Cruach Mhor

About Cruach Mhor

Occupying the eastern reach of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks' main ridge, this steep-sided peak serves as a rugged gateway to Ireland's highest ground. Its rocky crest features a distinctive square grotto and offers a clear, commanding vantage point over the Gap of Dunloe and the deep trench of the Black Valley.

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Did You Know?

• •The name comes from the Irish Gaelic 'Cruach Mhór', meaning 'Big Stack'. In Irish hill-naming, a 'cruach' typically refers to a mountain with a conical or stack-like appearance, a fitting description when the peak is viewed from the lowlands of the Hag's Glen.
• •The summit is home to an unusual stone grotto built in 1954. Local volunteers carried the cement and sand up the steep slopes by hand to commemorate the Marian Year, creating one of the highest man-made structures in the country.
• •It is a pivotal point on the 'Reeks Traverse', marking the start of the jagged, exposed section of ridge that leads towards An Gunna Mhór (The Big Gun). This stretch requires a steady head for heights and occasional use of hands for balance.
• •Looking east from the top, you get an uninterrupted perspective of the Purple Mountain massif, separated from the Reeks by the deep, glaciated notch of the Gap of Dunloe.
• •For those attempting the full traverse, the grotto provides a convenient place to pray for better weather, though the local Kerry microclimate is notoriously indifferent to such petitions.