Mullach Glas

LocationCounty Galway, IrelandParent rangeMaumturksOSI/OSNI gridL9374849241Topo mapOSi Discovery 45GeologyType of rockPale quartzites, grits, graphitic top bedrock^[1]

Mullach Glas (Irish for "grey/green summit")^[2] is one of the Maumturk Mountains of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. At 622 metres (2,041 ft), it is the fifth-highest of the Maumturks,^[3][4] the 197th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list,^[5] and 238th–highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list.^[6][3] Mullach Glas is on a massif that includes Binn Mhór (661 metres (2,169 ft)) and Corcogemore (609 metres (1,998 ft));^[7] this massif is at the far southeastern sector of the long north-west to south-east spine of the Maumturks.^[3]

Name

Irish academic Paul Tempan records that Irish: Mullach Glas translates as "grey/green summit", and that the peak has also been called "Shannagirah".^[2]

Geography

Mullach Glas lies on a small massif in the southeast sector of the Maumturks range, which is separated from the main range by a deep east–west mountain pass called Máméan, a site of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Patrick since the 5th-century.^[4][8][9]

To the north east is the minor subsidiary peak of Mullach Glas NE Top (432 metres (1,417 ft)), also known as Cruiscín (probably meaning "jug").^[2][7] To the west is Binn Mhór (661 metres (2,169 ft)), the 3rd-highest peak in the Maumturks range, while to the east is Corcogemore (609 metres (1,998 ft)).^[3][7][4]

Hill walking

The most straightforward route to the summit Mullach Glas is the 10-kilometre 4–5 hour roundtrip route from the pass at Máméan and back; however, because of its positioning on a high ridge of its own small massif, it can also be climbed as an alternative 10-kilometre 4–5 hour route from Corcogemore in the west, across Mullach Glas, to the summit of Binn Mhór, and then finishing down at Máméan (i.e. the route requires two cars).^[7]

Mullach Glas is also climbed as part of the Maamturks Challenge, a 25-kilometre 10–12 hour walk over the full Maumturks range (from Maam Cross to Leenaun), which is considered one of the "great classic ridge-walks of Ireland",^[4][10] but of "extreme grade" due to the circa 7,600 feet of total ascent.^[7] Since 1975, the University College Galway Mountaineering Club has run the annual "Maamturks Challenge Walk" (MCW),^[11] and mans a checkpoint to the west of Mullach Glas in the Máméan pass, and to the east of Mullach Glas on the neighbouring peak of Corcogemore.^[12][13]

Gallery

• 
  Mullach Glas (left), and Binn Mhór (centre and right), as viewed from the north
• 
  Mullach Glas (back left), and Binn Mhór (centre), viewed from Binn Chaonaigh
• 
  Summit of Mullach Glas, looking west to peak of Binn Mhór

Bibliography

• MountainViews Online Database (Simon Stewart) (2013). A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins. Collins Books. ISBN 978-1-84889-164-7.
• Paul Phelan (2011). Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848891029.
• Dillion, Paddy (2001). Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0002201216.
• Dillion, Paddy (1993). The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits. Cicerone. ISBN 978-1852841102.

See also

British IslesScotlandOutside ScotlandEnglandIrelandCounty tops