Doughruagh [Duchruach]

Rising steeply behind the gothic silhouette of Kylemore Abbey, this rugged Connemara Marilyn offers a wilder alternative to the busier Twelve Bens. Its boggy slopes and rocky outcrops demand careful navigation, rewarded by a commanding perspective over Pollacappul Lough and the fractured coastline of the Atlantic.

• •The name Doughruagh is derived from the Irish 'Dubh-ruadh', meaning 'black-red', a description of the contrasting colours found in the dark peat and the russet grasses that cover its slopes.
• •The hill provides the dramatic backdrop to Kylemore Abbey; while the Benedictine nuns maintain woodland walks on the lower tiers, the upper summit remains an untamed and pathless environment.
• •It is frequently climbed as part of a wide horseshoe loop with its neighbours, Garraun and the northern Benbaun, circling the deep glaciated trough containing Lough Fee.
• •The summit offers a peerless view north across the dark waters of Killary Fjord towards the massive, shadowed bulk of Mweelrea, the highest point in Connacht.
• •While the height is modest, the local terrain ensures that any walker reaching the top will have gained a thorough and intimate understanding of the various ways Connemara bog can attempt to claim a hiking boot.