Slieve Foy
| Slieve Foy | |
|---|---|
| Sliabh Feá | |
 Slieve Foy from the northwest | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 589 m (1,932 ft) [1] |
| Prominence | 494 [1] |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Coordinates | 54°02′40″N 6°13′05″W / 54.04444°N 6.21806°WCoordinates: 54°02′40″N 6°13′05″W / 54.04444°N 6.21806°W |
| Geography | |
  Slieve Foy Location in Ireland | |
| Location | County Louth, Ireland |
| Parent range | Cooley Mountains |
| OSI/OSNI grid | J168119 |
| Topo map | OSi Discovery 36 |
Slieve Foy or Slieve Foye (Irish: Sliabh Feá)[2] is a mountain on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland. It rises to 589 metres (1,932 ft), making it the highest of the Cooley Mountains and the highest in County Louth. It overlooks Carlingford Lough and the village of Carlingford and is sometimes called Carlingford Mountain.
Slieve Foy is one of two ridges which make up the Cooley Mountains, and is separated from the rest of the range by the Windy Gap. It is an elongated mountain running northwest–southeast, and includes the lesser summits known as The Foxes Rock, The Ravens Rock, The Eagles Rock, and Barnavave.[1]
The name Sliabh Feá means "mountain of the woods".[2] Locally the name is understood as Sliabh Fathaigh, "mountain of the giant", because its outline is said to resemble a sleeping giant.[1] Local lore has it that the giant Finn, representing summer, stood on the mountain while fighting his rival Ruscaire, representing winter. Finn is said to have beaten Ruscaire by throwing a boulder across the lough at him, which became the Cloughmore (The Big Stone) on Slieve Martin.[3]
The mountain also appears in the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley). The army of Queen Medb (Maeve) is said to have dug a pass through the mountain, which became known as Barnavave (Bearna Mhéabha, "Maeve's gap").[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Cooley/Gullion Area / Slieve Foye Mountain". MountainViews. Ordnance Survey Ireland. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- 1 2 Slieve Feá/Slieve Foye. Placenames Database of Ireland.
- ↑ Finn McCool and The Cloughmore. Carlingford and Mourne.
- ↑ Gosling, Paul "The Route of Táin Bó Cúailnge Revisited". Emania Issue 22, 2014. p.157
See also
