Benbaun ()
is a mountain in
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 ...
, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland 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,
and the 88th highest peak on the
Vandeleur-Lynam scale.
[Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Collins Books, Cork, ] Benbaun is situated at the centre of the core
massif
A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
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 ...
and is the tallest mountain of the Twelve Bens range, and the
county top
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 ...
for Galway.
Naming
According to Irish academic Paul Tempan, the "white peak" in the Irish language name derives from the abundance of
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...
rock in the summit of Benbaun.
Tempan notes that Benbaun is the "Mont Blanc" of Connemara.
Geography
Benbaun is the highest mountain 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 ...
range, which is situated 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 ...
in west
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 ...
. Benbaun lies at the centre of the range and is situated in the middle of a long east-west ridge that to the west includes the major Bens of Benfree ()
, Muckanaght ()
, and Bencullagh ()
, and the minor Ben of Maumonght ()
, and its subsidiary peak of Maumonght SW Top . To the east is a long flat 3.5-kilometre ridge at the end of which lies the minor Ben of Knockpasheemore ()
to the far eastern end.
A deep col to the south, known as Maumina (), connects Benbaun to the summit of
Bencollaghduff
Bencollaghduff () at , is the 93rd–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 115th–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, ...
, and to the southern Bens of the "Glencoaghan Horseshoe" which forms around the Glencoaghan River.
Another deep col to the north, known as
Maumnascalpa connects Benfree and Muckanaght to the northern Ben of
Benbrack , which sits on its own small massif with the subsidiary peaks of
Knockbrack , and another peak named
Benbaun
Benbaun () is a mountain in County Galway, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 88th highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's M ...
, at .
Benbaun sits at the apex of two major glaciated
U-shaped valley
U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of Glacial period, glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with s ...
s.
To the east is the Gleninagh Valley (), from which the Gleninagh river flows. This valley is bounded by two large long north-easterly rocky spurs, and the southern spur contains "
Carrot Ridge" (), an important area for rock-climbing in the Bens, with climbs varying from Diff (D) to Very Severe (VS) and ranging from 150 to 320 metres in length.
To the south-west is the large valley of the Owenglin river which is bounded by several major Bens on each of its sides.
Benbaun's
prominence
In topography, prominence or relative height (also referred to as autonomous height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contour line encircling ...
of qualifies it as a
P600, and a
Marilyn, and it also ranks it as the 41st-highest mountain in Ireland on the
MountainViews Online Database
In these lists of mountains in Ireland, those within Northern Ireland, or on the Republic of Ireland – United Kingdom border, are marked with an asterisk, while the rest are within the Republic of Ireland. Where mountains are ranked by height ...
, ''
100 Highest Irish Mountains'', where the minimum prominence threshold is 100 metres.
Hill walking
The most straightforward route to climb Benbaun either via the pass of Maumina by walking up the Gleninagh valley, or by staying on higher ground by first summiting Knockpasheemore and then traversing the 3.5-kilometre ridge to the summit; both routes total over 9-kilometres and 4–5 hours of walking.
Because Benbaun lies off the very popular 16–kilometre 8–9 hour ''Glencoaghan Horseshoe'', it gets fewer visits despite being the tallest Ben in the range.
However, Benbaun sits close to the apex of three other well-regarded "horseshoe climbs" of equivalent difficulty in the Bens:
Gallery
File:Bencullagh, Muckanaght & Benbaun from Bencollaghduff.jpg, (l-to-r) Bencullagh, Muckanaght and Benbaun, viewed from Bencollaghduff
Bencollaghduff () at , is the 93rd–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 115th–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, ...
File:Intersection of Benbaun, Bencollaghduff and Benbreen (from Muckanaght).jpg, Intersection of Benbaun, Bencollaghduff
Bencollaghduff () at , is the 93rd–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 115th–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, ...
and 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 ...
, viewed from Muckanaght
File:Derryclare, Bencorr & Benbaun from lower south ridge of Letterbreckaun.jpg, (l-to-r) 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 ...
, Bencorr
Bencorr () at , is the 82nd–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 102nd–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", ...
, and Benbaun, viewed from Letterbreckaun
Letterbreckaun () is one of the Maumturk Mountains of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. At , it is the second-tallest of the Maumturks, the 129th–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin list, and 159th ...
File:Benbaun.JPG, Benbaun (left) and the long easterly ridge to Knockpasheemore (right)
File:Benfree & Benbaun from Muckanaght.jpg, Benfree (left) and Benbaun (right), viewed from summit of Muckanaght
Bibliography
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See also
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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 ...
*
Mweelrea, major range in Killary Harbour
*
Maumturks, major range in Connemara
*
List of Irish counties by highest point
This is a list of Irish counties by their highest point. These are most commonly known as county high points but are also sometimes referred to as county tops and county peaks. There are 32 counties in Ireland but in the case of 10 counties, ma ...
*
Lists of mountains in Ireland
In these lists of mountains in Ireland, those within Northern Ireland, or on the Republic of Ireland – United Kingdom border, are marked with an asterisk, while the rest are within the Republic of Ireland. Where mountains are ranked by height ...
*
Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, topographic prominence, prominence, and other criteria such as topographic isolation, isolation. These lists are used f ...
*
List of P600 mountains in the British Isles
This is a list of P600 mountains in Britain and Ireland by height. A P600 is defined as a mountain with a topographic prominence above , regardless of elevation or any other merits (e.g. topographic isolation); this is a similar approach to that ...
*
List of Marilyns in the British Isles
This is a list of Marilyn hills and mountains in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland and surrounding islands and Stack (geology), sea stacks. Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Marilyns, Marilyns are defined as peaks w ...
*
List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland
This is a list of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland by height. Hewitts are defined as "Hills in England, Wales and Ireland over two thousand" feet in height, the general requirement to be called a "mountain" in the British Isl ...
References
External links
MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website Benbaun
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
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 ...
{{IrishTrails
Marilyns of Ireland
Hewitts of Ireland
Mountains and hills of County Galway
Highest points of Irish counties
Mountains under 1000 metres