Margaret Franklin from IRELAND writes:

I walked up to the summit of Croghan Hill, with a small group of five adults and four children, on Thursday, July 16th 2020. It is the most isolated hill in Ireland, rising from the flat central plain. If you are coming from the M6, take the exit for Tyrrell's Pass & in the middle of the village, take the road with signs for Rhode & Daingean. The village of Croghan is 10km south of Tyrrell's Pass. There are several parking spaces outside the school & the main access route is almost opposite the school, on the eastern side of the hill. It is an easy walk for people of all ages, who are reasonably fit. We didn't time ourselves, but I am told it takes about 20 minutes to walk to the top. On the way up, we delayed for quite a while at the old cemetery which is near the top. Unfortunately, the headstones are badly weathered, so it is almost impossible to read the inscriptions. I could only make out one date, which could have been 1857 or 1837. There is a beautiful monument recently erected at the summit, which has four panels depicting respectively (1) St. Brigid, who is said to have been associated with this site (2) Old Croughan Man (whose remains were discovered in the nearby bog) (3) a legend about St, Patrick's horse & a water spring and (4) the volcanic eruption, during the carboniferous period, that created the hill.
The panoramic views from the top are amazing. To the south, we could see the Slieve Bloom mountains, to the west, the hill of Uisneach, to the north, the Mourne mountains & to the east, the Mount Lucas wind farm, with the Wicklow mountains beyond. At the foot of the hill is a colourful patchwork of cultivated fields and worked bog. The weather was dry on the day, but the sky was mostly cloudy & overcast. I would love to see the view on a sunny day, with a clear blue sky, so I intend to return. It is well worth a visit.

2020-07-17