Croaghaun

Croaghaun
Highest point
Elevation 688 m (2,257 ft) [1]
Prominence 688 m (2,257 ft)
Parent peak None
Listing Marilyn, Hewitt
Naming
Translation little stack (Irish)
Geography
Croaghaun
Location in Ireland
Location Mayo, Republic of Ireland
Parent range Achill Island
OSI/OSNI grid F553060
Cliffs of Croaghaun, looking towards Achill Head

Croaghaun (Irish: Cruachán) is a mountain in County Mayo, Ireland. At 688 metres (2,257 ft), it has the second highest sea cliffs in Ireland [2] as well as the third highest sea cliffs in Europe (after Hornelen, Norway and Cape Enniberg, Faroe Islands).

Croaghaun is the most westerly peak of Achill Island, and its highest mountain. Its cliffs lie on the northern slope of the mountain. The cliffs at Croaghaun can only be seen by hiking around or to the summit of the mountain, or from the sea. They are part of a sequence of sheer rock faces which start south of Keem Bay and loop around the uninhabited north-west of the island, by Achill Head and Saddle Head, and east to Slievemore, occasionally dropping vertically into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Croaghaun cliffs are home to two families of peregrine falcons (RTÉ, 2008). September and October are the best time to see the fastest creatures on Earth here, as they teach their young to fly. Metamorphic, quartz-laden gems may be observed, along with Mediterranean heathers and the waters of the Atlantic. It is common to see shoals of bottle-nosed dolphins and basking sharks, once a source of revenue for Achill Island (BBC, 2009). Porpoises are found in large numbers. Killer whales, humpback whales, and other whales have been sighted.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Mountainviews, Croaghaun
  2. ↑ Clarke, Harold (1970). Ireland in Color. New York: Viking Press, p. 108. ISBN 978-0-670-40093-5.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-04-04. Western People - Blue Whale spotted off Achill

Coordinates: 53°58′52″N 10°12′14″W / 53.981°N 10.204°W / 53.981; -10.204

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