Comeragh Mountains
| Comeragh Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Na Comaraigh | |
 Comeragh Mountains | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Fauscoum |
| Elevation | 792 m (2,598 ft) |
| Prominence | 622 m (2,041 ft) |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | County Waterford, Republic of Ireland |
The Comeragh Mountains (Irish: Na Comaraigh or Sléibhte an Chomaraigh)[1] is a glaciated mountain range in County Waterford in the southeast of Ireland. They are made up of two mountain ranges and include the Comeraghs themselves and Monavullagh Mountains (Irish: Móin an Mhullaigh, meaning 'bog of the summit')[2] to the south.[3]
They are located between the town of Dungarvan and stretch inland to the town of Clonmel on the County Tipperary border and the villages of Kilrossanty and Kilmacthomas in County Waterford.
The mountains which form the Comeragh Mountains are popular for mountain climbers and hikers.
The Comeragh Mountains Walking Festival is held every October and is centred on the Nire Valley.[4]
The Comeragh's Wild Festival is held every summer and is based mainly in the Mahon Valley and Rathgormack.[5]
Peaks
[edit]The peaks in the Comeragh Mountains, ordered by height, from the Lists of mountains in Ireland:[6]
- Fauscoum, Fáschom (792m)
- Carrignagower, Carraig na nGabhar (767m)
- Knockanaffrin, Cnoc an Aifrinn (755m)
- Coumfea, Coum Fia (742m)
- Seefin, Suí Finn (726m)
- Knockaunapeebra, (724m)
- Knocksheegowna, (678m)
- Coumaraglin, (617m)
- Laghtnafrankee (520m)
Other Mountains and Hills:
- Crohaun (Monavullaghs), (484m)
- Deelish (Monavullaghs)
- Croughaun Hill, Cruachán Paorach or Cruachán (391m)
Geography
[edit]Rivers
[edit]The Mahon River rises on the plateau above Mahon Falls and flows southwards through Crough Woods, Mahon Bridge, and Kilmacthomas to the sea at Bonmahon.
The Nire River flows through the Nire Valley, to the west of the Comeraghs.
The Colligan River rises in the Monavullagh Mountains and flows southwards to the sea at Dungarvan.
Lakes and features
[edit]Mahon Falls is an 80m-waterfall near the start of the Mahon River and the U-shaped glacial valley is popular with walkers and hikers.[7][8]
Coumshingaun is one of the deepest glacial coums in Europe with a corrie lake and 400m high steep rock walls on three sides. This U-shaped valley was formed during the quaternary (Ice Age) [9]
Crotty's Lake and Crotty's Rock are features in the east of the Comeraghs which take their names from William Crotty ("Crotty the Robber"), a highwayman who was hanged in Waterford in 1742.[10]
Other lakes include the Sgilloge Loughs and the Coum Iarthar Loughs.[11]
Geology
[edit]Formation
[edit]The Comeragh Mountains is a mountain plateau of Old Red Sandstone, which has been heavily sculpted and scarred by glaciers. The Comeragh Mountains are among the oldest mountains in Ireland (formed approximately 500 million years ago) and along with the Slieve Bloom Mountains would have been among the highest in Ireland.[12]
Glaciation and erosion
[edit]There are many features in the area indicative of glacial action and erosion including U-shaped valleys, aretes, erratic rocks. This happened quite recently in geological time, with the last Ice Age ending approx 12,000 years ago.[13]
Ecology
[edit]Wildlife
[edit]According to the NWPS, Peregrine Falcon, a species listed on Annex I of the E.U. Birds Directive, breeds within Coumshingaun, as does Raven and Hen Harrier. Buzzards are also common in the area.[11]
Flora
[edit]The heath area is covered largely in heather with other forms of vegetation discouraged by grazing of sheep and wild deer and feral goats.[14]
There are many notable and rare plants to be found in the Comeragh Mountains, including Mossy Saxifrage (Saxifraga hypnoides) and threatened bryophyte species. Coumshingaun contains stonewort, Nitella flexilis, and also Bog Pondweed.
References
[edit]- ^ "Sléibhte an Chomaraigh / Comeragh Mountains". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ^ "Móin an Mhullaigh / Monavullagh Mountains Sléibhte an Chomaraigh / Comeragh Mountains". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ^ McGrath, Declan (2018). A Guide To... the Comeragh Mountains. Declan McGrath. ISBN 978-0-9541062-5-6.[self-published source?]
- ^ "Comeragh Mountains- Muddy Boots". Fáilte Ireland. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Comeraghs Wild Festival Launches Full Programme for a Summer of Music, Culture and Adventure in Waterford – Waterford City & County Council". waterfordcouncil.ie. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ^ "MountainViews". mountainviews.ie. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ^ Doherty, Tony. "Walk for the weekend: Revel in the magic of Mahon Falls". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- ^ "Mahon Falls Walk In Waterford: Scenic Waterfall Hike". theirishinsider.ie. 6 October 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- ^ O'Dwyer, John. "Go Walk: Coumshingaun, Co Waterford". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- ^ "Crotty the Robber - A Waterford Legend". Waterford Treasures. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ^ a b "Comeragh Mountains Special Area of Conservation - Site Synopsis" (PDF), npws.ie, National Parks and Wildlife Service, retrieved 17 June 2026
- ^ Penney, Stephen Russell (1978). "Devonian Lavas from the Comeragh Mountains, County Waterford". Journal of Earth Sciences. 1 (1). Royal Irish Academy: 71–76. JSTOR 30002115.
- ^ "Quaternary". gsi.ie. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- ^ Ennis, Colm. "The Comeragh Mountains". De La Salle Scouts. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Comeragh Mountaineering Club website
- Comeragh Mountains - Area (Mountainviews.ie)
- Comeragh Mountain Walks (Dungarvan Tourism)
- Waterford - County Geological Site Report - Comeragh Mountains Overview (Geological Survey Ireland)
52°17′N 7°34′W / 52.283°N 7.567°W
