Mount Brandon
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| Mount Brandon – Sliabh Bhreandáin | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 952 metres (3,123 ft)[1] |
| Location | Dingle Peninsula, Kerry, Ireland |
| Range | Brandon Mountains[2] |
| Prominence | 930 m (3,051 ft) Ranked 10th in British Isles |
| Parent peak | Carrauntoohil |
| Topo map | OSi Discovery no. 70[1] |
| OSI/OSNI grid reference | Q460116 |
| Listing | Marilyn, Hewitt |
| Translation | "Sliabh Bhreandáin": The mountain of Brendan or "Cnoc Bréanainn": Brandon's Hill[1][3] (Irish) |
Mount Brandon or the Brandon Mountain (Irish: Sliabh Bhreandáin or Cnoc Bréanainn) is a mountain on the Dingle Peninsula, in Co. Kerry, in the west of Ireland. The hill takes its name from Saint Brendan "The Navigator", who legend suggests climbed to the summit around AD 530 to see The Americas, before setting sail. The small village of Brandon lies at the foot of the mountain, on the north side.
It is part of the unnamed central mountain range of the Dingle Peninsula, which were formed 300 million years ago, and forming an impressive high ridge which extends for 10 kilometres (6 mi) across the peninsula and taking in the other peaks of Barr an Ghéaráin (Brandon Peak), 840 metres (2,756 ft) Piaras Mór, 748 metres (2,454 ft) and Más an Tiompán, 763 metres (2,503 ft).
Mount Brandon owes its craggy shape thanks to the work of local glaciers during the Ice age, which gouged out a series of corries (cooms) on the eastern flank of the mountain. Running in a line almost all the way to the summit are the Pater Noster Lakes, a series of rock steps each of which are occupied by a lake, the largest being Loch Cruite. The summit of Mount Brandon itself is rounded and smooth because it was never covered by ice, and presents a stark contrast to the conical top of Brandon Peak, which is almost Alpine in appearance.
The Western slope of Mount Brandon presents a huge contrast from its eastern side, facing into the sun, it largely escaped the gouging effect of the glaciers, with the result that it presents an almost unbroken grassy slope.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Ordnance Survey Ireland. No. 70 - Kerry [map], 2nd edition, 1 : 60,000, Discovery Series. (2000) ISBN 1-901496-59-7.
- ^ FAQ - Highest Mountains in Ireland. Ordnance Survey Ireland (2002). Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ Dillon, Paddy [1993] (1996). The Moundains of Ireland. Cicerone Press. ISBN 1-85284-110-9.
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