Mount Brandon

Mount Brandon
Cnoc Bréanainn
Highest point
Elevation	953 m (3,127 ft) [1][2][3]
Prominence	934 m (3,064 ft) [1]Ranked 10th in British Isles
Listing	Hewitt, Marilyn, Furth
Coordinates	52°14′07″N 10°15′16″W / 52.235188°N 10.254350°W / 52.235188; -10.254350Coordinates: 52°14′07″N 10°15′16″W / 52.235188°N 10.254350°W / 52.235188; -10.254350
Naming
Translation	Brendan's hill[4] (Irish)
Geography
Mount Brandon Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland
Parent range	Dingle Mountains; Brandon Range[5]
OSI/OSNI grid	Q460116
Topo map	OSI Discovery #70[3]

Mount Brandon or Brandon Mountain (Irish: Cnoc Bréanainn, meaning "Brendan's hill")^[6] is a 952 m (3123 ft) mountain on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. It is the highest peak of the unnamed central mountain range of the Dingle Peninsula and the ninth highest peak on the island.^[1] It is also the highest Irish peak outside the Macgillycuddy's Reeks.^[1] It is classed as a Furth by the Scottish Mountaineering Club.^[7] Mount Brandon is named after Saint Brendan and is the end of a Christian pilgrimage trail known as Cosán na Naomh. The small village of Brandon lies at the foot of the mountain, on the north side.

Name

The mountain takes its name from Saint Brendan or Bréanainn, who is said to have been born in what is now County Kerry. Brendan is chiefly known for his legendary voyage to the "Isle of the Blessed", also called Saint Brendan's Island. The tale of Brendan's voyage may be a Christianization of the earlier Voyage of Bran.

A medieval work about Brendan's life calls the mountain Sliabh nDaidche (in the Irish version Beatha Bhréanainn) or Mons Aitche (in the Latin version Vita Brendani), and Alan Mac an Bhaird has translated this as "mountain of Faithche".^[8] However, some believe the name refers to Slieve Aughty rather than Mount Brandon.^[9]

Pilgrimage

Due to its link with Saint Brendan, the mountain is popular with Irish Catholic pilgrims. The path to the peak is marked by small white crosses and the peak itself is topped by a large metal cross. The pilgrimage route called Cosán na Naomh ("The Saints Road") begins at Cill Mhic an Domhnaigh (Kilvickadowning) at the southern end of the Dingle peninsula and ends at Séipéilín Bréanainn ("Brendan's Oratory") on the mountain's peak.^[10] Sáipéilín Bréanainn is the remains of a small stone building that was believed to have been used by Saint Brendan. It is likely that the pilgrimage originated in pre-Christian times and was originally a Lughnasadh ritual.^[11] The mountain's importance may be due to the fact that, being so far west and so high, it is the last place where the sun can be seen before it sets.^[8]

In 1997, the Heritage Council set up the Pilgrim Paths project to develop walking routes along medieval pilgrimage paths.^[12] One of the routes chosen for development was Cosán na Naomh and an 18-kilometre (11-mile) long waymarked trail has been constructed between Ventry Strand and the grotto at Ballybrack at the foot of Mount Brandon.^[13] The trail has been developed to the standard required by the Irish Sports Council for National Waymarked Trails in Ireland.^[14] For safety reasons, it was decided not to mark the trail to the very end of the traditional route at the summit of Brandon but to finish at Ballybrack.^[15] The starting point of the trail at Ventry is one of the places pilgrims arriving by boat would have come ashore.^[16] The trail passes a number of important ecclesiastical heritage sites including Gallarus Oratory and Kilmalkedar monastic site.^[17] The route has the greatest concentration of stones marked with the "cross of arcs", one of the main symbols of pilgrimage in Ireland.^[18]

Geography

Brandon is in the middle of a high ridge, sometimes called the Brandon Group, which runs north-south for 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) across the peninsula. This ridge also includes the peaks of Barr an Ghéaráin at 840 metres (2,760 ft), Binn Fhaiche 822 metres (2,697 ft), Más an Tiompán at 763 metres (2,503 ft), and Piaras Mór at 748 metres (2,454 ft).^[1]

Mount Brandon owes its craggy shape to the work of local glaciers during the ice age, which gouged out a series of corries on the eastern flank of the mountain. The summit of Mount Brandon is rounded and smooth because it was a nunatuk, and presents a stark contrast to the conical top of Barr an Ghéaráin, which is almost alpine in appearance. The western slope of Mount Brandon presents a huge contrast from its eastern side, as it largely escaped the gouging effect of the glaciers, with the result that it presents an almost unbroken grassy slope.

The glen on the mountain's east side is a series of rock steps, each of which includes a small Paternoster lake. There at least ten of these lakes, which grow in size as one descends the mountain.^[10] From highest to lowest (and smallest to biggest) they are the Locha Chom an Chnoic (Coumaknock Loughs), Loch na Lice (Lough Nalacken) and Loch Cruite (Lough Cruttia).^[10]

Masatiompan, Brandon Mountain, Brandon Peak and Ballysitteragh

Aircraft Crashes on Mount Brandon.

Between 1940 and 1943 a number of both Allied and Axis aircraft crashed on Mount Brandon and in the local area.

• 20th August 1940: A Luftwaffe Focke Wulf 200 ''Condor'' crash landed on the Faha Ridge above Cloghane, the crew of six survived and were the first known aircrew from Germany to land in Ireland during the Second World War. A plaque commemorating this event is on display in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House in Cloghane Village.Further Reading
• 28th July 1943: A BOAC Civilian Short Sunderland III Flying Boat crashed due to a navigation error onto the lower slopes of Mount Brandon while flying from West Africa to Foynes Flying Boat Base. Ten of the twenty five on board were killed in the wreck. A plaque commemorating the dead is on display in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House in Cloghhane Village along with an anchor recovered from the wreck. Further Reading
• 22th August 1943: A RAF Short Sunderland III Flying Boat belonging to 201 Squadron crashed while flying a patrol in the Atlantic, out of Castle Archdale. It crashed into the lower slopes of Mount Brandon. Eight of the crew of eleven were killed. A plaque commemorating those killed can be seen in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House in Cloghane, Co. Kerry. Further Reading.

• 20th December 1943: A RAF Vickers Wellington belonging to 304 Squadron based out of Predannack Airfield crashed directly into Mount Brandon. All of the six Polish crew members were killed. All that is known about the circumstances of the crash is that their last reported position was over Lismore, County Wexford heading east-southeast presumably towards Predannack Airfield. A plaque commemorating those killed can be seen in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House in Cloghane along with one of the engines from the wreck.

Wreckage of Sunderland Aircraft, Faha Ridge 1943.

Gallery

The Brandon range  Cosán na Naomh at about 500 m  Cosán na Naomh, nearer the summit  Summit  Shrine at the foot of the mountain  Brandon

See also

• List of mountains in Ireland
• List of Furths

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mount Brandon.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Harbison, Peter; Lynam, Joss (2002). Cosán na Naomh: The Saint's Road, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry. Medieval Irish Pilgtim Paths. No. 1. Kilkenny: Heritage Council. ISBN 1-901137-30-9. 
• O Caoimh, Thomas (2004). "The Pilgrim's Path: Promoting Sustainable Development of Walking Routes through Sacred Sites in Ireland". Learning from World Heritage: Lessons from International Preservation and Stewardship of Cultural and Ecological Landscapes of Global Significance. 7th US/ICOMOS Symposium, 25–27 March 2004, Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 

External links

• Description WWII FW200 Brandon Mountain Crash
• Photographs Crash Site Mount Brandon Eire 1996
• Cosán na Naomh at the Heritage Council

Mountains and hills of Munster List of mountains in Ireland Ballyhoura Mountains Carron Mountain Seefin Boggeragh Mountains Musheramore Mount Hillary Caha Mountains Hungry Hill Sugarloaf Comeragh Mountains Fauscoum Derrynasaggart Mountains Mullaghanish Dingle Peninsula Benoskee Brandon Mount Eagle Galtee Mountains Galteemore Lyracappul Temple Hill Iveragh Peninsula Bentee Knocknadobar Stumpa Dúloigh Mullaghanattin Broaghnabinnia Knockmealdown Mountains Knockmealdown Sugarloaf Hill (Knockmealdowns) Macgillycuddy's Reeks Beenkeragh Brassel Mountain Caher Caher West Top Carrauntoohil Cnoc an Chuillin Knocknapeasta Cruach Mhór Maolán Buí The Big Gun The Bones Mangerton Mountains Mangerton Torc Mountain Shehy Mountains Knockboy Silvermine Mountains Slievekimalta Slieve Mish Mountains Bartregaum Caherconree Slieve Miskish Mountains Knockoura Others An Triúr Deirfiúr Caher Mountain Carhoo Hill Devil's Bit Geokaun Knocknadobar Knockanore Mountain Maghera mountain Mount Gabriel Mullaghareirk Mountains Mullaghmore Paps of Anu Purple Mountain Slieve Aughty Slievecallan Slievenamon Stack's Mountains

Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland National Waymarked Trails Ballyhoura Way Barrow Way Bealach na Gaeltachta, Dún na nGall Beara Way Blackwater Way Bluestack Way Burren Way Cavan Way Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Dingle Way Dublin Mountains Way East Clare Way East Munster Way Grand Canal Way Hymany Way Kerry Way Lough Derg Way Mid Clare Way Miners Way and Historical Trail Monaghan Way Multeen Way Nore Valley Way North Kerry Way Offaly Way Royal Canal Way Sheep's Head Way Slieve Bloom Way Slieve Felim Way Sligo Way South Leinster Way Suck Valley Way Táin Way Tipperary Heritage Way Western Way Westmeath Way Wicklow Way Pilgrim Paths Cosán na Naomh Lough Derg Saint Kevin's Way Greenways Boyne Greenway Dublin-Galway Greenway Great Southern Trail Great Western Greenway Other Bangor Trail Malin to Mizen