An Chailleach [Bencullagh]

About An Chailleach [Bencullagh]

Situated in the rugged heart of Connemara’s Twelve Bens, this steep quartzite peak offers a quintessential western Irish climbing experience. Its rocky, scree-mantled slopes demand careful footwork, rewarding the effort with a feeling of profound isolation and a spectacular vantage point over the glaciated trenches of the Inagh Valley.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name An Chailleach translates from Irish as 'The Hag' or 'The Old Woman,' a recurring figure in Gaelic folklore often depicted as a creator deity who shaped the mountains and moved large stones in her apron.
• •The summit provides a focused view of Benbaun, the highest point in the range, and looks directly across the valley to the neighbouring Maumturk Mountains.
• •While it is frequently excluded from the standard Glencoaghan Horseshoe, the peak is a significant checkpoint for those attempting the full 'Twelve Bens Challenge,' a notoriously difficult circuit of the entire range.
• •The hill is largely composed of Dalradian quartzite, a hard, resistant rock that gives the Twelve Bens their characteristic pale, shimmering appearance and their unforgivingly abrasive terrain.
• •In Connemara, 'four seasons in one day' is a literal forecast; should the clouds actually part, the view extends past the jagged coastline to the Atlantic waters of Mannin Bay.