots, an Alpinespecies that hibernates in winter andhas great digging abilities, judging bythe size of their burrows.

The medium walk went straight upto the Col de Chamouissière (2881m)from where the Col d’Agnel could beseen, situated on the French-Italianborder. From the Col, the route went

�hillwalking


Stopping for aphoto at the Cirque

de Morgon.Photo: ColmMcMahon.

along the ridge south to the Peak deCaramatran (3021m). The Mont Viso(3841m), with its isolated position,was really spectacular. We had a bit offun there by having one foot inFrance and one foot in Italy. TheFrench/Italian border is full ofmilitary forts, some of them goingback to the Vauban during the reignof Louis XIV, and some of which wereused during the Second World War.

The long walk was a tour of Têtedes Toillies, a long and challengingwalk to complete in a day, whichbrought us from France to Italy andthen back to France. It offered amagnificent view of the QueyrasRegional Park in France and thevalleys going down to Chianale inItaly. From the copper mine, we wentto the Col de la Noire (2955m) andfrom there we went towards Tête desToillies to reach our 3000 metrestarget. Then we came down the otherside to the Ubaye river valley beforewalking up to the Col du Longet(2670m). From the Col du Longet wecrossed the border to Italy, enjoying

the lakes around us, and walked up tothe Col Blanchet to return to thecopper mine. This walk was thefantastic highlight of a superb week ofhiking in a part of the Alps previouslyunknown to most of us but whichturned out to be a really worthwhilearea to visit.

Day 6Near the ski resort of Les OrresFor the last day, we stayed close to

the hotel and walked beside the skiresort of Les Orres. This walk startednear Les Orres resort, at Prés Bois,and followed the track leading to theSainte Margueritte Lake. Some of uswent on to the Col de l’Ane fromwhere the view on Ubaye Valley wasfantastic.

Some went swimming andestablished a record by swimming for40 minutes in Glacier Lake, which leftall the locals very impressed! The restof us just enjoyed a long nap besidethe lake, took photos and watched theswimmers. �

Notes:This wonderful week-longtrip in August 2008 was organised byGlenwalk member Olive Harringtonwith help from fellow memberVincent Lamy, who has set up theactivity holiday company FranceOutdoors (www.franceoutdoors.com).Vincent knows the Provencearea very well and was of greatassistance to us in the planning andorganisation of this trip.Vincentaccompanied our group during theweek as our guide.

Maps: OS maps as follows:IGN 3437ET, Orcières-MerletteIGN 3438ET, EmbrunIGN 3637OT, Saint Veran

Ian Kelly is a committee member ofGlenwalk Hillwalking Club and amember of MI. Besides walking in theIrish hills, he has climbed in England,Scotland,Wales and the French Alps.

A view over the ÉcrinsNational Park.Photo: Ian Kelly.

The week’s walks with Vincent Lamy of France Outdoors.

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�hillwalking

W e were invited byTopflight and theWilder Kaiser

Tourist Association to spendtwo days in the Tirol regionof Austria, finding out whatis available there for thewalking enthusiast.

In fact, the Wilder Kaiser has much tooffer walkers, and the variety ofwalking opportunities on offer thereappears to be almost endless. There isan extensive network of trails in thearea, varying from a one-hour walkthrough the town to multi-day trips,

overnighting in mountain huts. All ofthe trails are well signed and mapped,which gives visitors greater choicewhen it comes to picking a route. Tohelp familiarise the visitor with thearea, the tourist office also offers free,guided half-day walks in the localmountains.

The Wilder Kaiser region’s touristassociation are promoting summerwalking in the region, better knownas a winter ski destination, and havejust launched an impressive new,interactive mapping website,www.wilderkaiser.info.

And so the trip began. After a shortvisit to the tourist office, we met upwith our local guide, Peter Moser, anda small group of tourists from aroundthe world. Peter led us out of thevillage of Ellmau towards the HartKaiser. Throughout the day the pacewas relaxed, with plenty of time totake photographs, hear stories aboutthe local landscape and history, andeven to sample the local schnapps(served from Peter’s ingenious hollowski pole!). We had a generous lunchstop at the Bergkaiser panoramarestaurant, where the excellent localcuisine was served with a fantasticalpine view. The walk woulddefinitely be suitable as a gentle firstday to get your bearings or forfamilies or novice walkers (orschnapps connoisseurs!)

On the second day, we foundourselves once again heading for thehills. The plan that day was toventure a little further into themountains, this time on the northernside of the valley. We began the day’swalk on some beautiful forest trailswhich led towards the small peak ofWinterum (1142m), from which wewere afforded a fabulous view overthe Hintersteiner See and easttowards the impressive rocky ridge ofthe Wilder Kaiser itself. On the trekup, we saw a variety of traditionalcottages where the inhabitantsproduced their own cheese and milkand sold it to the walkers who visitedthe area during the summer. Ourguide explained to us how thetraditional hill farmers workedtogether to ensure their survival inthe harsh winter months.

The return journey brought usalong the developed tourist area onthe lakeshore, where we were greetedwith the sweet smell of apple strudel.We stopped there to sample some ofthe delicious local cheeses. The areahas much to offer, from gentle foresttrails to multi-day hut-to-hut walks.1:25,000 maps and a walking guidebooklet are available free from thetourist office in Ellmau, which is alsothe meeting point for the free guidedwalk to the Hart Kaiser, three days aweek.

This area is an ideal place to visitwith your family. It has plenty ofactivities for both the young and theyoung at heart. The area has a lot tooffer for outdoor kids – we werereally impressed by the Hexenwasser,a water park with a difference, builtof natural materials and with themotto “Marvel, Contemplate,Comprehend.” It includes a ‘barefootpath’ and a ‘wading pond’ as well as achance to see traditional bread andcheese making. The Hexenwasser isaccessible by cable-car from Soll,though entry is free if you walk upthe 3km! The park is one of six‘mountain parks’ in the area.

Topflight are now offering packagesto suit walking enthusiasts in theWilder Kaiser area, with a discountfor MI members. Following a flight toSalzburg, the Wilder Kaiser isaccessible by car in just under twohours! �

Aodhnait Carroll is MountaineeringIreland’s Access and ConservationOfficer, and Angela Carlin is YouthDevelopment Officer.

Aodhnait Carroll and Angela Carlin visit the Tirol

In the Wilder Kaiser


Hochmoor in theWilder Kaiser, Austria.

Angela, Aodhnaitand companionson a hilltop in the

Austrian Tirol.Photo: Angela

Carlin collection.

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When we finallyarrived at KateKearney’s, after

completing our ‘longmarch’ from Waterville,we ordered two whiskeysin loud, proud voices tocelebrate our success onthe mountain ranges ofsouthwest Kerry, whichhad been achieved in animpressive time of justover 36 hours.

Our adventure was the brainchild ofmy companion John O’Sullivan, or‘Jono’ for short. Together, we hadachieved what had seemed impossible:60km of hiking taking in severalpeaks over 900m, includingCarrauntoohil, with a total height gainof 8761m, about 100m less than theheight of Mount Everest. At times,when my feet had given up, I hadwondered if we would ever succeed,but finally we were here.

We had set out 36 hours previouslyfrom Beenarourke View Point at5:15am, striking west with our headtorches pointing straight up at theridgeline. The buzz of initialexcitement had made us move quickly

and I marvelled at the seeminglymetropolitan cluster of lights aroundWaterville, even at that hour.Eventually daylight started to creeponto the horizon and, by 8 o’clock,the dawn had broken with littlefanfare but enough to raise our spiritsas we rested atop Eagle’s Hill andlooked at the first of the saddleswhich we would have to cross.

I was feeling good, but that wouldsoon change. On the far side of thesaddle, Jono took the lead over somesteep ground and, as we continued, Ifelt my legs begin to get tired. Weeventually made it to a point wherewe could get our bearings but, asanyone walking in Kerry will quicklydiscover, fence lines and forests rarelystand still for long. We had a quickpuzzle over the disappearance of thetrees that the map told us were therebut which in reality had been cut backby about a kilometre. Then we set offagain along the ridge.

Our first target was to reachCoomcallee (650m) in six hours andwe were determined to meet thattarget. As we walked by the side ofLough Sallagh, I eyed the steep ascentup through Eagle’s Pinnacle and ontothe side of Coomcallee. The naturalbedrock of the mountains had formedramps of grass that made a trail up the

side of the mountain, but this didn’tmean it was going to be easy. I tookthe lead with a steady plod thateventually earned Jono’s respect in itsability to ‘make pieces of the ascent.’Yet this first real test of endurance stilltook its toll. As we reached the top ofa particularly steep rise, with sweatstreaming down my face, Icommented: “I think I left a part ofme on that one.” Jono looked back atme and, with a casual calmness, said“Oh, I thought that seemed easy.” Itwas a bad omen of things to come butat least we had made it to our firstobjective on time.

We had some lunch and set offagain, rounding the top of Coomcalleeand heading into what we thoughtwas going to be the most difficultstage of the trek. Some evil-lookingcontour lines, that made nonsense onthe map and looked even worse inreal life, were interspersed with lakesthat often looked too similar.Eventually we reached a cwm with adog-leg lake at the bottom. We hadalready made a preliminary walk therea few days before and Jono had takenthe opinion that we should follow aspur to the left, while I had decidedthat a spur on the right looked easier.After topping up on water from astream, we decided to compromise

Lindsay MacVean takes on a 60km hike in the Reeks of Kerry

The long march

John O’Sullivanand the Reeks.Photo: LindsayMcVean.


and go straight up the middle.This turned out to be another

soul-wrenching climb and, when mylaces came undone half-way up, it wasa welcome excuse for a rest. Jono,however, plodded on and, when Ifinally gained the top of the rise, I hada moment of panic as I called out forJono without response. I checked themap and peered at the rocky facesaround me. Then, just as I began toponder on the ease with which wehad become separated, Jono appearedat the top of some steep ground to myleft.

When I finally reached him, he waspeering down into a deep valley onthe far side of the spur with amystified expression. “I’m sure that’sthe way. You remember all those rockfaces?” As I checked the map, I wasglad to see that I wasn’t the only onethat was tired and that he had made aminor mistake by heading slightly toofar left. We corrected ourselves andheaded off towards the next peak,Knocknagantee. This came to be theway things worked: while Jonocontinued to pull me through theexpedition, I occasionally managed tohelp out with the navigation and mypersistent plod, which slowly butsurely got us up the mountains.

We thought the worst of the firstday was behind us and that it wouldbe easy navigation from there on in,but we thought wrong! We roundedthe top of Knocknagantee and beganour trek along the ridge towards the

imposing Mullaghanattin. Then,trouble struck. What we thought wasgoing to be easy terrain turned into anightmare of peat bog. With eachsucking step, the energy was sappedfrom our legs and, to my horror, Irealised that I was now consistentlyfalling behind.

Tiredness sets inWe had spent months planning this

and I had been confident, even cocky,that it would be no problem as long aswe took it a step at a time. Now I feltthe fingers of fear that maybe I hadbeen wrong. Maybe I was going to letJono down and have to bow out ofthis challenge, disgraced? To makematters worse, Jono constantly spokeas if I was just behind him and,although I could hear hismurmurings, I had absolutely no cluewhat he was saying. I settled for theoccasional grunt or loud ‘yes,’ which Ithought would keep him contented. Ihoped that I didn’t agree to anythingtoo serious. It did seem that at onepoint he was even making animalnoises, the context of which wascompletely beyond me.

Slowly the landscape changed fromfeatureless bog to rocky outcroppingssticking out from the side of the ridgewe were following. As we went upand down over these rock hurdles, Ibegan to notice a distinct lack ofconfidence in my feet, which was veryuncharacteristic. By degrees, from my

hips outwards, my body began to achein all the wrong places. Now, I havetrekked in the Atlas Mountains and inthe Himalayas but never have Iencountered such hostile terrain as Idid in those last few hours.

As we carried on for kilometre afterkilometre, my pace continued to slow.By now, Jono was going ahead andthen waiting for me to hobble up. Thelight started to leave the sky andreaching our next objective waslooking less and less likely. Finally,after twelve hours of walking, westopped to take a look at the valleywhere we wanted to bivvy that night,and decided that it was time to getdown out of the mountains instead ofpushing on to Mullaghanattin.Continuing in the dark, in our currentstate, would be treacherous. The onlyquestion now was what the safestroute down into the valley would be.

We opted to head down using thenext re-entrant and then follow theedge of the lough until we reached atrack. As we descended, I feltdespondent as I realised my slow pacehad caused us to fail to reach ourtarget on Mullaghanattin. Darknessovertook us as we began to descendthe increasingly severe rock faceswhich had been hidden from viewwhen we initially chose the route. Ifound that I was now moving at asnail’s pace, frequently sliding on mybottom in the darkness to try to keepup with Jono, who was finding theway ahead of me.

After slipping on my bottom for theumpteenth time, all my self-doubtcoalesced into a decision. I would quitthis evening and make anotherattempt at a later date! The instant Imade this decision, I felt my firstmajor blister form. I spent the rest ofthe time coming down the mountaintrying to think up excuses for all ofthe people who knew I was doingthis, and then planning my exitstrategy. I don’t think Jono realisedhow close I came to quitting thatevening.

The descent finally bottomed outand, as we stumped along beside thelough, I mentioned to Jono that Iwasn’t sure about the next day, if thiswas the best pace I could manage.Without missing a beat, Jono told meto forget about tomorrow and justthink about reaching our campsite forthe night. I don’t know why, but thissimple comment changed mecompletely and I began to regain myconfidence. By the time we reached

Lindsay McVean withCaher Ridge

in background.Photo:

John O’Sullivan.

�hillwalking

the track, I was positively buoyant. Ichatted on about anything andeverything to take my mind off thepain, to such an extent that I began tomake Jono concerned I was sufferingfrom hypothermia or some form ofshock. Eventually, however, I settleddown and became silent, beginninginstead to count my paces as a way tofocus my mind. We turned off ourhead torches to save batteries and inthe bright moonlight made good timealong the roads until, after three and ahalf meticulously paced kilometresand 16 hours in total of walking, wereached our chosen bivvy spot.

Originally we had planned to sleeponly a few hours and then push on.However, after the gruellingexperience of the last few hours, I leftit up to Jono to decide when to startthe next stage. We bivvied using astrict ‘leave no trace’ policy and, quitefrankly, I only had the energy to forcedown some cold pasta before strippingoff my boots and sliding into mysleeping bag. We were lucky with theconditions, which were dry with littlewind. Wind is the killer of any goodbivvy as it presses the layers of yoursleeping bag and the bivvy bag againstyour body, draining the heat fromyour body. As it was, I actuallywarmed up so much that I was forcedto remove some layers of clothinghalfway through the night. At seventhe next morning, I was woken up byJono in what was apparently his sixthattempt in two hours. However, hedidn’t seem that annoyed, consideringmy previous evening’s performance.We got ready in the dark and used alittle gas to heat up some disgustingready-made porridge I had purchasedfrom the local shop. It was a usefulreminder to at least sample some ofthe expedition food before youpack it.

We made our start just as light wasbreaking and began heading up one ofthe many shoulders of Carrauntoohilto the peak of Caher. My body hadgiven up complaining and, using aslightly slower but still steady pace,the day passed quickly as we roseabove Kerry. We were presented withsome of the most stunning panoramasof this beautiful county. Then, as weheaded along to the second peak ofCaher and onto Carrauntoohil proper,the wind, which had been deceptivelyquiet, picked up significantly. To saveenergy we decided not to climb the80m to the peak of Carrauntoohil andinstead descended to the top of the

Devil’s Ladder, where we found shelterfor lunch.

Tortoise vs hareInstead of descending the Ladder

after lunch, we headed up ontoanother chain of the Macgillycuddy’sReeks. As we traversed along theprecarious ridges between the peaks,Jono pointed out their names, eventhough they weren’t on the map. “Thisis Big Gun ridge leading up to BigGun over here.” He had undertakenthis leg of our trip several timesbefore. The weather, however, gotworse. We were soon encased incloud, battling against the increasingwind as we made our way along thechain using only compass bearings.Eventually the peaks got lower andthe cloud base got higher. At thebottom of the final ascent of our trek,Jono had stopped once again, waitingfor me to catch up. To my surprise Irealised that this time he was lyingdown in exhaustion. Finally, Ithought, the tortoise wins over thehare, but he was quickly up with meas we raced up the final peak.

From the last peak, we made ourdescent onto the broad plateau abovethe Gap of Dunloe and, with just aninkling of smug satisfaction, I led theway to the top of the track leadingdown into the luscious valley. As wereached the road and the last ½ km toKate Kearney’s licensed premises,neither of us cared who was in front

and we strode triumphantly abreastinto the quiet car park and the end ofour seriously challenging trek.

As we sat mulling over our drinks,once the jubilation had changed into anumbing exhaustion, I thought aboutthe emancipating effect of physicaltests of endurance such as our longmarch. In its completion, I felt arelease from my own ego’s sufferingand from my persistent attachment tobodily pain. I also had a sense ofachievement and the beginnings of abelief that the world was my oysterand that I truly could accomplishanything. Although, perhaps morelikely, it was just the whiskey andexhaustion going to my head!

My thanks to the staff at Moractivefor facilitating the walk (seewww.moractive.com). �

Lindsay MacVean lives in Waterville,Co Kerry. He is interested in a widerange of adventure sports, includinghillwalking, and his blog iswww.littlemansuccess.com.


It was a cold nightbut the bivvywas warm.Photo: LindsayMcVean.

“We strode triumphantlyabreast into Kate Kearney’scar park – the end of ourseriously challengingtrek.”

hillwalking�

ocated alongside theBlack Sea coast in thefar northeast of Turkey,

close to the Georgian border,lies the rugged Kaçkar(pronounced ‘katch-kar’)Mountain range. The highestsummit, Kaçkar Dag, stands at3,932 metres amid rangeswhich are snow-blanketed fromNovember through to April,and into June on the higherpasses. Thirty-two newtrekking routes, ranging induration from two and a halfhours to several days, have justbeen marked as part of aproject that aims to attracteco-tourists into the region.

The Kaçkar is the third long-distancetrekking trail in Turkey thatEnglishwoman Kate Clow has marked.She has also waymarked the St Paul’sTrail and the Lycian Way, which TheSunday Times rates as ‘one of theworld’s ten best walks.’

Although the term ‘eco-tourism’ issubject to interpretation andalteration, there are officiallyrecognised international principlesthat the tourism providers mustfollow. The projects should be: basedin nature; environmentally friendly;provide interpretation andinformation; contribute toconservation and local communities;be responsibly marketed; and beculturally respectful.

Greenbox (www.greenbox.ie),

Ireland’s Eco Tourism Network, basedin Co Leitrim and the surroundingcounties, started in 2002 and has nowbecome the national standard andaccreditation authority for eco-tourismin Ireland, as recognised by FáilteIreland.

Kate Clow and Sevil Oren arepaving the way for a similar networkin Turkey, and the Turkish Ministry forCulture and Tourism are nowembracing the idea of promotingniche destinations that need economicassistance, as opposed to five-starresorts near the coast.

In addition to waymarking trailsand pioneering eco-tourism, Clow hasbeen working with a Turkish NGOspecialising in biodiversity, forestryconservation and tourism projects.Based in the Kaçkar Mountains andthe Yusufeli basin, the TEMA (Turkishenvironmental protection)organisation is bringingenvironmentalists, conservationists,biodiversity experts and scientists tothe region, which is internationallyrecognised as a biodiversity hotspot.

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Margaret Scully goes eco-trekking inthe Kaçkar Mountains of Turkey.

“Thir ty-two new trekking routesoffer opportunities to see rarefauna and flora , including bears”

L


Yaacov Shkolnik.Photo: Margaret Scully.

Kaçkar journey

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The aims of the current TEMA projectinclude controlling and reducing theimpact of tourism in the area, whichboasts “one thousand shades of greenand one hundred and fifty bears.”

However, the many shades of greenand the unique flora and fauna are notenough to sustain the local populationand in recent years the KaçkarMountains have experienced a massmigration. Due to falling livestockprices, school closures and the lack ofwinter employment, the culturallydiverse mountain people are headingfor Turkey’s urban hubs in order tofind work. The remaining populationenjoys a life in pristine nature, freshair, clean water, with organic food and

traditional skills, but the lack offinancial resources is making it almostimpossible to raise a family in theremote outposts. In fact, in the sevendays that we trekked through themountains I saw only a handful ofchildren, all in the one village.

Our starting point on the seven-daytrip was the valley town of Yusufeli,famous for whitewater rafting, due toits location at the confluence of therapid Coruh and Barhal rivers. After adrive to the nearby village of Tekkale,we were soon lost in the wonderfulwilderness of lush green hills,wildflower meadows and fast-flowingstreams, as we made our way up themountain. June is a good month tovisit the Kaçkar as the freshly-meltedsnow creates voluminous gushingrivers and the high peaks are stillsnow-capped, giving a beautifulbackdrop to the colourful wildflowermeadows. As we walked throughforests and hills, we inhaled thearomas of mountain fennel, garlic,sage and thyme.

Above the tree-line we came acrosssmall villages surrounded by pastures,which made excellent picnic spots,complete with fresh spring water forus walkers. Locally known as yaylas,the dwellings built from stone andtimber are the summer homes of theKaçkar natives who move uphill fortwo to three months each year, whenthe snows melt. Family members,

“Yaylas high in the mountains are thesummer homes of the Kaçkar natives.”


An arched stone bridge inthe Kaçkars, the only onefound in the region.Photo: Margaret Scully.

Wildflower meadow atModut Yaylasi in the Kaçkars.Photo: Margaret Scully.

animals, bees and hives all make thejourney to the summer home wherethe cows graze the lush meadows andthe bees collect pollen from theabundant wild flowers. Alas, due tothe dwindling local population, manyof these summer villages are unusedand are going to rack and ruin. KateClow sees potential for thedevelopment of these deserteddwellings into trekking huts whichcould be a perfect eco-tourismsolution for both owners and visitors.

According to one local man,Mahmut Yasar Pasali, there are overone hundred different edible wildplants around his yayla, which thefamily eat and use for cooking. This isa very exciting prospect for a foodenthusiast like me and I can’t think ofanything better than a wild food andwilderness holiday in one of thesescenically located vernacular homes.For the duration of our visit, wemainly stayed in family-runguesthouses which served us plenty ofthe local home-made fare. In additionto the excellent Kaçkar honey, all thecheeses, butter and preserves werelocally made and extremely tasty. Thenatives have become deservedlyfamous for their cuisine throughoutthe country and some of the bestrestaurants in Istanbul and Ankara areowned by ethnic Hemsin people fromthe Kaçkar.

Our trek guides, Kate Clow andKerem Kerecherek, are both keenamateur botanists and birdwatchers,so we got to share their excitement atspotting rare species on several

occasions. I am no expert on flora butI couldn’t help but notice the numberof Irish garden and hedgerow plantsthat were growing there in the wildsuch as peonie roses and elder trees.As fascinating as the plants and birdswere, the one creature that capturedmost of our interest and imaginationwas the bear. After hearing of the 150bears living in the area from theTEMA people, then tracking theirdroppings, seeing their footprints andhearing the many tales of theirbeehive raiding expeditions, bears hadbecome a focus of the trek.

Not until day five were weeventually rewarded, after a beautifulwalk from Yaylalar, through thestunning flower-covered Olunglar andDibe Valley to our encampmentbeneath the snow-line. The smell ofKerem’s cooking lured two hungry

bears to the edge of our tents whilewe were inside eating. Thankfully, wecaught a close-up look at the mightyanimals before they retreated back upthe snowy mountainside. This was ablessed moment for all present and arare one, according to our guides,because bears are nocturnal and rarelyappear in the light of day.

Knowing the bears had gone uphill,the next morning we commenced ourascent to the Naletleme Pass, whichtook us from the south side to thenorth side of the region. With thehelp of snow-shoes which flattenedand enlarged our feet, we ploddedsafely across the deep snow, whichwas dangerously soft in places. Wespent a stunning five hours walkingthrough the mists and snow before

eventually descending the Black Seaside of the range. True to fame andform, it was raining in the wettestpart of Turkey and we walkedthrough stony, soggy ground forseveral more hours before reachingthe highland spa town of Ayder. Ican’t think of anything better than arelaxing dip in a piping hot pool oftherapeutic waters to ease the achesand pains after an enduring week inthe mountains.

As an outsider coming in to thisbeautiful area, rich in scenery, natureand fresh clean water, it would appearthat the Kaçkar is naturally adapted tomost of the internationally recognisedprinciples of eco-tourism, apart fromone very important one, being‘environmentally friendly.’ However, itis not so long ago that we, too, wereunaware of the need to separate and

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Margaret and Kate on their wayto Naletlem Geciti.

Uban Yaylas.Photo:

Margaret Scullycollection.


trekking�

recycle our waste, to cut down onplastics and develop renewable energyresources. If the people who are stillwaiting for work to commence onIreland’s first eco-village inCloughjordan, Co Tipperary, were tosee Yaylalar, they would be gone inthe morning. It still has the originalessence of the eco dream, completewith cow-dung plaster and hand-milked, happy cows. Hopefully, withthe help of TEMA and other groups inthe area, these natural places andpeople will be preserved and theirenvironmental friendliness developed.

However, beside every beauty thereis often a beast, and in the Kackar’scase it’s the proposed damming of theYusufeli basin which has been in thepipeline for the last fifteen years.People have had to live under thethreat of a mass eviction in order toflood their homeland, which isdestined to become a hydro-electricdam. As it is now a well-known factthat the life-span of such large-scaledams is shortlived due to silting, wecan only hope that the powers that bewill wake up to the fact that there isample scope for micro-hydro systemsin the towns and villages, which couldgenerate ample power without causingdamage and disturbance to the areaand its inhabitants. One saving graceis that, with time, the threat of thedam is dwindling. Another is the factthat Yusufeli’s administration is now inthe competent and ethical hands ofGovernor Mevlut Ozmen, who is very

supportive of TEMA and Kate Clow’spioneering projects.

With careful management andsustainable development, Kate Clow ishopeful that these mountains willsurvive the many threats and continueto attract responsible, nature-lovingvisitors. TEMA and the UnitedNations Development Programme areworking in the area, protecting andencouraging the breeding of rarespecies, which in the KaçkarMountains case includes children.Being aware of the damage caused bytrekkers and mountaineers in theHimalayas, Clow, Ozmen and manyothers are adamant that the Kaçkar isnot going to be similarly ruined byinsufficient sanitation facilities or bybeing littered with plastic bottles anddebris. At present, the Kaçkar is ablank, unspoilt canvas upon whichthey are planning to create an eco-friendly destination.

Margaret Scully originates from thelowlands of Laois but has an affinitywith the mountains. She has trekkedin the Himalaya and done numerousshort trips in the mountains of NewZealand and Ireland. She is passionateabout ethical travel to interestingdestinations.

“Disused yaylas may soon bedeveloped as trekking hutsfor eco-tourists...”

Fact fileGetting thereTurkish Airlines (www.thy.com) fly five times a week directfrom Dublin to Istanbul (4hrs) with onward connections toErzurum or Trabazon (1.5hrs).Yusufeli is a three-hour drivefrom Erzurum Airport.

Independent travelTurkey is a very hospitable country and excellent forbackpacking, with regular and inexpensive bus services.Walks can be completed with the aid of a GPS and KateClow’s The Kaçkar trekking guide.Accommodation rangesfrom €20-€50 per night including breakfast (please checkwith provider as prices vary according to number andseason). See www.trekkinginturkey.com.

Yaylalar is an excellent base for day-walks and for accessto Dibe Valley and Naletleme Pass. Rooms and self-cateringriverside cottages are available for groups/families. Ismail atCam Yuva Pansiyon can arrange mule hire (tel: +90 466 8322001) or contact Kerem in Middle Earth Travel (www.middleearthtravel.com).

Organised travelOur excellent guide Kerem Karaerkek from Middle EarthTravel (www.middleearthtravel.com) runs seven-day guidedtreks in Kaçkar between June 15th and Sept 15th for €475including food and accommodation (and airport pick-upand drop-off). For more information on Yusufeli, seewww.yusufeli.gov.tr (check out the video). See alsowww.tema.org, website of TEMA (Turkish Foundation forCombating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation andthe Protection of Natural Habitats).

Special thanks to the Turkish Ministry of Cultureand Tourism (www.gototurkey.co.uk).

Margaret and Kate crossing Naletleme Pass.Photo: Margaret Scully collection.

Margaret with an Israeli journalistand a Lebanese trekker.Photo: Margaret Scully collection.


Explore the KaçkarTrek and Tour – June 2009Info: www.misssushi.com

Contact: Margaret 085 165 5575

hether you

go to India

for the

climbing or

not, you are most

definitely guaranteed an

adventurous experience.

It is a huge country that

can be challenging, scary

and exciting, and that s

before you even get to

the crags!

All in all, our trip to the sub-continentwas most definitely memorable andinsightful. Due to time constraints andaiming for quality rather thanquantity, we concentrated ourclimbing in two main areas, Hampiand Badami. Both locations are insouth India, roughly 300km fromBangalore.

HampiNow a designated world heritage

site, Hampi was once one of thelargest Hindu empires in India. In theHindu legends of Ramangan, this areawas Kishkinda, the realm of themonkey gods. Today, with a landscapeof boulders stretching for miles, it isattracting climbers from all over theworld.

Bouldering has been developinghere for around ten years and, withthe help of Big Up Production’s filmPilgrimage, featuring Chris Sharma,Hampi has been launched into theconsciousness of many travellingclimbers interested in a wilderexperience.

A lot of Hampi bouldering is basedon exploration, but to assist visitingclimbers, a topo is available from anold lady called Begum. There arealmost 200 problems in the currenttopo and, with an official guidebookalso “supposedly” on the way, there isstill endless potential for newproblems in Hampi.

Currently, the developed problemsrange from 5c-8a (V0-V12) and thereare certainly many problems of abovethis grade.

The boulders here are a roughgranite and the climbing takes its tollon the fingertips! Most boulders are ofsimilar style, with small crimps andvery little in the line of footholds.Coming to Hampi as an introductionto bouldering is not recommended!

Boarding the train in Bangalore withliterally up to one hundred or morepeople pushing their way on, weknew our journey to Hampi would beinteresting, to say the least. Ninehours later, we pulled into Hospet. Werefused every offer of a rickshaw andgot the bus to Hampi. It is a laid-backtown (being in India, that is acompliment!), so we were more thanhappy to settle in when we arrived.

There are many ruins of ancienttemples which are amazing to visit onrest days, and now with the increasingnumbers of tourists visiting the place,there is a range of restaurants andcafes to choose from on both sides ofthe river.

Most of the bouldering at present isacross the river from the main townand a boat runs over and back eachday, with a ten-year-old scrupulouslycollecting the over-charged ‘foreigners’rate from visitors. We rented mats offa guy in the Shiva café who alsomakes a fine banana lassi. So withmats and shoes ready, we headed forthe boulders where there was aneclectic mix of climbers, so one isnever left lacking for motivation orinteresting conversation.

At the end of our first day, havingshredded most of the skin from ourfingertips, the sun went down overHampi. The monkeys jumped fromboulder to boulder with style andagility, while the local wild dogshowled at the moon. Going to Hampi,

W


Naomi Sturdy goes climbing in India

Bouldering in Hampi

�bouldering

Naomi Sturdy ona traverse,

Hampi.Photo: NealMcQuaid.

The Ali Babacafé in Hampi isa meeting placefor rockclimbers.

Photo: NealMcQuaid.

I was not sure what to expect asregards the climbing. However, havingbeen there now, I have to say I wasimpressed by the place. One couldspend months there and still haveendless problems to find and try, andon top of that it is in India and comeswith all the strange and wonderfulexperiences that this country has tooffer.

BadamiEager to get on some routes after

the bouldering, our next destinationwas Badami. Badami is about a five-hour bus journey from Hampi and intrue Indian style we managed to haveat least three near-escapes withoncoming traffic en route! Badami,like Hampi, was once a settlementbuilt around the glory of ancienttemples. In contrast with our previousdestination, however, the atmospherewas not as relaxed. Badami does notseem to attract the same number oftourists, so, without any of thetouristy trimmings, it left for a more‘real’ Indian experience. The climbinghere is on quality sandstone. There area few main crags with sufficientdevelopment (over 100 routes) andthere is a guidebook currently beingworked on, which is due to bepublished in 2009. All routes havebeen bolted with in-situ lower-offs.There are, however, bolts missing onsome of the routes, most likely havingbeen stolen. The work that has beenput into development here is of reallygood quality and leaves for safe,enjoyable experiences. For routeswhere bolts are missing or gear isrequired, a little more caution andperhaps guts are needed and, havingseen the hospital down in the town, Iopted for the former!

Coming from the granite in Hampi,the sandstone here was a welcomechange. It was amazing to see suchred rock, steep, with perfect featuresand perfect lines. Going on a topo wereceived from a German climber, westarted out on the first day. We hadnot been walking long when I realised

we were in the centre of the town’sslums. Little ramshackle huts side byside, rabid dogs, pigs and rubbisheverywhere promptly encouraged meto turn on my heels and return to thesafety of our hotel room. It was a starkintroduction to Badami. The sights,the smells and the people, made mequestion what I was doing there and,with the gear in my bag worth morethan some of their houses, I found ithard.

After some reflection, we decided toget on with our goal and reassessedthe topo. We found two main areaswhich we concentrated on for the nextfew days, Hermit Wall and the Templearea. Hermit Wall is a big face risingabove the lake in the centre of town.We were not climbing there longwhen the locals started to gatheraround to watch. I found myselfbelaying with about ten Indian menstanding around me, chatting away inHindi, watching our every move, withkids asking me if they could have ago, a quickdraw, a school pen,chocolate or whatever, all while I’mtrying to watch the rope and my bags– a very strange experience!

Two of the guys, Vickram andSingh, decided it was their duty tobecome our friends and act as tourguides during our stay! They broughtus to some of the local temples, whichI have to say were worth the visit. Inthe other climbing area we visited, weescaped the crowds and the sun byclimbing in a nice shaded gully.During our week in Badami, we foundenough to keep us entertained and,like Hampi, there were manypossibilities for new developmentthere. �

Naomi Sturdy is a member of IMCand Mountaineering Ireland and hasbeen climbing for four years. Based inNew Zealand, she is currently on around-the-world climbing trip.

USEFULWEBSITES:www.hampi.in/bouldering-in-hampi.htmwww.gerhardschaar.com(Gerhard are publishing a guidebookon Badami later this year)www.ukclimbing.com/articles/(This site has good photos)www.dreamroutes.org/etc/badami.html

BESTTIMETO GO:November-February

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:60m rope, harness, shoes, chalk, 10-15quickdraws, 1 set of nuts and cams(for routes where bolts are missing ornot present) and an open mind!

“We wereeager to gorockclimbingafter thebouldering...”www.mountaineering.ie Irish Mountain Log - Spring 2009 43

bouldering�

The Hermit Walland Temple,Badami.Photo: NealMcQuaid.

Boulderingin Hampi.Photo: NealMcQuaid.

ach year, the BritishMountaineeringCouncil (BMC) holds a

week-long InternationalClimbing Meet, with summerand winter meets taking placein alternate years. Their aim isto put the best of Scottishwinter climbing, north Wales’cragging and all of the Britishclimbing ethics and traditionson show. In May of last yearthe MCI was represented at thesummer meet by Eoin Kennedyfrom Cork and Colm Ennisfrom the RathgormackClimbing Club in Waterford.Here, Colm Ennis recounts hisexperiences.

The last time I had touched the rockof north Wales I had been caught upin a rather excellent epic involving apopular Tremadog arête, a heftyshower of rain, stuck climbers, stuckgear, stuck ropes and eventually ahead-torchless darkness. I have a greatmemory, too, of an easier day’scragging down in the Llanberis Pass,which I had followed up with apilgrimage to the ledge beneath thehistoric Cenotaph Corner and ofstanding there desperately wanting toclimb it. The chance to get back to itall as a guest of the venerable BMC at

their 2008 International ClimbingMeet therefore couldn’t be passed up.

The meet got off to an auspiciousstart when the whole ground floor ofManchester airport was inundatedwith a flood of rainwater whichdistracted us from our easy game of‘spot the arriving internationalclimbers.’ Fortunately, at Plas y Brenin,the national mountain centre and ourbase for the meet, the forecast for thenext day was looking very good,which made for enjoyable plotting bythe 44 climbers from 24 differentcountries, who were all now teamedup with a UK host.

I had decided that a few routes onDinas Mot down in the Pass wouldease me into the week. My host,Robert, was, however, a bit shaken bythe pace of a wound-up Irish climberused to travelling quite a distance forgood, dry rock and who likes to getplenty of value and at least threemulti-pitch routes out of his day.There was a bit of everything in theclimbing, with the delicate, slabbytraverse on Superdirect and the blindswing onto the arête of the meatyPlexus being the highlights.Meanwhile, across on the sun-drenched Dinas Cromlech, wewatched the queue for Lord of theFlies, an E6 that had probably neverhad so many ascents in a single day.We heard, too, that Nico Favresse

from Belgium had taken a 50-foot fallduring an on-sight ground-up attempton the nearby Nightmayer (E8)! Later,we might have got our abseil ropesstuck and missed dinner, but it wasworth it for that late evening light inthe valley and that satisfying tirednessprovided uniquely by a good day’sclimbing.

Sitting down to breakfast with ahundred psyched-up climbers who areconfronted with endless possibilitiesfor climbing is quite an experience.North Wales seems to have a bit ofevery type of rock on the planet and Iwas determined to experience it all, sothe famous Dinorwig slate quarriessounded like the perfect suggestionfrom my host Naomi Buys for thesecond day. As you pass the quarrieson your drive out from Llanberis toSnowdon, you might consider them abit of a blot on the landscape, butgetting in amongst those immensepiles of slate is quite an experience.Firstly, there is the incredible historyof the place, which shouts out to youas you pass by the small, stone hutsused by the quarry workers and theirfamilies. Then you have to stop toinvestigate all those strange cables,tubes, cranes, tracks, holes, tunnelsand caves that represent thetechnology and the fabrications whichhelped those workers chew their waythrough the mountain. Each climbing

�rockclimbing

Colm Ennis takes part in a BMC Meet in Wales

E

Paradise next door


The breathtakingLlanberis Passas seen fromDinas Mot.

Photo:Colm Ennis.

area had a unique feel to it, too, likethe green and cavernous Vivianquarry, the strange, white tentaclesreaching up from the pool at Dali’sHole and the monolith of rock atSerengeti. You could spend the wholeday just exploring the great heaps ofslate in what seems like a post-apocalyptic world, but eventually youhave to do a bit of climbing! Some ofthe routes demand trad gear whileothers are bolted or pegged, but this isno sport-climbing crag and there isoften quite a bit to be done before youreach that first clip. A short, sharpcorner called Holy Holy Holy at E2 5cprovided one of the highlights of theday. I was surprised that I couldn’tjust bridge up it and, like quite a fewother routes that we did that day, Ihad to resort to using fingers andtechnique, actually doing some realclimbing.

On the slate, Naomi had proved tobe an excellent and incredibly calmclimbing partner and we weretogether again the next morning for atrip up to the Cromlech. Our first tworoutes were to be Cenotaph Cornerand the equally famous CemeteryGates. I quickly tied in below theCorner. Joe Brown’s classic route has ahuge amount of history and folkloreattached to it and I was determined toclimb it perfectly. It is well protected,climbs like a dream and, like all of thebest routes, has its crux right at thetop. A few quick and tricky movesand I was over it, well pleased withmyself. Cemetery Gates felt moreexposed and was another great pieceof climbing. Left Wall, on the otherhand, was quite a long, lonely leadand I kicked myself later for takingthe easier variation finish at the verytop. Not the next time!

The evenings were just as hectic asthe days, with lectures andpresentations from the likes ofpioneering climber Pat Littlejohn whospoke about the adventurous climbingon the Lleyn peninsula, where heassured fans of loose rock that theywould find plenty to keep thementertained. In his talk, Nick Bullockwarned us about Pat, who he said“seems like a nice, mild-mannered

gentleman, but don’t mind that, he’sactually stark raving mad.” Pat, thatweek, seconded a 17-year-old Belgianclimber on the Axe (E4 6a) on Cloggy,having made the first ascent 30 yearsearlier. Many of the otherinternational climbers gave talks abouttheir own countries or places that theyhad visited. They were only too happyto give advice and offered help inorganising expeditions. My guidebookto the Crimea is on the way.

The next morning, I dug out myfive-year-old but never-used Gogarthguidebook; it was time to hit thecoast. After the hour-long mini-bustrip, I was in the company of thetough-as-nails local expert Elfyn Joneswho promptly pointed me at anextravagantly named route called thePark Lane/Doomsville Connection. Ittook a while to adjust to the sea cliffsafter the last few days in themountains. It wasn’t just the quartziteyou had to get used to, there were thecircling gulls and the crash of the sea,and everything just seemed so big andinitially even a bit scruffy. I struggledup the cruxy ramp and finally caughtmy breath – different, but good! Afterthat, it was right out over the sea to amulti-pitch route actually calledGogarth, which flashed by, and then itwas back to The Strand, a stunningcrack line just beside Park Lane,which turned out to be an excellentlysustained and enjoyable pitch. What aplace! I definitely would have stayedclimbing there until sunset, but wehad a bus to catch. As we waited inthe sun at the car park, one of thehosts was discussing his study intowhat motivates climbers. He hadgathered together research from allover the world and had decided thatwe were all very badly adjusted,developmentally stunted, daft, mad,messed up and so on. I didn’tcontribute much to the debate andinstead just looked forward to mynext really long day at Gogarth. Greatroutes, good rock and all in the sunby the sea.

It was back to Tremadog the nextday, the site of that previouslymentioned epic. I was raring to go butwas slowed down by the tough

“Joe Brown had said theVector was ‘ tricky, polishedand precarious,’ but I justwent and climbed it .”

Colm at the top ofanother good pitch.Photo: Elfyn Jones.

Naomi Buys on Looning the TubeE1 5b at Dali’s Hole in theDinorwig Slate Quarries.Photo: Colm Ennis.

Colm Ennis on the crux ofVector E2 5c at Serengeti inthe Dinorwig Slate Quarries.Photo: Elfyn Jones.



bouldery start to the Plum. It turnedout to be an excellent arête, which wefollowed up with the strenuous, thincrack of Extraction. It was my turn tolead again for Vector, another JoeBrown classic. I managed to forget thedescriptions of ‘infamous, tricky,polished, precarious’ and so on andjust went and climbed it. To finish up,Elfyn punished me for finding Vectorso easy and had a laugh as I groanedmy way up after him on the pumpyGrasper. At the top, I admitted thatmy arms and fingers were just a bittired, so it was down for tea and cakesat Eric’s café.

Apparently, they always get superbweather for the BMC Meet but itlooked like there could be a bit of rainfor the very last day. Fortunately, itseems there is always a dry crag innorth Wales, so it was off to the coastagain but this time to the limestonecliffs of The Orme, which is beside theseaside town of Llandudno. Lo andbehold, it stayed dry, and after threeclimbs and seeing it was the last day, Idecided it was time to jump upanother grade. It’s easy to say that youshouldn’t get too bothered withgrades, but it’s nice to tick a moredifficult one every now and again. Inthe previous week I had climbed 37pitches on 27 routes and managed tolead about 20 first-class routes a gradeor two above my usual level. Thecontinuous crack line of Plumblinewas in my sights but unfortunatelyone of those young, rocket-poweredSlovenian climbers had just failed onit. To hell with him, and up I went

straight away. As advertised, the routegot harder with every move upwards,but it went, and while it’s not quite abig route on Cloggy, it felt good all thesame. The nearby, similarly gradedFirefly brought me back down toEarth quickly, though, and I evenstopped the traffic on the road justbelow as it looked for a while like Iwas going to hit the ground. I heldon. Scary fun!

For the last night, there was wineand local ale, too much good food,plenty of talking and debating, dodgydancing and a small acoustic guitarthat had been on the recent firstascent of a big wall in Pakistan.Everybody was asked to write downhis or her three best routes of theweek…and what a list there was! Itseemed every iconic and classic route

on every crag in north Wales hadbeen climbed from the mad slate test-pieces, to adventurous outings on thewild sea-cliffs and, of course, the bigmulti-pitch mountain routes.Amazingly, routes like AuthenticDesire (E7 6b) on Cloggy had beenonsighted. It had all been done inglorious sunshine and there were evenrumours of a new route or two. Forme, it had been an incredibleexperience to have been so immersedin climbing with so many differenttop-form climbers. Fortunately, Imanaged to bottle some of themomentum and form, which in thecoming months saw me up a few bigIrish routes that I had never daredstand beneath before. So if you aretrying to track down a superblocation for your next trip or areconsidering applying for the nextexcellent BMC climbing meet – don’tthink twice and get yourself across tothe paradise next door!

Colm Ennis is a member of theRathgormack Climbing Club inWaterford. He has had a wide-ranginginvolvement in mountaineering andhas been rockclimbing for the pasteight years, particularly in theComeraghs, but also in many otherparts of Ireland. He has been walkingon the Pyrenean Haute Route, wintermountaineering in Scotland and ice-climbing in Slovakia, and has climbed afew of the Alpine 4000ers.

Recommended guidebookNorth Wales Rock – Selected RockClimbs in North Wales, by SimonPanton, published by Ground UpPublications, 2006.

�rockclimbing

“Naomi proved to be anexcellent and incrediblycalm climbing partner.”


The dramaticDinas Cromlech in

Llanberis Pass.Photo:

Colm Ennis.

Naomi Buys on Great CurveE2 5c at Serengeti.Photo: Colm Ennis.


TrainingLogThe latest advice and information from Tim Orr, Training Officer

Changes in BOSThis edition of the IrishMountain Log marks thebeginning of anotherchange for ourorganisation in itsprogress towards fullyserving the needs ofmountaineering inIreland. Change hasalso occurred withinBord Oiliúint Sléibhe(BOS), the trainingwing of MountaineeringIreland.

With the customary biennial change in the chairperson of theBOS board, we must acknowledge the unyieldingcommitment of time and expertise that Tomás Aylward hasgiven to the post throughout the past two years. Theguidance Tomás has offered over this period, based upon hismany years’ involvement in mountaineering as both aprofessional and (more importantly) a passionatemountaineer, will undoubtedly continue to influencemountain training in Ireland well into the future.

At the same time, we welcome Pat Kinneally to the chair ofthis board. As an active mountaineer, Pat joins us from theClare Outdoor Club where he has held the role of clubchairperson for the last number of years.

If you would like to learn more about BOS, its roles andstructure, please visit the Training and Safety section of theMountaineering Ireland website, www.mountaineering.ie.

Planning the year aheadThe principal role of the training office is to continue to

implement the training policy ratified in 2007 by theorganisation’s members. Supporting current projects andexploring new ways to promote and assist the delivery oftraining and safety in Ireland is paramount to our ongoingwork. It is, however, primarily the drive and enthusiasm ofour members that will progress our training initiatives. Asthis is a fundamental objective of our organisation, allmembers are encouraged to play a part.

There are many ways that you can become involved inmountain training:

• Develop your own skills further by attending anorganised training course.

• Come along to one of our annual meets.

• Attend one of the free taster sessions during the summer.

• Promote further in-house training within your club.

• Refresh and practice skills already learnt.The Training Office staff are here to help and advise you. If

you don’t know where to start, or if you have an idea for anew initiative but are not sure how to get it off the ground,contact us here and we will do our best to assist you.

Busy schedule for 2009The Training Office has witnessed a significant increase in thenumber of people registering for official training courses this year.The Walking Group Leader Award, especially, has undergone arevival, with as many people signing up for it in the opening monthsof this year as did in the whole of 2008. The Mountain LeaderAssessment, due to take place in April, is fully booked with 12candidates – one of the biggest MLA groups ever seen by BOS – andwe are already taking bookings for the October MLA.

Our Scottish Winter Meet, held in March in Onich, also saw anincrease in participants tackling both the snowy hills and the courseson offer. In 2009, BOS also has the largest number of approvedcourse providers to date, with 50 individuals currently approved todeliver the range of National Governing Body qualifications. All ofthese factors are indicative of increasing demand for formal andinformal mountaineering training and of an upsurge in the popularityof all aspects of mountaineering in Ireland.

In response to such an encouraging start to the year, BOS isundertaking a comprehensive overhaul of its administrative system. Anew Course Providers structure is now in place which will develop amore substantial foundation for it, including a nationwideconsistency of standards.

The Training and Safety pages on the Mountaineering Irelandwebsite have also been updated with a new, user-friendly CourseCalendar. This is now the main port of call for forthcoming trainingevents, and searches can be made by date, course, location orprovider. We would appreciate any feedback about your experienceof these changes.

The Training Office will be continuing two particularly popularprojects started in 2008. The free Taster Sessions in hillwalking androckclimbing will return in the summer months. These are a fantasticway for people to get an introduction to mountaineering and,hopefully, put them on the path to a new enjoyment of the Irishuplands. Also, the Volunteer Training Officer weekends will return in2009. Mountaineering Ireland now has over 130 affiliated clubs andover 9,500 members. A priority requirement that has emerged fromdiscussions with many clubs is to ensure that all their members aretrained in the necessary hill skills to safely enjoy their days in themountains. In response, Mountaineering Irelandis working towards havingVolunteer Training Officers(VTOs) in all of theaffiliated clubs.

Two extremelysuccessful VTO weekendswere run in 2008,with two furtherbeing planned for thisyear. Keep an eye on thewebsite for further detailson both these ventures.– (Kate Hebblethwaite,Training Assistant)

TIM’S BLOGSPOT

training�

On a Multi-PitchAward course.Photo: Tim Orr.

In the last three issues of the MountainLog, I took an in-depth look at some ofthe well-established Bord Oiliúint Sléibhe(BOS) training schemes that are overseenby the MI within the Republic of Ireland,namely the Mountain Skills, MountainLeader and Single-Pitch Award. The finaltwo awards delivered through BOS arethe Walking Group Leader (WGL) and theMulti-Pitch Award (MPA). These areequally well embedded within the overallqualification structure, but they are alsosometimes viewed as sub-stages withina greater system.

Interpretations about where exactly theWGL and MPA schemes fit into the BOSstructure have undoubtedly created someconfusion in the past. The labelssometimes tagged to these awards as the‘sub-ML’ (WGL) and the ‘stepping stone tothe Mountain Instructor Award’ (MPA) donot always do justice to the uniqueness ofthese qualifications.

The WGL scheme is aimed at candidateswishing to lead groups of hillwalkers innon-mountainous hilly terrain withinIreland and the UK. Covering such skillsas navigation, emergency procedures,group management and remotesupervision, this qualification is designedfor use on terrain generally described ashill, bog or moorland. The restriction tonon-mountainous terrain should not beclassified by height but rather by theobjective hazards that might beencountered. The WGL will not besuitable if you are looking to lead groupsthrough terrain without obvious andclearly defined boundaries, or areas that

Walking Group Leader (WGL)

contain steep or broken ground requiring

particular movement skills. Although the

WGL does not include wild remote

camping, if used within the terrain

restrictions stated, the standard of its

syllabus can be equalled to that of the

Mountain Leader (ML).

To register with BOS for the WGL you

must be at least 18 years of age, have a

genuine interest in leading groups and

have at least one year’s walking

experience. Once registered, candidates

are provide with the WGL logbook

through which they must present

evidence of a minimum of 20 days’

walking before booking on to the three-

day training course, generally comprising

Requirements & Training

30 hours’ contact time. A list of training

providers and upcoming courses are

available from the Mountaineering Ireland

website, www.mountaineering.ie.

On completion of training, your course

director will assist you with an individual

action plan towards gaining the further

personal and leadership experience

necessary for the assessment. WGL

assessments are organised directly

through BOS over a three-day period

during which candidates are tested on all

aspects of the syllabus. Prior to booking

for an assessment, candidates must hold

a current first-aid certificate and present

evidence of a minimum of 40 hillwalking

days within their logbook.

Consolidation & Assessment

Group leader and multi-pitch schemes

Training Officer Tim Orr reports on the Walking Group Leader and Multi-Pitch Awards

MountainSkills�news�training


On a Walking GroupLeader course.Photo: Tim Orr.

Your guide to mountain skills training

training�

On completion of training, your course

director will assist you with an individual

action plan towards gaining the further

personal and leadership experience

necessary for the assessment. MPA

assessments are organised directly

through BOS over a two-day period during

which candidates are tested on all aspects

of the syllabus. Prior to booking for an

assessment, candidates must hold a

current first-aid certificate and present

logged evidence of their experience.

You may plan on stepping up to the

Mountain Instructor Award (MIA). Although

the MPA is not a prerequisite for

attendance on the MIA training, it has over

time proved an exceptionally useful

stepping stone for gaining further

experience in line with the required level of

experience needed for MIA registration.

All of the BOS training schemes

described in this series of articles in the

Consoliation & Assessment

Mountain Instructor Award

And finally...

Contact detailsIf you have any queries on thesetraining schemes, please [email protected]


On a Multi-PitchAward course.Photo: Tim Orr.

Mountain Log – MS, ML, WGL SPA andMPA – are just part of a far greatertraining structure recognised andapproved through the MI. Just as a moreinformal introductory approach assistscandidates’ preparation for these awards,there is also a formal structure ofspeciality leadership and instructorqualifications beyond the BOS awardsthat leads all the way to the UIAGMGuide, the highest mountaineeringqualification. Many of these higher levelschemes are administered through theMountain Training Boards of the UK andare delivered through the different UKNational Mountain Training Centres.

For further information on these awards,contact Tollymore, the National MountainTraining Centre for Northern Ireland,www.tollymore.com. �

Candidates who have completed their

formal ML training can choose to register

for the WGL scheme and will gain

automatic exemption from the official

three-day WGL training course. However,

candidates moving onto the WGL

scheme should fully familiarise

themselves with the WGL syllabus and its

requirements.

Although, as already stated, the WGL is a

stand-alone qualification, some

candidates might find attending a WGL

assessment a useful stepping stone

within the ML consolidation period. With

many similar standards including

navigation, the WGL assessment can

help prepare candidates for the

somewhat more intense ML assessment.

This award is for experienced climbers

who have an interest in leading others in

the multi-pitch rockclimbing environment

throughout Ireland and the UK. The MPA

syllabus covers such topics as group

leadership and management, incident

procedures, varying rope systems,

stance management and belaying.

Before attending a training course,

candidates must first register with BOS,

showing evidence of holding the SPA

award and completion of a minimum of 10

multi-pitch lead routes of “severe” or

above. Formal training is generally held

over a two-day period and delivered by

BOS-approved MPA instructors. Upcoming

courses and a list of current providers can

be found on the MI website,

www.mountaineering.ie.

Multi-Pitch Award (MPA)

WGL as stepping stone to ML?

Moving on from ML to WGL

Requirements & Training

The latest news from Aodhnait Carroll, Access & Conservation Officer

Access&Conservation

“I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where the electrical sockets are.”

– Twelve-year-old child

I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS a quote by the author Richard Louvthat really caught my attention. He was speaking about a group ofyoung people after they had participated in an outdoor adventureweekend. He stated that “these are the kind of memories that willlast a lifetime, and we have a responsibility to make sure all kids getthis kind of access to the outdoors. I believe that children have amoral right to the gifts of nature.”

This quote really hit home with me. From my own experience inworking with young people and from the experience of outdooractivity providers, it is apparent that there is a dramatic shift in thehealth and wellbeing of young people in Ireland today. There is a lotof evidence to suggest that this shift is being caused, in part at least,by the removal of nature from the day-to-day lives of children. Theterm coined for this effect is ‘nature deficit disorder,’ and is explainedby Richard Louv as follows: “There are human costs to alienationfrom nature, including attention difficulties, diminished use ofsenses, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness.”

Nature deficit disorderOne of the most obvious signs of nature deficit disorder is that we

are seeing a deterioration in the physical health of our children,often related to an excess weight gain. In general, the term“overweight” refers to children who are 15% above their desirableweight, while the term “obese” is used to describe children who areat least 20% over their desirable weight. In Europe as a whole, onein every six children is suffering from obesity. In Ireland, it is one infive, and in America one in every four children are classified asobese. This phenomenon can be attributed to the reduction inunstructured play in open areas that has occurred over the last fortyyears. A recent study in the UK showed that children’s access toareas where they can roam freely has decreased by ninety per centsince 1940.

One often tends to focus on physical wellbeing over mentalwellbeing as we feel that we have a greater level of control over ourphysical wellbeing. If we need to improve our health, we can walkmore or eat healthier food. However, dealing with mental healthproblems can be a lot harder. Recent statistics show that one in eightboys and one in ten girls aged eleven to seventeen have beendiagnosed with a mental health problem. Could these nature-deprived children be suffering from cultural autism, the symptoms ofwhich are tunnelled senses and feelings of isolation andcontainment?

Individual children test themselves by interacting with theirenvironment, activating their potential and reconstructing humanculture. As Robin Moore put it: “The content of the environment is a

critical factor in this process. A rich, open environment willcontinuously present alternative choices for creative engagement. Arigid, bland environment will limit healthy growth and developmentof the individual or the group.”

For those of you who like to see the cold hard facts, below aresome statistics that show the shift in lifestyle that Irish children arefacing. These changes in daily life can be directly related to arestriction of the access to the natural environment that youngpeople are experiencing.

• In 1971, 80% of seven-to-eight-year-olds walked to school;today the figure is just 10%.

• The obesity level for six-year-olds has increased by 100% in thepast decade. It has trebled among fifteen-year-olds during thesame period.

• There was a 36% reduction in tree-related injuries presenting tohospitals between 1999 and 2006.

• There has been a 35% increase in the number of children beingtreated for repetitive movement injuries, often associated withusing computers.

This article has painted a somewhat dismal picture of what ishappening to the health and wellbeing of young people in Irelandtoday. Nature deficit disorder is clearly a very significant problemaffecting the health of these young people, with no one cause and nosingle solution. There are, however, a number of things that we cando to help in working towards an improvement. We need toencourage parents to bring their children to the outdoors and toallow them the freedom to connect with nature. We must also do allthat is possible to make these wild places inviting and accessible toindividuals who may already be suffering from a detachment andfear of nature. �

Outdoor activities are vital to a child’s wellbeing


�access & conservation

Children benefit from nature

Teaching young peopleabout the upland environment.Photo: Tim Orr.

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E [email protected]

Thin WhiteLineBy Andy CaveHutchinson,225pp8pp b&w andcolour photosh/b £18.99ISBN: 978-0-091-79572-6

This is AndyCave's secondbook – his first,Learning to

Breathe, was joint winner of the BoardmanTasker Prize in 2005. The final section ofLearning to Breathe was his gripping accountof climbing the north face of Changabang –an incredible feat. Tragically, Brendan Murphy,his companion and good friend, was killed onthe descent. Thin White Line commences

with Andy’s attempts to overcome thephysical and mental trauma of the climb onChangabang. His style is always easy to readand his account of his journey from thegritstone edges to the mountains of Sweden,Patagonia and Alaska gives a remarkableinsight into a sensitive and committed climberwho tackles the perennial questions thatmountaineers face: Is serious climbing worthit? Do I really want to continue to put myselfin danger?

Cave intermingles historic details verysuccessfully within his climbing adventures,e.g. the pioneering exploits of aviators inPatagonia and Alaska. His description ofclimbing in Norway with the young LeoHoulding is a great example of his relaxedstyle of writing and attention to detail. Thepictures he paints of extreme, nail-bitingrockclimbing make for compelling reading.His account of climbing in Scotland invokesall that is good about modern, mixedScottish climbing, including the traditionaltramp in and out. His portrayal of the horrificstorms in Patagonia shows his descriptive

talents at their best. It is in Patagonia alsothat Andy confronts the many questions inhis mind regarding his future climbing and hiscommitment to the sport.

The finest climb in the book is the firstalpine-style ascent of the north ridge ofMount Kennedy in the St Elias Mountains inthe Yukon with his good friend, Mick Fowler.The climbing style shows their totalcommitment in a hostile and demandingenvironment. Again, Cave’s writing allows thereader to gain a good insight into his mentalattitude in coming to terms with the traumaof Changabang.

Cave’s descriptive pieces on Andy Parkin,the brilliant British climber who lives inChamonix, and Kurt Gloyer, the pilot whoflew the climbing team to Mount Kennedy,are superb examples of the talent of anaccomplished writer who provides suchdepth and insight into his characters.

I would recommend this book highly and,where possible, suggest reading Learning toBreathe first.

Is serious climbing really worth it?

Harry O’Brien

Literary Editor Joss Lynam presents reviews of some recent publications.

Books


�books

HimalayanPlayground:Adventureson the Roofof the World1942-72By TrevorBrahamThe In Pinn,107pp24pp photos£9.99ISBN: 978-1-906476-00-7

Trevor Braham was both far-seeing andlucky. He was at school in India and, afterWorld War II, took a job with plentiful leavein his father’s firm in Calcutta. The elementof luck was that this was the beginning ofthe Golden Age of Himalayan climbing and

that in 1947 a prestigious Swiss expeditionto Garhwal, led by the famous André Roch,invited a guest member from the HimalayanClub. Braham, who was living in Calcuttaand had previous experience of trekking inSikkim, got the job. He climbed KedarnathDome with Roch, Graven and Dittert, andreturned on his own over various highpasses with two Sherpas. What a wonderfulstart to a Himalayan career!

It established Braham as aknowledgeable mountaineer living in Indiaand so he was invited to join several otherexpeditions. He was also perfectly placed toorganise his own mountain trips, especiallywhen he moved to Pakistan in 1961. Theclimbs in this book span in time the thirtyyears he was living in the east and ingeographic spread from Sikkim toWaziristan, including the tragic Minapinexpedition of 1958.

It was of special interest to this reviewerthat he visited Spiti in 1955 with PeterHolmes, whose book inspired the reviewer’s

A knowledgeable mountaineer living in India

Joss Lynamexpedition there in 1958. It is surprising thathe has drawn his own map with sausageglaciers, when Holmes’ much better mapwas available in 1958, and my own in 1962.

In this book, Braham covers the sameexpeditions as in his 1974 HimalayanOdyssey, but, as an octogenarian,considers “the maturity of later years hasled to a deeper appreciation of thepleasures, heightening the awareness of thegood fortune that has enabled me todevelop a more profound relationship withmountains.”

It has certainly led in this short book to avision of enjoyable climbing on the lesserHimalayan peaks, climbing in a way thathas become much more difficult since themountains became draped in bureaucracyand commercialism, as Doug Scott lamentsin the foreword. Even if you have readHimalayan Odyssey, this is a book not tomiss.

Ireland’s High Places: From theMountains to the SeaBy Rob BeightonThe Collins Press, 160ppColour photos on every pageh/b €28.95 ISBN: 978-1-905172-45-0

Rob Beighton has produced a wonderfulcollection of colour photographs on thewonders of nature as seen in the Irishmountains. He has divided the photographs

into seven themed sections, the second ofwhich is devoted to a brief explanation ofhow the images were captured.

Dreams over the Horizon, A Journey ofDiscovery, Sea to Mountain and Mountain toSea, The Beauty of Form, The Nature Withinand the Soul’s Longing are the titles of theselections of pictures and, while they form aframe to enable the author to give us someunderstanding of his personal views on theimpact of nature, they are not necessary foran appreciation of the beautiful images inthe book.

From the images of mountain regionsround the country, I particularly liked thecomposition of the view of Tonelagee, andthe images of looking towards Galtymoreacross Lough Curra and a view of theAllihies. I was less impressed with the NorthPrison on Lugnaquillia and Ben Cromreservoir.

In the sixth section, Beighton reflects on“the spectacular in the ordinary” andproduces beautiful images of leaves, rocksand water. In the same section, the rainbowover Clew Bay and the variations of colour

in a pool in Killarney National Park are

among the best images of the collection.

The final section is a series of impressive

two-page spreads of land and sky ‘scapes.

The late morning on the summit of

Galtymore and afternoon in the Twelve Bens

looking north appeal to me, but the sunrise

in the Bens and the other images are also

impressive.

This book contains a beautiful collection

of images. The sections are somewhat

artificial but give an essay approach to the

project. The quality of the pictures is high

and has a mixture of familiar and more novel

views. However, the colour balance did not

appeal to me and I wonder if the purple cast

in a number of the pictures was caused by

digital effects, whether by accident or

design.

Rob Beighton’s book will be of interest to

nature lovers, walkers and those who love

the mountains as well as to photographers

who may be interested in seeing the scope

of images available in Ireland’s uplands,

particularly in changing light.

The wonders of nature as seen in the Irish mountains

Sheila Willis


books�

Robert L. Chapman’sIreland: Photographsfrom the ChapmanCollection 1907-1957Compiled by ChristiaanCorlettThe Collins Press,133pph/b €24.95 ISBN13:978-1-905172-77-1

Photography was anastonishing invention, the power of which is difficult to grasp in theimage-rich world we live in today. By the early 20th century themagic of creating images by photography was widely available forthose with a few bob, but unlike in our contemporary pixelatedworld, the relatively high cost of film and developing then guaranteedthat great care was taken with every exposure. As a result,photographic material of that period generally tends to be of a veryhigh standard. This must be said of this collection of photographsby the late Robert Chapman, compiled by the ever-busy ChristiaanCorlett. The cover photo sets the standard: it sharply depictsChapman as a young man seeming to pass by on his bicycle,stockings to his knees, raincoat tied to the handlebars. Lookingclosely, however, you will spot the rock wedged under the offsidepedal to support the bike in an upright position for the longexposure.

There is great variety here, from portraits of putteed cycling clubmembers in tweed suits and shirts with celluloid collars (with tie, ofcourse), flat cap or homburg, unique shots of the burning of theCustom House in May 1921, regattas in Kingstown, and long-gonesteam engines puffing into stations. Shots of the WicklowMountains, of Glenmacnass, Glencullen and Glencree, nakedwithout their contemporary clothing of conifers, and the condition inthe 1920s of mountain roads such as the Wicklow Gap, are eye-openers. A great browser’s book, this, and every time I pick it up, Ifind something new.

Every time I pick it up I find something new

Michael Fewer

Glendasan, west of Laragh, on the Wicklow Gap Road on the30th of July 1922. – From ‘Robert L. Chapman’s Ireland.’


�books

Granite and Grit: A Walker’s Guide tothe Geology of the British MountainsBy Ronald TurnbullFrances Lincoln, 208ppMany large & small colour photos

and diagrams£20.00 ISBN 978-0-7112-2914-3

This is not merely about granite and grit;Ronald Turnbull has written acomprehensive discourse on the geology ofthe British mountains – mountains being ingeneral above 600m (because that’s whereyou can see the rocks) and British meaningUK (the Mournes get a few mentions).

This is not a field guidebook; it would lookvery well on the coffee table, since it isprolifically illustrated with some reallymagnificent mountain scenes, but it is muchmore than a coffee-table book. The picturescomplement the text, which is bothinformative and highly readable with somelively turns of phrase (“gneiss is a scotchbroth of a rock”).

There is a brief and clear overview ofgeological history and plate tectonics, achapter on glaciation and one chapter for

each of seventeen major, mountain-formingrock types. Discussions of the micro-detailsof mineral composition mix comfortably withlandscape descriptions, mountaineeringstories, historical geology and scientifictheory. There are also plenty of simple,effective, explanatory diagrams and manysmaller technical photos of geologicalfeatures – though it might have been worthdefacing some of these with superficial linesto better illustrate the points being made.

The index of places makes it easy to lookup references to any particular area, andTurnbull’s contagious enthusiasm for themountains, and the gorgeous photos, makeone wish to just get up and go there. Butlocating these mountains will be moredifficult.

Remarkably in a book about mountainsand geology, there are very few maps, amajor flaw in an otherwise informative,entertaining and beautiful book.

A comprehensive discourse on British mountain geology

Ruth Lynam

Coast to Coast with WainwrightBy Alfred Wainwright, with new photographsby Derry BrabbsFrances Lincoln, 270ppVery numerous colour photos, drawings& sketch maps£25.00 ISBN 978-0-7112-2934-1

Coast to Coast: A Walker’s HandbookBy Alfred WainwrightFrances Lincoln, 160ppSketches, maps & tables£9.99 ISBN 978-0-7112-3020-0

Coast to Coast with Wainwright is a verybeautiful book. It is an update of the firstcollaboration on this walk between DerryBrabbs and Alfred Wainwright, published in1987, which was a progression fromWainwright’s original Coast to Coast WalkPictorial Guide. This edition has many morephotographs newly taken by Brabbs.

The text has been updated by DerryBrabbs and, without comparing the editions,it is impossible to identify the changesbecause they are integrated so seamlessly. Infact, there have been remarkably fewchanges to the route or text.

The foreword is Brabbs’ and theintroduction is Wainwright’s (from the lastedition). The latter includes his hand-drawnmap of the complete route with suggestedovernight halts. There are also sketch mapsshowing the three national parks areas,communications and access, and altitudes.The route is divided into 14 days’ walking.Each section starts with Wainwright’s hand-drawn map showing that section, followed bythe detailed route description.

As well as the many wonderfulphotographs, images of Wainwright’s originalsketches and “handwritten” passages thatwere included in the 1987 version arescattered throughout. The text is liberallyinterspersed with photographs of scenery,towns, villages and items along the route,and many are breathtakingly beautiful. They

were taken during all seasons, which addsvariety and emphasises Brabbs’ dedication.Many are double-page spreads, whichenhances their impact and dramatic effect.The colours of most are superb and vibrant.Two sections of the walk are recordedpictorially.

The book is in coffee-table format so,although it describes the route in detail, it islikely to be left at home by anyone walking,not only for its size but also to preserve it. Itis a book to treasure and will be coveted as areminiscence for those who have done thewalk, a place to plan and dream for thosewho are thinking of doing it, and a book toadmire for those who like walking books withfabulous photographs, particularly of scenery.Coast to Coast – A Walker’s Notebook is

for those who keep records and journals:they can record Arrival and Departure Times,Weather and Companions for each section,Walker’s Notes, Sketches, Places to Eat andSleep, and PeopleYou Meet. Includedalso are UsefulInformation andOther Useful (Web)Sites. It is the samesize as the originalPictorial Guide andso is suitable for aback pocket orrucksack.

A very beautiful book…and a companion handbook

Jean Boydell

Nine LivesBy DavidCourtneyMercierPress,384pp14pp colourphotosp/b €16.99ISBN: 978-1-85635-602-2

As someone who has been involved inmountain rescue for some years now, I havehad the privilege of working with DavidCourtney and his Coast Guard rescuehelicopter colleagues on many occasions inthe mountains of Kerry and west Cork, andhave always been impressed by theircourage and professionalism. I thought Iknew a lot of what was involved inhelicopter rescue…until I read Nine Lives,that is!

This gripping book lets the reader knowfrom a first-hand perspective what it is like

to embark on rescue missions on land, butmore particularly at sea, in the mostappalling and challenging conditions,knowing that very often the lives of otherpeople are totally dependent on the rescuecrew being able to carry out their missionsuccessfully, sometimes at significantpersonal risk. David describes withconsiderable literary skill the pressures andmental strain of working in thesecircumstances – the euphoric highs wheneverything goes well and lives are saved,and the dismal lows when, despite the bestefforts of the helicopter crew, human soulsperish.

Whereas Lorna Siggins’ 2004 bookMayday, Mayday (also an excellent read)gives a well-researched outsider’sperspective of air & sea rescue, Nine Livestells the story from the inside – straight fromthe pilot’s mouth, so to speak. DavidCourtney spent thirteen years as a searchand rescue helicopter pilot for the Air Corpsand the Coast Guard and, in writing NineLives, draws on his wealth of experience,not just of the many missions that he hasbeen involved in but also of the emotionalaspects of the job and how it has impactedon his life.

This mixture of autobiographical passagescovering David’s personal life and careerhistory, melded together with detailed

descriptions of the more notable missionshe has been involved in, works very welland the resulting book is a fine read whichI’m sure will be enjoyed by a wide range ofreaders, active or sedentary. In addition, thecolour photographs in the book are wellchosen and tie the text together very nicely.

books�

Staying Alive in AvalancheTerrainBy Bruce TremperBaton Wicks, 313ppNumerous photos & diagrams£14.99 p/bISBN: 978-1-898573-75-3

I was a bit surprised whenasked to review this book as Ihave had a copy for a numberof years. It has become thebook of first choice whenwanting to refresh my know-ledge of avalanche safety.However, a quick look revealedthat this is the second edition

and the first to be published in Great Britain.As skiers, snowboarders or climbers, we normally take time

before we embark on a trip to the Alps to refresh the various skillsthat we will require such as navigation, climbing or skiing/boarding

skills. How much time do we give to learning or updating ourknowledge for assessing avalanche potential or do we assume thatit will not happen to us? The exhilaration of travelling in wild, snow-covered terrain can easily turn to tragedy for those caught in asudden avalanche. Statistics indicate that, in a high percentage ofavalanche fatalities, either the victim or someone in the victim’s partyhas triggered the avalanche. A lot of avalanche accidents can beavoided if one knows what to look for and develops the skill ofreading “nature’s signposts.”

Following the introduction and an outline of the basics ofavalanches, the three critical variables of terrain, weather andsnowpack stability, which determine whether or not an avalanche ispossible, are examined in detail. While avalanches occur all the timein the mountains, it is the introduction of a fourth variable, namelyman/property, which introduces the potential for a hazard.

Chapters on hazard evaluation, route finding and safe travel aswell as rescue techniques and the human factor are also includedand are very well laid out. The chapter on route finding and safetravel outlines how route finding varies with different activities,including skiing, boarding and climbing, and identifies theconsiderations and advantages/disadvantages for each activity.

This is an excellent book for both climbers and skiers who ventureinto snow-covered mountains and wish to refresh their knowledge ofsafe travel in avalanche terrain.

The exhilaration can easily turn to tragedy...

John Breen

The euphoric highs when everything goes well...

Mike Sandover

Everest:Summit ofthe WorldBy Harry KikstraRucksackReaders,96pp2pp map flap50+ photoshdbk £9.99

ISBN: 978-1-898481-54-6

Rucksack Readers have recently publishedthis guide to climbing Everest. Everest:Summit of the World is by Harry Kikstra,who has also written guidebooks toAconcagua and Denali. The author, asuccessful ‘seven summiteer,’ explainshow to prepare for this challenge. Hedescribes in detail the popular ascentroutes from Tibet and Nepal, including thetrek from Lukla to Base Camp. See:http://rucsacs.com/books/everest.



�books

The HighMountains ofCrete:WhiteMountains,Psiloritis &LassithiRangesBy LoraineWilsonCicerone,379pp

Many colour photos, 13 mapss/b £14.00 ISBN: 978-1-85284-525-4

This second edition has expanded the CreteWhite Mountains guide with more walks. Italso covers the two further major 2,000mCretan mountain ranges of Psiloritis andLassithi.

Previous comprehensive descriptions arereset in a smaller, clear font to increase theroom available. The maps have improved inclarity, though the lack of shading orcontouring makes it impossible to visualisethe terrain without using a map alongside.

Loraine Wilson gives us an extensive andcomprehensive introduction that deals withhow to get to Crete, travel to the trailheadand find places to stay. She advises on howto trek in the remote arid mountains and, asbefore, underlines that you must have good

understanding of mountain navigation. As

well as mountain walks, she covers the

famous Samaria Gorge and other fabulous

gorges, formed by winter torrents cutting

down through the southern edge of Crete

as it is forced upwards by the African plate

pushing northwards beneath it.

It is a great pleasure to revisit in these

pages peaks that I have climbed and to

read her references to the landscape

features that characterise each route. She

clearly knows these mountains backwards.

So, with your copy of Wilson’s guide in

hand, take a package flight to Crete and

indulge in a wonderful walking holiday in

high mountains.

Indulge in a pleasant walking holiday in high mountains

Gareth Ll. Jones

The GR5 TrailBy Paddy DillonCicerone, 314ppMany colour plates and mapsp/b £14.99ISBN-13: 978-185284-533-9

This 31-day trail has to be one of thegreat mountain walks of Europe.

In the introduction, Paddy Dillonpoints out that this “grand traverse ofthe Alps” from Lake Geneva to the

Mediterranean coast is just part of the GR5 that starts on the North

Sea coast at Hook of Holland and traverses Holland, Belgium,

Luxembourg and France. The highlands of the Ardennes, the Vosges

and the Jura are foretastes of the grand finale, described here.

This one-volume guide must be praised for its comprehensive

nature; large-scale maps followed by more detailed sections; lists of

accommodation; a useful summary of the routes with a breakdown of

times and, last but not least, a glossary of basic French. The Alpine

section of the GR5 is also covered by four French topoguides, which

are excellent, but this one volume would save weight. The author

rightly praises the GR55 High Level Route, which is a superb variation.

The photos are seductive and the whole guide makes a highly

interesting read. It is a pity that the author could not list the worst

restaurants – one in Plampinet was well up to medieval standards!

One of the great mountain walks of Europe...

Sean Rothery

El ChorroBy MarkGlaisterRockfax,200ppNumerousfull-pagecolour photos& routediagramss/b £20.95ISBN: 978-1-873341-81-0

Oh, how digital photography has elevatedthe look of rockclimbing guides, simplifyingroute finding and providing excellenttemplates to more clearly indicate the line of

the routes! This guide covers a little morethan its title suggests, sweeping in an archfrom Mijas to the excellent crags of Loja,incorporating all the best main climbingareas.

I’m a little biased to a good system andRockfax’s guidebook structure and simplesystemisation does make this book easy tofollow, providing comprehensive details,complemented with the visual addition ofthose photos I mentioned. Its only failing inthis area is to put the main map on the backpage, a departure from its otherwiseordered structure. Routes are colour-codedwithin defined grades, with abseils andlower-offs easily identifiable. The twoprevious guidebooks mentioned on page36, Andalucía (2005) and El Chorro (2004),either suffer from poor topos or difficult-to-interpret photos, so this guidebook is a

better purchase. The inclusion of a briefanalysis of each crag, grades of routes,aspect to the sun and access (on page 42)is invaluable, coupled with a highlighted tabfor each area, making this is one of the bestguidebooks to this wonderful climbing areathat I have seen. The general informationand accommodation sections are concise.Difficulties encountered in access at ElChorro are explained, but I would highlightthat the Camino Del Rey needs to betreated cautiously, those recently addedwires standing testament to the continualdisintegration of this “walkway.”

Overall, this guidebook is excellently puttogether and sets a standard most suitablefor general use. Its main delivery system is avisual format which, coupled with concisedetails, produces an attractive layout thateffectively entices the climber to the area.

Entices the climber to the area...

Conor O’Connor

Mountaineering Ireland continues to provide thebook service previously operated by JossLynam. We can supply you with guidebooksand maps to almost any part of the world. Forthe walker, there is a large collection ofCicerone guides and books, or the widerselection of books and guides distributedby Cordee which also includes manyclimbing guides. Books reviewed inthe Irish Mountain Log can usuallybe purchased through Joss Bookswith a members’ discount. Toplace an order, ring the MI officeon (01) 6251115 or [email protected].

New fromTHE COLLINS PRESS

THE FIRST PHOTO-ESSAY OFIRELAND’S MOUNTAINS

Ireland’s High Places – From the Mountains to the SeaRob Beighton

HB: 9781905172450 • €28.95

West Link Park, Doughcloyne, Wilton, Cork

Tel: 021-4347717 Fax: 021-4347720 www.collinspress.ie



�the last word

their three children and, above all, hisfaithful companion through the peaks andvalleys for over twenty years. It wastypical of his irrepressible optimism thathe convinced Eileen to embark with himon a cycle ride to China in 1988; equallytypical was their pragmatic realism whichsaw the venture end in southern Italy.Pat’s first experience in the Alpshappened around this time and hereturned many times with family andfriends. He and Eileen never lost theirlove of the mountains and they alsoclimbed in North Africa, Spain, the UKand the USA.

In the mid-1990s, Pat becameinterested in sailing and found, to hisgreat delight, that he could combine seaand mountain in two wonderful trips fromKinsale to Scotland. Particularlymemorable was a dawn voyage fromIslay to Jura where, with Pat’s gentleencouragement, some old sea dogsachieved what they thought impossibleand scaled the Paps of Jura.

The sharp intellect which he displayedin his professional life was most obviouswhen Pat managed Dell’s Y2K programin Europe. At a personal level, itmanifested itself in discussions of issuesgreat and small, ever open to new ideas,a self-deprecating smile always on hisface. After leaving Dell, he moved toacademia, completed his MSc and wasin the process of completing his PhD atthe University of Limerick.

When Pat was diagnosed with a braintumour in August 2008, he respondedwith his usual optimism and fortitude.Sadly, the treatment was not successfulbut this did not change his outlook. Hedied on 24 November 2008. His lastweeks were an inspiration, raising the barfor all of us in coming to terms with ourfinal destiny.

Pat is sadly missed by Eileen, hischildren Helen, Michael and Olivia, hisparents, brothers and sister, his workcolleagues past and present, and a widecircle of friends.

May he rest in peace.

Friends of Pat McElligott

Pat McElligott, born 1953, died 2008.

Pat McElligott

Climber, sailor and irrepressible optimistPAT McELLIGOTT was a foundermember of the Limerick Climbing andCrochet Club (LCCC) but, as his friends,colleagues and, most of all, his familyrealise, there was so much more to Pat.

His father, Jack, was from Foynes, awest Limerick village which enjoyed abrief moment of glory in the era ofintercontinental seaplanes. He worked asa mechanic, travelling with the planes,which explains why Pat was born nearJerusalem on December 25th, 1953.

It was thus that an unquenchable thirstto experience new places and peoplewas in Pat’s genes. After qualifying as ateacher, he worked briefly in Dublin. Thenhis sense of adventure combined with hisspirit for social justice to bring him toNigeria, where he taught for two years.While in Africa, he travelled and climbedextensively, which merely served to whethis appetite for further adventures.Returning to Limerick, he abandonedteaching, took up a new career as asystems analyst and helped to found theLCCC with a handful of like-mindedfriends. Its formally adopted constitutionset out its purpose as “to climb themountains of the world and to enjoyourselves while doing it,” whichepitomised the spirit of the group. Wehave wonderful memories of those times.

It was through the LCCC that Pat metEileen, who became his wife, mother of

Pat McElligott.

Pat McElligotton the Tsa at theMountaineering IrelandMeet in Arollain 1999.

Derry O’CrowleyWe have learnt with sadness of the deathof Derry O’Crowley, a leading memberof the Irish Ramblers Club for manyyears. There will be an obituary in thenext issue. May he rest in peace.


Documents

IML88 News p3.qxp - Mountaineering · PDF fileTHE MAGAZINE FOR WALKERS AND CLIMBERS IN IRELAND No89Spring2009 ISSN07908008 €3.20(£2.20)