| Mweelrea | |
| Other Name: | Cnoc Maol Réidh |
| Elevation M: | 814 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence M: | 779 |
| Listing: | County top (Mayo), P600, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam |
| Translation: | smooth bald hill |
| Language: | Irish |
| Location: | County Mayo, Ireland |
| Range: | Mweelrea Mountains |
| Coordinates: | 53.6372°N -9.8304°W |
| Map: | island of Ireland |
| Map Relief: | yes |
| Grid Ref Ireland: | L7898366810 |
| Topo: | OSi Discovery 37 |
| Easiest Route: | "Silver Strand" |
| Normal Route: | "The Ramp" (Lug More corrie) |
| Type: | Sandstone & conglomerate, ignimbrite bedrock |
Mweelrea (;)[2] is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. Rising to 814m (2,671feet), it is the highest mountain in the western province of Connacht, and is noted for its southeastern cliff-lined corries, and its views.[3] Mweelrea overlooks Killary Harbour and is at the heart of a "horseshoe-shaped" massif that includes the peaks of Ben Lugmore and Ben Bury. The massif is called the Mweelrea Mountains or the Mweelrea Range.
Mweelrea is also the 26th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list,[4] and the 34th-highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list.[5] [6]
The geology of what is known as the Mweelrea Formation is very different from that of the Twelve Bens, on the other side of Killary Harbour. At a summary level, the Mweelrea Formation consists of Ordovician period sandstones originally deposited on large alluvial fans, and distally‐equivalent alluvial plains and delta fans. Interbedded with these sandstones are tufts, being ash deposits from Ordovician period volcanos.[7] [8]
Mweelrea, and its subsidiary peaks, form the southern half of the "horseshoe-shaped" massif of the Mweelrea Mountains, which are bounded by Killary Harbour, Ireland's deepest fjord, to the south, and Doo Lough to the north.
The valley in the centre of this "horseshoe" is the townsland of Glenconnelly (Irish: Gleann Choinnile).[9] Two deep corries lie at the head of the Glenconnelly valley, below Mweelrea's southeast face; the southerly corrie contains Lough Lugaloughan, while the northerly corrie contains Lough Bellawaum; both are drained by the Sruhaunbunatrench River, which empties into the Bundorragha River, which itself flows into Killary Harbour.
Mweelrea at 814m (2,671feet), is the highest mountain in massif, and is the provincial top for Connacht.[10] [11] Mweelrea's prominence of 779m (2,556feet) qualifies it as a Marilyn, and it also ranks it as the 16th-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the minimum prominence threshold is 100 metres.[6] [12]
Northeast of Mweelrea is Ben Bury (or Irish: Ucht an Chreagáin, meaning "breast of the little crag"; it is also known as "Oughty Craggy"), at 795m (2,608feet), and whose prominence of 60m (200feet) qualifies it as a Vandeleur-Lynam (it is the 43rd-highest Vandeleur-Lynam in Ireland).[6] [11]
Further east around the "horseshoe" lies the long high summit ridge of Ben Lugmore (and its subsidiary peaks), that is only slightly lower than Mweelrea at 803m (2,635feet), and its northeast face forms the headwall of the cliff-lined Lug More Irish: Coum Dubh corrie.[10] [11]
Southwest of Mweelrea is the southern arm of the "horseshoe", which is both lower and less sustained than the northern side. It includes the Mweelrea SE Spur at 495m (1,624feet) (sometimes called "point-495" in guidebooks), and finishes with the isolated Teevnabinnia (Irish: Taobh na Binne, meaning "side of the peak"), whose height is only 379m (1,243feet), but whose prominence of 214m (702feet) qualifies it as a Marilyn.[6] [11] West of Mweelrea lie the County Mayo beaches of Uggool Beach and Silver Strand.
As the highest mountain in Connacht, Mweelrea is climbed in "Four Peaks Challenge" formats, being the highest mountains in the four provinces of Ireland.[13]
The fastest and most straightforward way to summit Mweelrea is via the 8–kilometre 3-hour Silver Strand Route.[14]
A longer route is the 13-kilometre 6-hour round trip via the Lug More (or Irish: Coum Dubh) corrie and the valley of Glen Glencullin that take in the summits of Ben Bury and Ben Lugmore. A notable feature known as The Ramp is used, which crosses the headwall of this corrie at mid-way, from east to west in an upward slope; reaching the ridge of Ben Lugmore at a col with Ben Bury. While this route is direct, caution is advised in properly finding The Ramp, as the corrie has extensive cliffs.[15]
Mweelrea is also climbed as part of the 15-kilometre 6-7 hour Mweelrea Horseshoe, which is described by a notable Irish guidebook as one of "the top three" in Ireland.[10] The circuit starts and ends at the Delphi Mountain Resort, and takes in all the peaks of the massif of Mweelrea, including Ben Lugmore (and its subsidiary peaks), Ben Bury, Mweelrea and the Mweelrea SE Spur (or point 495-metres).[10] [11]
While the main rock-climbing on the Mweelrea massif is on the northeastern slopes of Ben Lugmore (see here), there are long Grade 1 and 2 scrambles on the northeastern slopes of Mweelrea/Ben Bury.[16]
The Lough Bellawaum corrie, Mweelrea's northeastern corrie, also has a number of winter-climbs, the most notable of which are Blue Route (Grade II/III, 270 m), and Red Route (Grade III, 305 m).[17]