Benlettery () at , is the 259th–highest peak in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on the

Arderin Arderin () is a mountain on the border between counties Laois and Offaly in Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is ...

scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Collins Books, Cork, Benlettery is in the southernmost peak of the

Twelve Bens The Twelve Bens or Twelve Pins, also called the Benna Beola (), is a mountain range of mostly sharp-peaked quartzite summits and ridges in the Connemara National Park in County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The widest definition of the rang ...

mountain range in the

Connemara National Park Connemara National Park () is one of eight national parks in Ireland, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is located in the northwest of Connemara in County Galway, on the west coast. History Connemara National Park was fo ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, and is the 11th-tallest of the core ''

''. The Ben Lettery An Oige youth hostel is on the southern slopes of Benlettery, off the

N59 road N59 may refer to: * N59 road (Ireland) * N59 highway (Philippines) * , a submarine of the Royal Navy * Nebraska Highway 59, in the United States * Rosaschi Air Park, in Lyon County, Nevada, United States {{Road disambiguation ...

Clifden Clifden () is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequen ...

Naming

According to Irish academic Paul Tempan, the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

of Lettery (, meaning "wet hillsides") is on the south slope of Benlettery. Tempan notes an alternative name of Bindowglass or "Bendouglas" (, meaning "peak of the black stream") was recorded as early as 1684 by Irish historian

Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh Roderick O'Flaherty (; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian. Biography He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate. O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Tigerna, Lord of Iar Connacht, and the last recognised C ...

. Ó Flaithbheartaigh chronicled about a pool of water on the summit which turns the hair white of anyone who washes in it.

Geography

Benlettery is the southernmost peak of the Twelve Bens and lies at its western edge. Benlettery is connected to the range by a high northerly ridge to the peak of

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

; this ridge forms a fork which also connects neighboring

Benglenisky Benglenisky () at , is the 368th–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Collins Books, ...

to Bengower. Benlettery is one of the six Bens that form a horseshoe around the valley of the Glencoaghan River (also known as the ''Glencoaghan Horseshoe''). Unlike most of the other main Bens, Benlettery is below 600-metres in elevation, however, its relative positioning at the southern end of the range, and its "pyramidal" summit (when viewed from the south), means that is often featured as a scenic backdrop to the Ballynahinch Castle and the

Ballynahinch Lake Ballynahinch Lake () is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area of County Galway. Geography Ballynahinch Lake measures about long and wide. It is located about east of Clifden and about northwest of Gal ...

''Ben Lettery Connemara Youth Hostel''

On the southern slopes of Benlettery is the 40-bed "Ben Lettery Connemara Youth Hostel" (Benlettery spelt as two words), owned and operated by An Oige, the Irish YHA; it was ranked by ''Outside.ie'' as one of the ten best An Oige youth hostels in Ireland.

Hill walking

As with

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

, on the east side of the Glencoaghan Horseshoe, Benlettery's accessibility makes is a popular peak as a standalone 5-kilometre 2-3 hour climb (starting and ending at the Ben Lettery An Oige youth hostel); however, the high ridge Benlettery shares with the peaks of Bengower and Benglenisky, means that it is also climbed as part a 7-kilometre 3-4 hour horseshoe loop-walk with these peaks. Benlettery is part of the 16–kilometre 8–9 hour ''Glencoaghan Horseshoe'', considered one of Ireland's best hill-walks; and of the even longer ''Owenglin Horseshoe'', a 20–kilometre 10–12 hour route around the Owenglin River taking in over twelve summits.

Gallery

File:Ballynahinch Castle (6047417491).jpg, Benlettery behind Ballynahinch Castle File:Benlettery, Bengower & Benbreen from Derryclare.jpg, Benlettery (left),

(middle),

Benbreen Benbreen () at , is the 100th–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 122nd–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (Septe ...

(right), from

File:Owenmore River and Benlettery - geograph.org.uk - 1425647.jpg, Benlettery (right) and

(left), from the Owenmore River File:Benlettery (left) and Benglenisky (right) from Bengower.jpg, Benlettery (left) and

(right) from summit of

Bibliography

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References

External links

MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website
Benlettery

the largest database of British Isles mountains ("

DoBIH The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...

")
Hill Bagging UK & Ireland
the searchable interface for the

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