| Maolán Buí | |
| Other Name: | Bearna Rua |
| Photo Size: | 240px |
| Elevation: | 973 m[1] |
| Prominence: | 38 m |
| Location: | County Kerry, Republic of Ireland |
| Range: | MacGillycuddy's Reeks |
| Listing: | Furth, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam |
| Map: | island of Ireland |
| Label Position: | right |
| Map Size: | 240 |
| Coordinates: | 51.9946°N -9.7011°W |
| Grid Ref Ireland: | V832838 |
| Topo: | OSI Discovery 78 |
| Type: | Well-bedded grey sandstone Bedrock |
Maolán Buí (Irish for "yellow/golden round knoll"), also known by the name Bearna Rua,[2] at 973m (3,192feet) high, is the fifth-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, or the sixth-highest peak in Ireland according to the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Maolán Buí is also known for its narrow north-west spur, called The Bone. It is part of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks in County Kerry.
Maolán Buí is in the eastern part of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks in County Kerry, Ireland's highest mountain range. The peak lies on a ridge between Cnoc na Péiste 988m (3,241feet) (to the northeast) and Cnoc an Chuillinn 958m (3,143feet) (to the southwest), which are themselves part of the larger eastern ridge of the Reeks, which includes The Big Gun 939m (3,081feet) and finishes at its far eastern end with Cruach Mhór 932m (3,058feet).[3]
A narrow north-west spur of Maolán Buí called The Bone, not to be confused with the nearby peak that sits on the Beenkeragh Ridge, The Bones 957m (3,140feet), is regarded as a safe escape route from the eastern section of the main MacGillycuddy's Reeks ridge, down into the Hag's Glen and out through Cronin's Yard.[4] [3]
Maolán Buí is the 278th-highest mountain in Britain and Ireland on the Simm classification. It is regarded by the Scottish Mountaineering Club ("SMC") as one of 34 Furths, which is a mountain above 30001NaN1 in elevation, and meets the other SMC criteria for a Munro (e.g. "sufficient separation"), but which is outside of (or furth) Scotland;[5] which is why Maolán Buí is sometimes referred to as one of the 13 Irish Munros.[6]
Maolán Buí's prominence qualifies it to meet the Arderin classification, and the British Isles Simm and Hewitt classifications.[7] Maolán Buí does not appear in the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, as the prominence threshold is over 100m (300feet).[8]