MountainViews: Info on Doughruagh Dúchruach (526m) in area Twelve Bens

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Twelve Bens Area

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Maximum height for area: 729 metres

Summits in area: 30

OS Map(s): 37, 44 for all tops

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Doughruagh Mountain	Galway County
Dúchruach A name in Irish	(Language)
(Ir. Dúchruach [TR], 'black stack')
Height: 526 metres	OS 1/50k Mapsheet: 37 for top
Grid Ref: L75059 59430	Latitude: 53.570049 Longitude: -9.886692
ITM: 475036 759450	Prominence: 211m Isolation: 1.7km
Half-way up Doughruagh on very steep ground is a statue of the Sacred Heart, erected in 1932 by the Benedictine nuns of Kylemore Abbey in thanks for their safe delivery to Kylemore. They had been forced to abandon their convent near Ypres in Belgium dur Doughruagh is the 402nd highest summit in Ireland. Our data has reached 70% of the goal for this summit. (Details)

COMMENTS for Doughruagh

MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Doughruagh in area Twelve Bens, County Galway, Ireland

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by eoin 5 Mar 2003 Located just behind the famous and picturesque Kylemore Abbey, the upper reaches of this mountain look somewhat daunting for ramblers or hillwalkers without a love for scrambling. This is an alternative approach. After paying your 3.50 Euro!! to get into the grounds you follow the path to the large statue 1/2 way up the mountain. Once at the statue head to the right following traces of a path, which stays roughly at the same height until you completely round the east side of the mountain and reach the saddle between it and Garraun. The slope on this side makes the access to the summit and its lakes very easy. An alternative or extension to this walk is to contour around from the saddle to the lake on the north side of Doughruagh. After passing around the lake continue to follow the contours at around 280 - 300m until you arrive back at the statue again.

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by simon3 26 Dec 2003 This photo taken on a misty day in May shows Doughruagh from the NE. Traversing the top of Doughruagh is an exercise in winding around rocky knolls of sparsely vegetated rock mixed with ponds. Although a short distance, walking from east to west in mist to find the top (which has a collection of rusty metalwork) is a navigation challenge.
The lake below the summit is Knappagh Lough. The three smaller lakes just over the right flank of Doughruagh are in the area of Currywongan, with a highest point of 273m.

(Comment Rating 3.80) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

Picture: Doughruagh Cairn Expand pics.

by Colin Murphy 8 Jun 2008 Parked on the NE of Kylemore Lough (just where the road around the lake turns sharply south east) where you'll find space enough for about 3/4 cars. About 30 metres back along the road you'll find a wooden pallet doubling as a gate which allows access into a grassy field. From here you've a 1.5k walk to the NW up a gently rising slope until you reach the saddle between Doughruagh and Garraun South Top. From here the gradient steepens sharply, becoming much rockier as you ascend. The top is a broad rocky expanse speckled with pools which could easily double as an alien planet in a sci-fi movie! A cairn marks the highest point at the western end and on the day I stood there the views of the Bens, Maamturks, Atlantic coastline etc etc were indescribably beautiful. Round trip took me 3 hours, though I could easily have lingered over the view for another 12 hours!

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by simon3 26 Dec 2003 One way up Doughruagh is described by Tony Whilde [Irish Walk Guides: West, Ed J Lynam 1978]. Start north of Kylemore Lough at around L766587 (Point A). Drivers can park on the road here. The start area is particularly well shown on the Harvey Connemara map. Head NE from the start to gain height and open ground. I found you have to deal with rhodendron, a small stream and some cliffs – nothing too difficult. Once onto the open ground you can make for the pass between Doughruagh and Lemnaheltia where there is a green road and then turn left for Doughruagh.

Tim Robinson [Book of the Irish Countryside, Ed Frank Mitchell 1987] adds to the many paeans to Romanticism that you find in descriptions of the area as follows “..Dúchruach, the ‘black stack’, that lowers over the wooded valley and the lake of Kylemore, in perfect sympathy with the nineteenth-century Gothic fantasy of Kylemore Abbey.”

In contrast, for interesting background, Kevin Corcoran [West of Ireland Walks 1993] describes the lower, SW slopes of Doughruagh. Amongst many other delights of the flora and fauna he mentions that at around the point you emerge on the open ground described above “Around these cliffs you may be lucky enough to hear the haunting scream of Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) ..”

The autumn photo taken from Benbaun, shows the Abbey just right of centre. The route described starts in the bottom right corner. The main bumpy ridge of the mountain is well shown. The dark triangular mountain to the left is Tully Mountain (356m).

Point A: L766 587

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(Comment Rating 3.57) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

Picture: Doughruagh from Garraun S Top Expand pics.

by Colin Murphy 8 Jun 2008 Pic shows Doughruagh from Garraun South Top on a stunningly beautiful day in June.

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Short walk with superb views of the Bens

by three5four0 14 Jul 2010 Parked at Kylemore Abbey and paid to access the grounds, nearly choking at the price to do so. The gate, at the start of the path to the statue, now has a sign making it clear what the owners views are, on the subject of people progressing past the gate. Make up your own mind here.

After reaching the statue, with some ducking under fallen branches along the way, whilst trying to work out if Morans pub in Westport would except some pebbles from the side of Doughruagh or indeed those magic beans i had bought the previous evening in the bar, as payment for some Guinness later that evening, wifey point out we could stop in Gaynors on the way back to Westport and she would treat me to several pints, bliss! Another sign has, kindly, been placed just before the statue, just incase you missed the first one on the gate below.

We continued round the hillside on the excellent path, perhaps Irelands own (only?) balcony style path, to the col with Garraun and struck up hill, at around L760595 (Point B). We aimed for a point round L756594 (Point C), which gave us a steep but grassy ascent, with only a few rocks to avoid. As simon3 has commented, the summit area has many rocky knolls and small lochans, a challenge on a misty day, but interesting on a sunny one. The summit has an interesting addition to its cairn, the skull of a sheep! As you would expect, from a hill in these parts, the views are as extensive as they are superb and it's a fine place to eat your piece as well.

Point B: L760 595

Point C: L756 594

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