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Walking Ireland’s Mountains

The South-East

The small mountain ranges of the South-East are with one exception composed of either old red sandstone or Silurian rock. They are somewhat subdued in form but nonetheless surprisingly high, and boast one of Ireland's few Munros (peaks over 914 metres/ 3000 feet high). Unusually for Ireland, all the ranges are outside the ambience of the sea: they mostly rise from rich, well-populated, cultivated land and wide, coniferous plantations. One other general point: the Galtees, Knockmealdowns and the Comeraghs are quite close to each other, none too demanding and have plenty of varied accommodation around them. For these reasons they lend themselves to an easy week-long walking tour, though the absence of good maps makes accurate planning difficult. [It is a good idea to check for availability of up-to-date maps and guides before setting off on any walking tour.]

[Walking Ireland’s Mountains published by Appletree Press contains many hiking routes through the moutains detailed in this article, which is extracted from the book.]

The Galtees (routes 1 to 3, 10) are a range of twenty-five kilometres/ fifteen miles long with a simple structure. The broad, gently sloping spine of the range runs east-west, culminating in Galtymore at 919 metres/ 3018 feet. This is the only Munro, though the average height of the range is quite impressive. The western two-thirds of the range is the more interesting, with navigation greatly helped by an upland wall that runs along the part of the main ridge. Further east the range tends to bland, gentle mounds. The views from the tops of the entire range are particularly extensive, though not spectacular, and cover an expanse of lowland to the north and the Knockmealdowns, and farther away a glimpse of the sea to the south.

North of the spine are a series of fine, grassy, high-walled corries, three of which carry lakes. These northern slopes are extensively forested. The southern slopes are also much forested, though the gradient is gentler. Tiny, partly wooded glens (in their higher reaches no more than grassy ravines) add greatly to the attraction of this side. Access from the south is by lengthy ascents on rough roads.

Information extracted from Walking Ireland’s Mountains: a guide to the ranges and the best walking routes by David Herman, published by Appletree Press.

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