| Cruach Mhór | |
|---|---|
Cruach Mhór (left), and The Big Gun (right), as seen from the summit of Cnoc na Péiste
| |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 932 m (3,058 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 34 m (112 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Furth, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam |
| Coordinates | 51°59′09″N 9°39′41″W / 51.9858°N 9.6615°W / 51.9858; -9.6615 |
| Geography | |
  Cruach Mhór Ireland | |
| Location | County Kerry, Republic of Ireland |
| Parent range | MacGillycuddy's Reeks |
| OSI/OSNI grid | V840848 |
| Topo map | OSI Discovery78 |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Well-bedded grey sandstone Bedrock |
Cruach Mhór (Irish for "big stack"),[2] at 932 metres (3,058 ft) high, is the tenth-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, and the eleventh-highest peak in Ireland according to the Vandeleur-Lynam list. A distinctive square grotto marks the summit. It is part of the MacGillycuddy's ReeksinCounty Kerry.
Cruach Mhór is at the far eastern section of MacGillycuddy's ReeksinCounty Kerry, Ireland's highest mountain range. It is the first major peak in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks Ridge Walk when started from Kate Kearney's Cottage in the Gap of Dunloe.[3] The ridge between Cruach Mhór and Cnoc na Péiste 988 metres (3,241 ft), is marked by The Big Gun 939 metres (3,081 ft) at its centre, and is considered as offering some of the most exposed and serious hill walking in Ireland (equivalent to The Bones on the nearby Beenkeragh Ridge).[4] The Macgillycuddy's Reeks Ridge Walk continues along this ridge to Maolán Buí 973 metres (3,192 ft) and on to Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain.[5]
Just over 3 km to the east-northeast of Cruach Mhór, across a sharp notch, is the lesser peak of Cnoc an Bhráca 731 metres (2,398 ft). There is a lower peak to the east of Cruach Mhór known as Cruach Bheag ("little stack").[2][5]
On the summit of Cruach Mhór is a stone grotto built by a local farmer who hauled up the cement on his back, and its small statue is changed every year. The square structure, which sits on the exact summit, is visible from a distance.[6]
Cruach Mhór is the 401st-highest mountain in Britain and Ireland on the Simm classification.[7] It is listed by the Scottish Mountaineering Club ("SMC") as one of 34 Furths, which is a mountain above 3,000 ft (914 m) in elevation, and meets the other SMC criteria for a Munro (e.g. "sufficient separation"), but which is outside of (orfurth) Scotland;[8] which is why Cruach Mhór is sometimes referred to as one of the 13 Irish Munros.[9]
Cruach Mhór's prominence qualifies it to meet the Arderin classification, and the British Isles Simm and Hewitt classifications.[7] Cruach Mhór does not appear in the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, as the prominence threshold is over 100 m (328 ft).[10]
Simply, the finest mountain traverse in Ireland with 7 summits over 3000 ft. From Kate Kearney's Cottage, in the Gap of Dunloe, to Doire na Féinne and Loch a' Chúis
Intimidating looking pinnacles now bar the way to the Big Gun, but generally the handholds are sound and surprisingly quickly you will be standing on the tiny summit. Regarded as the most difficult to reach of Ireland's major mountaintops, it offers the comforting thought that the crux of the route is now behind.
The grotto on Cruach Mhor. This was built by a local farmer who dragged the cement, sand and water up from his home in the valley on his back! An act of devotion or madness? Madness actually as I was told the poor man ended up in St Brendan's lunatic asylum in Killarney. The statue is usually shattered by winter weather but someone still replaces it with a new one every year.
The list of peaks of 3000ft or more within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland outside (furth) of Scotland. There are currently 34 Furths.
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Mountains and hills of Munster
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyhoura Mountains |
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| Boggeragh Mountains |
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| Caha Mountains |
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| Comeragh Mountains |
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| Derrynasaggart Mountains |
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| Dingle Peninsula |
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| Galty Mountains |
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| Iveragh Peninsula |
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| Knockmealdown Mountains |
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| MacGillycuddy's Reeks |
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| Mangerton Mountains |
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| Shehy Mountains |
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| Slieve Felim Mountains |
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| Slieve Miskish Mountains |
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| Sliabh Luachra |
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| Others |
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