Slieve Loughshannagh

About Slieve Loughshannagh

Sitting centrally in the high Mournes, this Hewitt is defined by the granite Mourne Wall striking directly over its broad summit. It offers a rugged, honest climb, typically paired with neighbouring Slieve Meelbeg. The top provides a clear, central perspective over the Silent Valley and the sprawling Ben Crom Reservoir below.

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Did You Know?

• •Its name derives from the Irish Sliabh Loch Sionnach, meaning 'mountain of the lake of the fox'. This refers to Lough Shannagh, which sits in the hollow on the mountain's northern side and remains one of the largest natural lakes in the Mourne range.
• •The summit is bisected by the Mourne Wall, a 22-mile dry stone structure built between 1904 and 1922. While it acts as a reliable navigational handrail in poor visibility, its primary purpose was to protect the Silent Valley water catchment from roaming livestock.
• •The summit offers a spectacular, unobstructed view of Slieve Bearnagh’s distinctive granite tors to the east, while looking south provides a direct line of sight down the length of the Silent Valley Reservoir towards the Irish Sea.
• •Standing at 617 metres, it is a key peak on the 'Mourne Wall walk', a challenging endurance route that follows the stone boundary over fifteen different summits in a single circular outing.
• •The Mourne Wall is a marvel of Edwardian engineering, though on the steep pull up Loughshannagh, it serves mostly as a humbling reminder that the men who built it carried these granite stones by hand while you are likely struggling with a modern lightweight rucksack.