| Ben Bulben (Binn Ghulbain) | |
|---|---|
Ben Bulben's northern side on a cloudy day. |
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| Elevation | 526 m (1,726 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Location | |
| Location | Sligo, Ireland |
| Range | Dartry Mountains |
| Topo map | OSi Discovery 16 |
| OSI/OSNI grid | G692463 |
Ben Bulben, sometimes spelt Benbulben or Benbulbin (from the Irish: Binn Ghulbain), is a large rock formation in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, an area sometimes called "Yeats Country".[1][2]
Ben Bulben is listed as a protected structure.[3]
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"Ben Bulben", "Benbulben", and "Benbulbin" are all anglicizations of the Irish name "Binn Ghulbain". "Binn" is the word most often used for "peak" or "mountain", while "Ghulbain" means either "Gulban('s)" or "jaw-shaped". The two most common translations are "Gulban's peak" and "jaw-shaped peak."
Ben Bulben was formed during the Ice age, when Ireland was under glaciers. Originally it was a large ridge. The moving glaciers shaped it into its present distinct formation. [2][4]
The steeper sides of Ben Bulben are composed of large amounts of Dartry limestone on top of smaller amounts of Glencar limestone. The smoother sides are composed of Ben Bulben shale. These rocks formed in the area approximately 320 million years ago.[2] Barytes was mined at Glencarbury on the Ben Bulben range between 1894 and 1979.
Ben Bulben is an established climbing destination.[5][6][7] If climbed by the north face, it is a dangerous climb. That side bears the brunt of the high winds and storms that come in from the Atlantic Ocean. However, if climbed by the south side, it is an easy climb, due to the fact that side slopes very gently. Upon reaching the summit, the climber is rewarded with a magnificent view of Yeats Country.[2]
Ben Bulben hosts a unique variety of plants, possessing some organisms found nowhere else in Ireland. Many are arctic-alpine plants, due to the mountain's height, which allows for cooler temperatures than is normal.[2] These plants were deposited when the glaciers that created Ben Bulben melted. Insects, wild hares,[2] and foxes[2] inhabit Ben Bulben.
Ben Bulben is the setting of many Celtic legends. It is said to be the dwelling of the Fianna, a band of warriors who lived in the 3rd century. One example is a story in which the warrior Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Diarmund) is tricked by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) into fighting an enchanted boar, which later kills the warrior by piercing his heart with its tusk. The mountain is said to be Diarmuid and Grainne's resting places. Also, in the 6th century, St. Columba led 3,000 soldiers up Ben Bulben to fight for the right for the saint to copy from a Psalter he had borrowed from St. Finnian.[8]
In September 1922, during the Irish Civil War, an Irish Republican Army column, including an armoured car were cornered in Sligo. The car was destroyed by another armoured car belonging to the Irish Free State's National Army, and six of the IRA soldiers fled up the Ben Bulben's slopes. In the end, all were killed, allegedly after they had surrendered. They are known as the "Noble Six".
Brigadier Joe Ring, Brian McNeill, Capt. Harry Benson and Seamus Devins were among those to have been killed on the mountain.[9] Three of these were ancestors of current and recent politicians: Ring is the grand uncle of Michael Ring, McNeill is the uncle of former Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell and Devins is the grandfather of Jimmy Devins.[9] Mary O'Rourke once narrated a radio documentary telling how her grandmother was used as a safehouse.[9]
It is said that an American World War II aircraft crashed on top of Ben Bulben. To this day, some of its remains can allegedly be found on the mountain.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Sinn Féin had engaged in a slogan campaign around the theme Brits out of Ireland. Roads and walls throughout the 26 counties had been marked with these slogans as was Benbulben in 1977. It was marked first with 'Brits Out' (180 ft long and 25 ft high) and then later with the less offensive slogan 'H-Block'.
Ben Bulben overlooks the village of Mullaghmore, known for the assassination of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma there in 1979.[10][11]
The athlete Mary Cullen is from nearby Drumcliffe.[12] Andy "The Bull" McSharry, involved in a famous 17-year-long dispute over his land, lives near Ben Bulben.[13]
Ben Bulben features prominently in the poetry of W. B. Yeats, after whom Yeats Country is named. County Sligo is considered integral to the poet's work.[14] The mountain is one of the destinations on the Passport Trail of the poet's life.[14]
Yeats wrote the following in The Celtic Twilight:
| “ | But for Ben Bulben and Knocknarea, Many a poor sailor'd be cast away.[15] |
” |
Yeats's famous poem, Under Ben Bulben, is basically a description of Yeats Country. It describes the sights that he saw in Yeats Country. The following is an excerpt from Under Ben Bulben:
| “ | Under bare Ben Bulben's head In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid. An ancestor was rector there Long years ago, a church stands near, By the road an ancient cross. No marble, no conventional phrase; On limestone quarried near the spot By his command these words are cut: Cast a cold eye |
” |
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—Under Ben Bulben, W.B. Yeats |
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This was Yeats's final poem, published in The Irish Times.[16] He is now buried in nearby Drumcliffe Churchyard.[16][17]
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