Croaghaun

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

Not to be confused with Croghan Hill.
For Croaghaun in the Blackstairs Mountains, see Croaghaun, County Carlow.
Croaghaun
Highest point
Elevation688 m (2,257 ft) [1]
Prominence688 m (2,257 ft) [1]
Parent peakNone
ListingP600, Marilyn, Hewitt
Naming
English translationlittle stack
Language of nameIrish
Geography
Croaghaun
Location in Ireland
LocationMayo, Republic of Ireland
Parent rangeAchill Island
OSI/OSNI gridF553060

Geography
Cliffs of Croaghaun, looking towards Achill Head

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.

Nature

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]

See also

Media related to Croaghaun at Wikimedia Commons

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.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Western People - Blue Whale spotted off Achill

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