Muckish () is a distinctive flat-topped

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in the Derryveagh Mountains of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

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 ...

. At , it is the third-highest peak in the Derryveagh Mountains and the 163rd highest in

. Muckish is also the most northern and second highest of the mountain chain called the " Seven Sisters" by locals. The Seven Sisters are Muckish, Crocknalaragagh,

Aghla Beg Aghla Beg () is a mountain in County Donegal, Ireland. Of its two summits, one has a height of , and the other, Aghla Beg South Top . Geography The mountain is the third-most northern and fifth-highest of the mountain chain, called the ''Seve ...

, Ardloughnabrackbaddy,

Aghla More Aghla More () is a mountain in County Donegal, Ireland with a height of . Geography The mountain is the third most southern and fourth highest of the mountain chain, called the " Seven Sisters" by locals ( Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg ...

Mackoght Mackoght or Macoght (), also called Little Errigal or Wee Errigal (), is a high mountain in County Donegal, Ireland. Geography The mountain is the second most southern and second lowest of the mountain chain called the '' Seven Sisters'' ...

, and

Errigal Errigal () is a mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and the tallest peak in County Donegal. Errigal is also the most southern and the highest of the mountain chain called th ...

Overview

High-grade

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

sand was mined on the flanks of the mountain; the remains of the quarry workings can be seen on its northern side. The "Miner's Path" is a route to the summit up the northern side of the mountain. Part of this route follows the path used by the workers to reach the quarry. The sand was exported and was mainly used in the manufacture of optical glass. A less difficult route to the summit begins from the Muckish Gap on the southern side of the mountain. A large

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

(man-made mound of stones), visible from sea level, can be found on the summit plateau. This marks a Bronze Age court tomb. In 2000, a large metal cross was placed on the summit, replacing a wooden one that had been destroyed in a storm. The new cross was placed much closer to the northern end of the mountain, while the cairn is towards the south.

Falcarragh ''An Fál Carrach'' (anglicised as Falcarragh), sometimes called ('the Crossroads'), is a small ''Gaeltacht'' town and townland in the north-west of County Donegal, Ireland. The settlement is in the district and old parish of Cloughaneely. Ir ...

, Moyra,

Dunfanaghy Dunfanaghy () is a small town, former fishing port, and commercial centre on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It lies on Donegal's North West coast, specifically the west side of Sheephaven Bay, on the N56 road (the West Donegal Coas ...

, and

Creeslough Creeslough ( , locally ; ) is a village in County Donegal, Ireland, south of Dunfanaghy on the N56 road (Ireland), N56 road. It overlooks an arm of Sheephaven Bay, with the population of the surrounding area engaged mainly in agriculture, mo ...

are the villages nearest to Muckish. On the Falcarragh side lies ''Mám na Mucaise'' ("gap of Muckish") in which one finds ''Droichead na nDeor'' ("bridge of tears"). It was from this bridge that many thousands of Cloughaneely emigrants bade farewell to family members.

Percy French William Percy French (1 May 1854 – 24 January 1920) was an Irish songwriter, author, poet, entertainer and painter. Life French was born at Clooneyquinn House, near Tulsk, County Roscommon, the son of an Anglo-Irish landlord, Christopher F ...

, the famous poet, visited the district at the beginning of the 20th century and while in Falcarragh Hotel he wrote a poem called "An Irish Mother". In 2012, a 40-minute documentary about Muckish was released, called "Glass Mountain: The Story of Muckish Sand".

Gallery

File:Towards Muckish - geograph.org.uk - 901363.jpg, Muckish from Roshin, near Croaghaderry File:Muckish.JPG, Muckish from Horn Head File:Lough Naboll below Muckish Mountain - geograph.org.uk - 1052622.jpg, Muckish from Lough Naboll

References

External links

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Photograph from side of Muckish

Walking Ireland’s Iconic Mountains – Number 2: Muckish. An article from Walking & Hiking In Ireland
{{Mountains and hills of Ulster Marilyns of Ireland Mountains and hills of County Donegal Hewitts of Ireland Mountains under 1000 metres