Landzunge · Co. Donegal
Slieve League
A wall of grey limestone dropping roughly 600 metres into the Atlantic on the Derrybeg Peninsula in southwest Donegal — among the highest sea cliffs in Europe, and only properly seen from the foot of them.
The mountain
Muckish (an Mhucais in Irish, meaning “the pig’s back”) is a distinctive flat-topped mountain in the Derryveagh Mountains of County Donegal. At 667.1 metres, it is the third-highest peak of the Derryveagh range and the 163rd highest mountain in Ireland, and it is the most northern and second highest of the chain the locals call the Seven Sisters — Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla More, Mackoght and Errigal. The flat top is the giveaway: from a distance the summit looks cut off, and the walk to it is as good as the view from it.
The two ways up
The northern side carries the mountain’s other history: high-grade quartz sand was mined on the flanks, the quarry workings are still visible on the north face, and the sand was exported for the manufacture of optical glass. The “Miner’s Path” climbs to the summit up that northern side, following in part the route the quarry workers used. The easier way is from Muckish Gap on the southern side, where the path is gentler and the walk shorter. Either way, the summit plateau is the reward — and on it stands a large cairn, visible from sea level, that marks a Bronze Age court tomb.
What to know
The mountain is open ground, and the weather on the top can be a long way from the weather in the village below. It is an easy walk on a good day and a serious one on a bad day, and the difference is the mountain itself. A large metal cross was placed on the summit in 2000, replacing an earlier one — the cairn and the cross make the top a place Donegal has marked for a very long time.
Practical
Allow three to four hours for the walk from either side, with time on the plateau. The base villages are on the Derryveagh side of the county; pair it with the national park for a full day.