Maol na nDamh [Mulnanaff]

About Maol na nDamh [Mulnanaff]

Rising above the rugged heart of the Blue Stack Mountains in County Donegal, this rounded Tump offers a wild, pathless experience. Reaching its 475m summit requires crossing significant boggy terrain, but the reward is a clear perspective over the remote Lough Belshade and the steep, rocky faces of Binmore to the north.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Maol na nDamh, meaning 'the rounded hill of the stags' or oxen. This refers to the blunt, treeless profile of the summit and its historical use for high-altitude grazing or as a habitat for deer.
• •Situated in the central Blue Stacks, the summit provides an excellent vantage point for looking down into the dramatic glacial trough containing Lough Belshade, framed by the grey granite cliffs of the surrounding peaks.
• •This is a hill for those who enjoy 'hag-hopping'; there are no formal paths to the top, and the approach from the south requires navigating expansive areas of peat bog and heathery outcrops.
• •In the Blue Stack Mountains, a 'rounded hill' is a relative term; while the summit itself is broad, reaching it usually involves enough bog-trotting to make you wish you had the four-legged agility of the stags the hill is named after.