Galtymore


Galtymore or Galteemore, at, is one of Ireland's highest mountains being the 12th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, and the 14th-highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Galtymore has the 4th-highest topographic prominence of any peak in Ireland, which classifies Galtymore as a P600, or "major mountain". It is also one of the 13 Irish Munros.
Galtymore is the highest of the Galty Mountains, or Galtee Mountains, a sandstone and shale mountain range with 24 peaks above, which runs east-west between counties Tipperary and Limerick; Galtymore is the highest point of both counties. The mountain is accessed by hillwalkers via the 3–4 hour Black Road Route, but is also summited as part of the longer 5–6 hour Circuit of Glencushnabinnia, and the at least 10–hour east-to-west crossing of the entire range, called the Galtee Crossing, which is climbed annually in the Galtee Challenge.
The mountain and its deep corrie lakes are associated with various Irish folklore tales regarding Saint Patrick and serpents.

Naming

Irish academic Paul Tempan in his Irish Hill and Mountain Names Database, is recorded as early as the Civil Survey of Co. Tipperary, where it is mentioned and spelt exactly as today, as a boundary feature of the barony of Clanwilliam. The peak is named "Galtymore Mountain" on the Ordnance Survey Ireland Discovery Map.
Tempan notes that the diarist Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin recorded a different Irish name as links=no, and the names of three nearby places are derived from this: Glencoshnabinnia, Slievecoshnabinnia and Carrignabinnia. Tempan does not comment on whether the name "Galty" or "Galtees" comes from an earlier anglicised corruption of the name translation=mountains of the forests, as referenced in some guidebooks, and other publications. The range has also been known as translation=the hump mountains ; and also as translation=the humps of Cliú, which was the name of the surrounding territory.
The summit of Galtymore is marked as Dawson's Table, named after the Dawson-Massey family who were large landowners in the area, owning much of the land on and around the north section of the Galty range.
The area also originated Kerry Group's popular bacon food brand Galtee; and the term Galtee Mountains is still in common use.

Geology

The geology of the Galty Mountains is described as being Old Red Sandstone, from the Devonian period, and Silurian shales. Old Red Sandstone is also common in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range, and as well as having a purple–reddish colour, is also devoid of fossils.
The southern smooth slopes of the Galty range give way to a steep northern face, pocked with deep corries and their accompanying moraine lakes. The long central ridge of the Galtys, which runs for about in an east-west direction, was too high to be overridden by the inland ice-sheets, and although it resulted in the creation of small corrie glaciers, its summits are capped by tors formed from conglomerate rock.

Geography

The climbing guidebook writer Paddy Dillion said of the range: "the lofty Galty Mountains have forested flanks; and there is much heather, bogs, and steep slopes, but the effort is worth it and Galtymore is a splendid viewpoint".
The Galty Mountains, or Galtee Mountains, are a broadly straight east-west grass-covered range with a central ridge section, stretching from Greenane in the east, to Temple Hill in the west. This central ridge section includes the highest peaks of Galtymore, Lyracappul, Carrignabinnia, and Slievecushnabinnia. Many of the peaks of the central section have a moderate topographical prominence, which means that the central ridge maintains a reasonably sustained height; an attractive feature for hill walkers.
The 24 peaks of the Galty range with a height above, and include 13 peaks with a height above, and 5 that are classified as Marilyns – being peaks with a prominence above. The Galtys are described as Ireland's highest "inland" range.
Galtymore and Galtybeg sit near the middle of the range and their north faces show evidence of glacial erosion with a number of deep corries, most of which are now occupied by loughs. Between Galtymore and Galtybeg lies Lough Diheen, while Lough Curra lies between Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia.
Galtymore is the 460th-highest mountain, and 12th most prominent mountain, in Britain and Ireland, on the Simms classification. Galtymore is regarded by the Scottish Mountaineering Club as one of 34 Furths, which is a mountain above in elevation, and meeting the other SMC criteria for a Munro, and which are outside, of Scotland; this is why Carrauntoohil is also referred to as one of the thirteen Irish Munros. Galtymore's prominence qualifies it as a P600, which classes Galtymore as a "major" mountain in Britain and Ireland. Galtymore ranks as the 5th-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the prominence threshold is.

Hill walking

The most straightforward route to the summit of Galtymore is from the south via the 3–4 hour Black Road Route, which starts at the end of the Black Road car park , and summits Galtybeg, before the main summit of Galtymore. It then retraces its route back to the Black Road car park.
The 5–6 hour Circuit of Glencushnabinnia, which follows a loop around Galtymore's deep northern corries at Lough Curra and Lough Dihneen, is described as the "connoisseur's route". It starts at the forest car park near the Clydagh Bridge in the north, and climbs Cush, Galtybeg, Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia, before returning to the start.
The annual Galtee Challenge organised by the Galtee Walking Club is the full, over 10-hour, east-to-west crossing of the range, and takes in all major peaks of the Galty Mountains. The challenge normally starts in Cahir in the east, and finishes in Anglesboro Village, in the west. Despite the distance, longer than the MacGillycuddy's Reeks Ridge Walk, the 10–hour estimate is reasonable as the variation in elevation is moderate.

List of peaks

The MountainViews Online Database list 24 Galty mountain peaks with an elevation, or height, above.
Height
rank		Prom.
rank		NameIrish name TranslationHeight
Prom.
Height
Prom.
Topo.
map		OSI Grid
Reference
11GaltymoreCnoc Mór na nGaibhltebig hill of the Galtys9188983,0112,94674
26LyracappulLadhar an Chapaillfork/confluence of the horse8251002,70832874
322CarrignabinniaCarraig na Binnerock of the peak823272,7008874
45GreenaneAn Grianánsunny spot8011572,62951574
59Galtybeg——799802,62226374
616Greenane West——787392,58212974
73Temple HillCnoc an Teampaillhill of the church7831882,56961774
820SlievecushnabinniaSliabh Chois na Binnemountain beside the peak775282,5429274
913KnockaterriffCnoc an Tairbhhill of the bull692512,26916874
1021Knockaterriff BegCnoc an Tairbh Beaghill of the little bull679282,2299174
114CushCoisside/flank6411762,10457874
127MonabrackMóin Bhreacspeckled moor630942,06730874
1318LaghtshanaquillaLeacht Sheanchoilleburial monument of the old wood629362,06511874
1411KnockeenatoungCnoicín na Teangahill of the tongue601661,97321874
1523Lough Curra Mtn——600231,9707574
1624Laghtshanaquilla North-East Top——598191,9626274
1710KnockastakeenCnoc an Stáicínhill of the little stack583781,91325674
1814SturrakeenAn Starraicín"the pointed peak" or "the steeple"542461,77715174
198BenardAn Bhinn Ardthe high peak480851,57327774
2012Slieveanard NE Top——449641,47121074
2115SeefinSuí FinnFionn's seat447421,46513674
2217Seefin N Top——444391,45712874
2319SlieveanardSliabh an Airdmountain of the height438331,43610874
242SlievenamuckSliabh Muicemountain of the pig3692341,21176866

Summit

Galtymore's summit is described a large concave plateau separated by two peaks. The plateau consists of Old Red Sandstone and is known as Dawson's Table after the historical landowners, the Dawson-Massey family. This is similar to Percy's Table on the summit of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in County Wicklow and Leinster. There is a cairn on top of each peak and the eastern one marks the true summit of Galtymore. These twin summits give Galtymore a distinctive profile from a distance. The summit of Galtymore marks the boundary of Limerick and Tipperary.
In 1975, a white iron cross was erected on the north edge of Dawson's Table by Tipperary local Ted Kavanagh. The cross is situated a few metres away from the eastern summit cairn and looks into the glen of Aherlow. It is kept white by being painted every year.
To the west of the summit of Galtymore lies a long dry stone wall known as the Galtee Wall, that was built in 1878 to separate the Dawson-Massey Estate in the north, from the Galtee Castle Estate in the south. It is recorded that it took 30–40 men more than 4 years to complete the wall, and that the reason for its construction was to give employment to local small farmers during a period of economic depression. The Galtee Wall runs from below the west summit of Galtymore, across the top of Slievecushnabinnia, the top of Carrignabinnia, and on to the summit of Lyracappul, the second-highest peak in the Galtees.

Folklore

The mountains appear in Irish folklore tales, and the deep corrie lakes of the Galtys were believed to be enchanted. In early Irish literature, the mountains are called translation=the humps of Cliú, which was the name of the surrounding territory. As links=no can also mean a celtic harp, the name was interpreted as "mountains of Cliach's harps", and there is a tale of a legendary harper called Cliach playing his harps in the mountains to woo an otherworldly woman who lived in the summit cairn on Slievenamon. After failing, he plays his two harps together, and the hill bursts open and forms a lake. This lake is Lough Muskry, which is named after the Múscraige people that lived in the south of Ireland.
Lake Muskry was formerly known as translation=lake of the jewel mouth, but has also been known as translation=lake of the dragon's mouth. There is a folk tale of a serpent that was killing livestock on the Galty Mountains being banished by Saint Patrick and confined to Lake Muskry. According to the tale, Saint Patrick chained the serpent under the lake and promised to release the creature on translation=the Day of Judgement, which the serpent mistook as translation=Monday or Easter Monday. The serpent comes up each Easter Monday and asks "Is it the Monday morning yet Patrick?" and Patrick says "No", and the serpent goes down again for another year. The same legend is also associated with Lough Dihneen, below Galtybeg. The belief in the serpent under Lough Dihneen was held so strongly that a Captain Dawson, a local landlord, attempted to drain Lough Dihneen in the 1830s to kill the serpent.
Folk tales attribute the banishing of the serpent by Saint Patrick with the subsequent richness of farming in the area. In addition to local folklore, Lake Muskry also features in the Irish mythological tale of the Caer Ibormeith.

1976 air crash

On 20 September 1976, three airmen Tom Gannon, Jimmy Byrne and Dick O'Reilly from nearby Abbeyshrule, were killed when their plane crashed not far from O'Loughlin's Castle, a rock–formation near Greenane West, on the Galtys. The three were founding members of Abbyshrule Air Club. A stone monument in the shape of a plane's tailfin was erected a short distance into the Black Road Route on the path to Knockeenatoung. The crash led to the founding of the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association in 1977. The event was remembered on its 40th anniversary by SEMRA in September 2016.