Croaghaun
Croaghaun | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 688 m (2,257 ft)[1] |
Prominence | 688 m (2,257 ft)[1] |
Parent peak | None |
Listing | P600, Marilyn, Hewitt |
Naming | |
English translation | little stack |
Language of name | Irish |
Geography | |
Croaghaun Location in Ireland | |
Location | Mayo, Republic of Ireland |
Parent range | Achill Island |
OSI/OSNI grid | F553060 |
Croaghaun (Irish: Cruachán) is a mountain on Achill island in County Mayo, Ireland. At 688 metres (2,257 ft), it has the highest sea cliffs in Ireland [2] as well as the third highest sea cliffs in Europe (after Hornelen, Norway and Cape Enniberg, Faroe Islands).
Geography[]
Croaghaun is the most westerly peak of Achill Island, and its highest mountain. Its cliffs lie on the northern slope of the mountain. The cliffs at Croaghaun can only be seen by hiking around or to the summit of the mountain, or from the sea. They are part of a sequence of sheer rock faces which start south of Keem Bay and loop around the uninhabited north-west of the island, by Achill Head and Saddle Head, and east to Slievemore, occasionally dropping vertically into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Nature[]
The Croaghaun cliffs are home to two families of peregrine falcons (RTÉ, 2008). September and October are the best time to see the fastest creatures on Earth here, as they teach their young to fly. Metamorphic, quartz-laden gems may be observed, along with Mediterranean heathers and the waters of the Atlantic. It is common to see schools of bottlenose dolphins and basking sharks, once a source of revenue for Achill Island (BBC, 2009). Porpoises are found in large numbers. Killer whales, humpback whales, and other whales have been sighted.[3]
See also[]
Media related to Croaghaun at Wikimedia Commons
- Lists of mountains in Ireland
- Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
- List of P600 mountains in the British Isles
- List of Marilyns in the British Isles
- List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland
References[]
- ^ a b [1] Mountainviews, Croaghaun
- ^ Clarke, Harold (1970). Ireland in Color. New York: Viking Press, p. 108. ISBN 978-0-670-40093-5.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Western People - Blue Whale spotted off Achill
- Achill Island
- Mountains and hills of County Mayo
- Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland
- Mountains under 1000 metres