An ordinary hill at the tip of the Dingle Peninsula offers extraordinary sights, writes TONY DOHERTY
‘IF YOU were given a chance to climb only one more mountain before you die which one would you pick?” The question was posed by a younger climber who obviously thought that I was of an age when I should start thinking about such matters. He was probably expecting me to mention some major peak but the answer he got was an unpretentious hill at the end of the Dingle Peninsula called Mount Eagle (516m).
While the tips of all the great peninsulas of the southwest of Ireland provide magnificent panoramas and a chance to muse on the infinite possibilities beyond the horizon, Mt Eagle has the added attraction of presiding over the iconic Blasket Islands.
The first part of the walk is a straightforward trek up a stony track which leads most of the way to the summit and is very handy if you only have time for a quick whip up and down the mountain. However, if you have time to explore, veer off the track at the 340m contour on to a soggy bog road that drops down into the coom which encircles Eagle Lough. It’s easy to spot the turn-off as it is just beyond a line of old fence posts.
The track curves down the mountainside to the tarn. Keeping close to the lake shore head to the base of the spur on the south side of the coom where you can restart your ascent to the summit. From the spur you have a great view down to Ventry Harbour which, with its circular outline and vivid beach, has a vaguely tropical air to it.
The going is easy underfoot on the dry grassy slope which leads to the broad flat summit. The vista is most satisfactory with its view of the entire Brandon Range from Mastiompan to Ballysitteragh. The view of the entire southern side of Dingle Bay reveals the extent of the Iveragh Mountains presided over by the imposing peaks of the Coomloughra Horseshoe.
The summit, due to its gentle convexity, is not the best place to view the coastline so head south along the ridge to the rocky outcrop of Binn an Choma. When eagles held sway on the mountain this spot must surely have been their eyrie. Beneath is Coomeenole Beach of Ryan's Daughterfame. Offshore lie the Blasket Islands which were formed by the post glacial rise in sea level and, if rising sea levels can produce such a captivating scene, the effects of global warming can't be all bad.
While you can sit and be enchanted by the view for its own intrinsic value, the experience will be greatly enriched if you have read up on the islands beforehand (see panel).
While the Great Blasket dominates, each island has its own particular story to tell of the struggle to survive and out of which grew a corpus of literary achievement unparalleled in such a small community anywhere in the world.
When you are finally ready to leave your perch the route to the car is straightforward. Follow the ridge back to the trigonometrical pillar. The stony track starts shortly below the summit. The presence of the track allows you the luxury of leaving your descent a bit later than one normally would. It is almost a mystical experience to watch the islands darken into their mysterious shapes as the sun sets behind them.
Walking down recently in that melancholy atmosphere which only an autumn evening can bring it suddenly struck me that I would like to have my ashes scattered on Binn an Choma. So you better get there fast or you’ll find me blowing in the wind.
Mount Eagle walk
MapSheet 70, Ordnance Survey Discovery Series.
Start/finishA track on the Ventry to Dunquin road, 1.2km downhill from the communications mast at Mam Cleasach. Grid Reference: 329 011.
How to get thereTake R559 west from Dingle. Turn right at Ventry church and follow third class road over the mountain to rejoin R559 at Dunquin. Park at the start of the track.
TimeFour to five hours.
Distance11km.
Total ascent600m.
SuitabilityRoute is easy. Compass, map, rain gear are essential.
Food/accommodationLocal villages and in Dingle.
InformationBlasket Centre, Dunquin (Apr 1st to Oct 31st). Tel: 066-9156444.
BooksThe Blasket Islands by JR Stagles (O'Brien Press).