Urris Hills [Cnoic Iorrais]

About Urris Hills [Cnoic Iorrais]

Rising steeply above the Mamore Gap, these rugged Inishowen heights offer a wild, maritime character despite their modest elevation. The terrain is often boggy and pathless, rewarding hikers with sheer drops toward the Atlantic and a feeling of being at the very edge of the Donegal coastline.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Irish Cnoic Iorrais, meaning 'Hills of the Headland,' a fitting title for this exposed ridge on the northern fringe of the Inishowen Peninsula.
• •The hills are bisected by the Mamore Gap, a dramatic mountain pass that was historically the only land route between the isolated Urris district and the rest of the county.
• •Looking west from the higher ground, the summit ridge offers a specific perspective over the deep waters of Lough Swilly toward the jagged silhouette of Fanad Head.
• •Near the Mamore Gap at the foot of the hills sits a holy well dedicated to St. Brigid, which remains a site of local pilgrimage and folk tradition.
• •The road through the gap is so notoriously steep that local tradition suggests some older cars only managed the climb by tackling the gradient in reverse.