Derryclare Nature Reserve

Derryclare () is a mountain at the southern edge of Twelve Bens mountain 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 on the Vandeleur-Lynam list.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Collins Books, Cork, It is the 5th tallest of the core '' Twelve Bens''. The Derryclare Lough on its southern slopes is a scenic location in Connemara, while Derryclare Wood, on its eastern slopes, contains a ''Statutory Nature Reserve'' (SRN).

Derryclare's prominence of does not qualify it as a Marilyn, however, it does rank as the 72nd-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, '' 100 Highest Irish Mountains'', where the minimum prominence threshold is 100 metres.

Naming

The name "Derryclare" comes from Irish ''Doire Chláir''; means "an oak wood", and can mean either a "plain" or a "board/plank-bridge". Irish academic Paul Tempan says Ordnance Survey Ireland most likely transferred the name from the nearby townland of Derryclare, east of the mountain. The full Irish name of the mountain itself is , meaning "peak of the oak wood at the plain or plank-bridge"; such a translation would be consistent with the easterly slopes of Derryclare, where Derryclare Wood is bounded by Derryclare Lough and Lough Inagh.

On the mountain's southern shoulder is a rocky outcrop called Bennaderreen, from , "peak of the little oak wood".

Geography

Derryclare is one of the most southerly of the Bens and sits at the eastern side of the entrance to the large U-shaped valley of the Glencoaghan River. To the south of Derrclare is the scenic lake of Derryclare Lough, and to the east is the large Inagh Valley, and Lough Inagh.

Derryclare's only neighbour is Bencorr , the 2nd-highest peak in the Twelve Bens range, to which it is connected by a high northern rocky ridge. Derryclare and Bencorr form a large deep eastern corrie called ga, Log an Choire Mhóir (meaning "wood of the big corrie").

The corrie leads down to the Derryclare Wood, which includes a 19-hectare broadleaf forest that is a ''Statutory Nature Reserve'' (SRN), and a 789-hectare commercial conifer forest owned and operated by Coillte; both of which are bounded by Derryclare Lough and Lough Inagh.

Derryclare Nature Reserve

In 1980, the Irish state designated 19-hectares of woodland on the eastern slopes of Derryclare as a ''Statutory Nature Reserve'' called the Derryclare Nature Reserve (or Derryclare Wood by some sources). The broadleaf trees in the reserve are composed of Sessile Oak, with Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) and some Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) creating a canopy layer; there are well-developed lichen and fungus flora present. The fungal parasite, Hemigrapha astericus, a native of Australia and South America, was first recorded in the northern hemisphere in Derryclare Wood.

In 2005, 19 Irish red squirrels were translocated from Portumna Forest Park to Derryclare Wood as part of a programme to protect the species in Ireland.

Hill walking

Derryclare is one of the more accessible Twelve Bens, being situated near the N59 road, and a number of routes are available from the ''Glencoaghan Valley'' side in the west, or the ''Derryclare Nature Reserve'' side in the east, that climb to the summit and back.

Derryclare can be climbed in "horseshoe" walks such as the 11–14 kilometre 5–7 hour circuit of Bencorr (descending via Bencorr's easterly spur at the northern end of ga, Log an Choire Mhóir), and/or Bencorr North Top (descending via Carrot Ridge, at the northern end of ga, Log an Choire Bhig).

Derryclare is also often climbed as part of the popular 16–kilometre 8–9 hour ''Glencoaghan Horseshoe'', considered one of Ireland's best hill-walks.

Rock climbing

The large easterly corrie between the summit of Derryclare and the summit of Bencorr, ga, Log an Choire Mhóir (meaning "wood of the big corrie"), contains several large 200 metre multi-pitch graded rock climbs of grades Diff (D) to Very Diff (VD), the most notable of which is ''The Knave'' (VD, 225 m).

Gallery

File:South ridge of Derryclare to summit.jpg, Summit of Derryclare from south-ridge
File:Bencorr & Derryclare from summit of Bencollaghduff.jpg, Bencorr (center) and Derryclare (right), from Bencollaghduff
File:Derryclare, Bencorr & Benbaun from lower south ridge of Letterbreckaun.jpg, Derryclare (left), Bencorr (centre), Bencorr North Top (right); Benbaun is far right
File:Twelve Bens across Lough Inagh.jpg, Derryclare (left), Bencorr (centre), and Bencorr North Top (right); with the corries of Log an Choire Mhóir (left) and Log an Choire Bhig (right)
File:Looking south to Summit of Derryclare.jpg, Looking south to the summit of Derryclare from its northern-ridge with Bencorr

Bibliography

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See also

* Twelve Bens
* Mweelrea, major range in Killary Harbour
*Maumturks, major range in Connemara
* Lists of mountains in Ireland
*Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
* List of Marilyns in the British Isles
* List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland

References

External links

MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website
Bencollaghduff

the largest database of British Isles mountains (" DoBIH")
Hill Bagging UK & Ireland
the searchable interface for the DoBIH

{{IrishTrails

Marilyns of Ireland
Hewitts of Ireland
Mountains and hills of County Galway
Geography of County Galway
Mountains under 1000 metres