Knockaffertagh [Cnoc Eachmarcaigh]

About Knockaffertagh [Cnoc Eachmarcaigh]

Rising within the wild, Atlantic-battered heart of the Nephin Beg Range, this Mayo summit offers a quintessential experience of the Irish backcountry. Its slopes are defined by expansive peatland and a sense of profound isolation, situated well away from the more frequented tracks of nearby Nephin or the Great Western Greenway.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Irish Cnoc Eachmarcaigh, translating to 'the hill of the horse-rider', a common Old Irish personal name that suggests the peak may have once been associated with a specific local figure or clan.
• •It is located within the Wild Nephin National Park, an area containing one of the largest and most intact examples of Atlantic blanket bog in Western Europe.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point over the remote Owenduff River valley to the west and the massive quartzite bulk of Nephin, which dominates the skyline to the southeast.
• •The terrain is notoriously trackless and soft; any hillwalker reaching the top with entirely dry socks has either experienced a rare Mayo drought or possessed an unnatural talent for bog-hopping.