Coomnalack Top

About Coomnalack Top

Rising from the rugged spine of the Beara Peninsula, this sandstone summit offers a wild, untracked experience characteristic of West Cork. The ascent crosses glaciated ribs and peat hags, eventually revealing a commanding vista across Bantry Bay to the Sheep’s Head Peninsula and the steep eastern flanks of Sugarloaf Mountain.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Irish 'Com na Leice', meaning 'hollow of the flagstone'. This refers to the smooth, glaciated slabs of Old Red Sandstone that are a defining geological feature of the surrounding Caha Mountains.
• •It is frequently climbed as part of a wider circuit of the Coomnalack valley, often grouped with the higher neighbouring peaks of Knockowen and the Cork Sugarloaf.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point for viewing the deep natural anchorage of Adrigole Harbour to the south, a landmark used for centuries by mariners navigating the Cork coastline.
• •In common with much of the Beara wilderness, the 'path' to the top is largely a matter of personal opinion, usually involving a tactical choice between a slippery rock slab and a deceptively deep pocket of moss.