Derrygarriff

About Derrygarriff

Tucked within the rugged Shehy Mountains on the Cork-Kerry border, this 491m peak offers a quiet, pathless alternative to the busier Kerry ranges. Its terrain is quintessential West Cork—a mix of rocky sandstone ribs and deep blanket bog. Reaching the summit rewards walkers with views across the Priest's Leap pass toward Bantry Bay.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Doire Garbh, meaning 'rough oakwood,' suggesting the lower, sheltered slopes were once covered in the native oak forests characteristic of the Glengarriff region.
• •The hill stands just east of the Priest’s Leap, a historically significant and exceptionally steep mountain pass that was once the primary route between Bantry and Kenmare.
• •From the summit, the view extends north across the Roughty River valley to the substantial peaks of the Mangerton Mountain group and the jagged silhouette of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks.
• •Like much of the Shehy range, the mountain is composed of Old Red Sandstone, creating a distinctive landscape of stepped rock terraces and glaciated sandstone slabs.
• •In keeping with its name, the terrain remains 'rough' enough to ensure that anyone attempting a direct ascent will likely finish the day with more peat in their boots than they started with.