| The Sperrins | |
| Other Name: | Sliabh Speirín (Irish)[1] |
| Photo Size: | 300 |
| Country Type: | Sovereign state |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Region Type: | Constituent country |
| Region: | Northern Ireland |
| District Type: | Counties |
| District: | County Tyrone, County Londonderry |
| Range Coordinates: | 54.8°N -7.083°W |
| Highest: | Sawel Mountain |
| Elevation M: | 678 |
| Geology: | Schist, quartzite,[2] granite, basalt, rhyolite |
| Orogeny: | Caledonian orogeny |
The Sperrins or Sperrin Mountains (Irish: Sliabh Speirín)[3] are a mountain range in Northern Ireland. The range stretches from Strabane and Mullaghcarn in the west, to Slieve Gallion and the Glenshane Pass in the east, in the counties of Tyrone and Londonderry. The landscape is mostly moorland and blanket bog. The region has a population of some 150,000 and is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
It has a distinctive glaciated landscape. The mountains mostly have rounded summits and the landscape is mainly moorland and blanket bog. The Glenshane Pass, part of the A6 Belfast to Derry road, is in the mountains and has notoriously bad weather in winter. Sawel Mountain is the highest peak in the Sperrins, and the seventh highest in Northern Ireland. Its summit rises to 678m (2,224feet). Another of the Sperrins, Carntogher (464 m), towers over the Glenshane Pass.[4]
Geologically, the Sperrins are formed mostly from Precambrian metamorphic rocks, with some younger Ordovician igneous rocks in the southern flank of the range. The Mountains are very sparsely populated and provide habitat for a diverse range of birds and mammals. Red fox, Sika Deer, Pine Marten and Red Squirrels are commonly found there alongside Peregrine Falcons, Buzzards and Sparrowhawks. Visiting Golden Eagles from the neighbouring reintroduced Donegal population have been sighted across the range from Strabane to Draperstown although no breeding population has yet been established. The Mountains also provide one of the last refuges of Red Grouse in Northern Ireland.
| Rank | Name | Irish name[5] | Height[6] | Prominence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sawel Mountain | Samhail Phite Méabha ("likeness of Méabh's vulva") | 678m (2,224feet) | 657m (2,156feet) | |
| 2 | Mullaghclogha | Mullach Clocha ("summit of the stone") | 635m (2,083feet) | 207m (679feet) | |
| 3 | Mullaghaneany | Mullach an Ionaidh ("summit of the wonder") | 627m (2,057feet) | 302m (991feet) | |
| 4 | Meenard | Mín Ard ("high mountain pasture") | 620m (2,030feet) | 85m (279feet) | |
| 5 | Dart Mountain | An Dairt ("the lump") | 619m (2,031feet) | 89m (292feet) | |
| 6 | Mullaghasturrakeen | Mullach an Starraicín ("summit of the steeple") | 581m (1,906feet) | 46m (151feet) | |
| 7 | Mullaghclogher | Mullach Clochair ("summit of the stony patch") | 572m (1,877feet) | 127m (417feet) | |
| 8 | Oughtmore | Ucht Mór ("big mountain breast") | 569m (1,867feet) | 104m (341feet) | |
| 9 | Spelhoagh | Speilg Chuach ("cuckoo rock") | 568m (1,864feet) | 20m (70feet) | |
| 10 | Mullaghdoo | Mullach Dubh ("black summit") | 568m (1,864feet) | 20m (70feet) | |
| 11 | Carnanelly | Carnán Aichle ("little cairn of the lookout") | 562m (1,844feet) | 307m (1,007feet) | |
| 12 | Mullaghmore | Mullach Mór ("big summit") | 550m (1,800feet) | 235m (771feet) | |
| 13 | Mullaghcarn | Mullach Cairn ("summit of the cairn") | 542m (1,778feet) | 377m (1,237feet) | |
| 14 | White Mountain | Sliabh Bán ("white mountain") | 537m (1,762feet) | 42m (138feet) | |
| 15 | Slieve Gallion | Sliabh gCallann ("mountain of the heights") | 528m (1,732feet) | 333m (1,093feet) | |
| 16 | Crockbrack | Cnoc Breac ("speckled hill") | 526m (1,726feet) | 151m (495feet) | |
| 17 | Mullaghcarbatagh | Mullach Carbadach ("boulder-strewn summit") | 517m (1,696feet) | 32m (105feet) |
Sperrin was the name of a proposed United Kingdom constituency in the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.[7]