Corcogemore
Corcóg
Corcogemore from the R336 road
Highest point
Elevation	609 m (1,998 ft) [1]
Prominence	221 m (725 ft) [1]
Listing	Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
Coordinates	53°28′56″N 9°34′43″W / 53.482115°N 9.578483°W / 53.482115; -9.578483 [1]
Naming
English translation	cone or beehive
Language of name	Irish
Geography
Corcogemore Location in Ireland
Location	County Galway, Ireland
Parent range	Maumturks
OSI/OSNI grid	L9526049144
Topo map	OSi Discovery 45
Geology
Type of rock	Pale quartzites, grits, graphitic top bedrock [1]
Climbing
Easiest route	via R336 at Maam Cross

Corcogemore ( Irish: Corcóg, meaning 'Cone or Beehive') ^[2] at 609 metres (1,998 ft), is the 208th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, ^[3] and the 253rd–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale. ^{[4] [5]} Corcogemore is located on a small massif that includes Binn Mhór (661 metres (2,169 ft)), and Mullach Glas (622 metres (2,041 ft)); ^[6] this massif is situated at the far southeastern sector of the long north-west to south-east central spine of the Maumturks mountain range in the Connemara National Park in County Galway, Ireland. ^[5] Corcogemore is the 8th-highest peak in the Maumturks range, and the most southerly in the range; after Lackavrea, Corcogemore is the 2nd-most easterly Maumturk. ^{[5] [7]}

Naming

Irish: Corcóg is the Irish name for a "beehive", although it can also mean cone (the shape of a traditional beehive). ^[2]

Cartographer Tim Robinson noted that "the Ordnance Survey has been incorrectly calling this mountain 'Leckavrea' for a hundred and fifty years", with Leckavrea ( Irish: Leic Aimhréidh) being a mountain to the east of Corcogemore. ^[2]

Geography

Corcogemore lies on a small massif in the southeast sector of the Maumturks range, which is separated from the main range by a deep east-west mountain pass called Máméan, a site of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Patrick since the 5th-century. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

To the west, along a high winding ridge across this massif is Mullach Glas 432 metres (1,417 ft), and then Binn Mhór 661 metres (2,169 ft). ^[6]

To the east of Corcogemore, apart from the massif and across the R336 road, which runs through the pass of Irish: Mám Aodha, is the isolated Maumturk peak of Lackavrea 396 metres (1,299 ft). ^{[2] [6]}

Hill walking

The most straightforward route to the summit Corcogemore is the 5-kilometre 2-3 hour roundtrip route from the R336 road, just after Maam Cross, and back; however, because of its positioning on a high ridge of its own small massif, it can also be climbed as an alternative 10-kilometre 4–5 hour route from Corcogemore in the west, across Mullach Glas, to the summit of Binn Mhór, and then finishing down at Máméan (i.e. the route requires two cars). ^[6]

Corcogemore is also climbed as part of the Maamturks Challenge, a 25-kilometre 10–12 hour walk over the full Maumturks range (from Maam Cross to Leenaun), which is considered one of the "great classic ridge-walks of Ireland", ^{[7] [10]} but of "extreme grade" due to the circa 7,600 feet of total ascent. ^[6] Since 1975, the University College Galway Mountaineering Club has run the annual "Maamturks Challenge Walk" (MCW), ^[11] and mans a checkpoint on Corcogemore, which is the first major checkpoint on the Maumturks range. ^{[12] [13]}

Bibliography

• Fairbairn, Helen (2014). Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide. Collins Press. ISBN  978-1848892118.
• MountainViews Online Database (Simon Stewart) (2013). A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins. Collins Books. ISBN  978-1-84889-164-7.
• Paul Phelan (2011). Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks. Collins Press. ISBN  978-1848891029.
• Dillion, Paddy (2001). Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide. Harper Collins. ISBN  978-0002201216.
• Dillion, Paddy (1993). The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits. Cicerone. ISBN  978-1852841102.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corcogemore.

• Twelve Bens, major range in Connemara
• Mweelrea, major range in Killary Harbour
• Lists of mountains in Ireland
• Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
• List of Marilyns in the British Isles
• List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland

References

External links

• The Maamturks Challenge, University College Galway Mountaineering Club
• The Maamturks Challenge: Routecard (2015)
• MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website, Corcogemore (Corcóg)
• MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database
• The Database of British and Irish Hills , the largest database of British Isles mountains (" DoBIH")
• Hill Bagging UK & Ireland, the searchable interface for the DoBIH