Forth Mountain [Sliabh Fothart]

About Forth Mountain [Sliabh Fothart]

Rising just west of Wexford, this rugged Cambrian quartzite ridge offers a surprising sense of wilderness for its modest height. As a Marilyn, its prominence ensures an airy feel, with rocky outcrops and gorse-lined paths leading to a summit plateau that overlooks the sprawling south-east coastline and the Saltee Islands.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Sliabh Fothart is derived from the Fothairt, an ancient Irish population group said to be descended from the High King Fedlimid Rechtmar, who settled in this part of Leinster.
• •The mountain was a strategic stronghold during the 1798 Rebellion; the Battle of Three Rocks took place on its lower slopes, where United Irishmen utilised the craggy terrain to ambush a British relief column.
• •The ridge is composed of 500-million-year-old quartzite, some of the oldest rock in Ireland, which resists erosion far better than the surrounding lower-lying landscape.
• •From the summit, walkers can look directly down upon the reclaimed polders of the Wexford Slobs and out towards the Tuskar Rock Lighthouse and the Saint George's Channel.
• •It is one of the few places in the country where you can claim a Marilyn ascent and be back in a town-centre pub before your boots have even had a chance to dry.