wicklore on Mount Oriel

I took a side trip to Mount Oriel as I headed up to the Cooley peninsula yesterday. I followed paulocon’s directions and turned at the Campus garage in the village of Collon. 2 miles up this road brings you to the service lane (A (N977 831)) which heads up to the top of the hill. I was able to drive up the service lane to the gate which leads out onto the summit field. The summit is a grassy field with six masts and service buildings around its perimeter. In the field were frolicking lambs, and several large deciduous trees dot the landscape. The trig pillar (B (N981 832)) is atop a large barrow, with another smaller barrow next to it. Because Mount Oriel is relatively isolated there are expansive views across the plains to the south and east. Views to the north were somewhat restricted by some trees and communications towers at the edge of the field. If you can ignore the encroaching forest of masts the summit is actually a nice place with a peaceful feeling to it.

I came across an explanation for the name ‘Oriel’ on http://www.mythicalireland.com/highman/places-mount-oriel.html. They say that it comes from ‘Ór Giall’, the "golden hostages", an ancient kingdom which stretched from Louth to Donegal. They say Mount Oriel is the highest of the "Ferrard Hills". Ferrard (fear ard) means ‘High Man’, and apparently there is a gigantic outline of a warrior called the High Man wielding a sword spread across the Meath/Louth landscape. The image is outlined by the road network in the area. The website mythicalireland.com shows this image. Just click on 'High Man' at the top of the page. Apparently much of the area covered by the High Man can be seen from the summit of Mount Oriel. They also say Mount Oriel is lined up with the Hill of Slane, Realtoge and Tara. Isn’t it amazing what powerful mythology could lie behind such an obscure hill! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1002/comment/3742/

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Beware of the livestock!

Following in wicklore's footsteps, I accessed Mount Oriel from the same service track mentioned in his comment. Note that I wouldn't take a normal family car up this track, as some of the potholes are now quite deep and the track is becoming quite eroded in places. There isn't really anywhere to park on the main road, so perhaps a better idea might be to park in Collon and walk up from there to make something of a walk of the experience.

Cows had replaced the frolicking lambs of wicklore's serene scene, and not thinking much of it, I went through the gate and up to the trig pillar. The bovines seemed to be paying me a lot more attention to me than I'd ever experienced previously, and before I knew it I was surrounded by a group of increasingly agitated and aggressive cows. GPS reading taken, and after firing a quick few shots off on the camera, I beat a retreat, which quickly deteriorated into a panicked rout, with me being knocked off my feet by the most aggressive of the cows.

I managed to escape relatively unscathed, leaping over the fence with greater energy than I would have thought possible, but the whole incident was quite frightening, all the more because it was so unexpected. If there are any cattle farmers reading this, after you've finished chuckling at me, the hapless townie being chased off the land by a herd of cows, I'd be interested to hear if this is a common occurance. I don't normally walk through livestock fields anyway, so wouldn't have a whole lot of experience of cows close-up. I certainly won't be doing it again! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1002/comment/5933/

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Only when it's a clear day

Parked near the service lane entrance, room for maybe two cars on the grass verge. Thankfully the cattle mentioned in another comment were in an enclosed field and not at the suummit! The sheep were back around the trig - a simple walk of maybe 15 minutes max from the car to trig and back. Worth it for the views, despite the trees and masts. For this reason would recommend it only on a day when the air is good and the horizons clear. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1002/comment/18118/

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paddyhillsbagger on Mount Oriel

Just a warning to fellow walkers. Took this snap on 5th March with Mount Oreil trig tantalisingly close behind shut gate. There were workmen nearby so I asked about access and was given the go-ahead so didn't ring the number. Not sure what the official response will be.
Lovely views across to Cooley where I'd done Slieve Foye earlier in the day. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1002/comment/4510/

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paulocon on Mount Oriel

Being the closest peak to me that's listed on MountainViews, it's somewhere I am pretty familiar with. Mount Oriel is less a mountain, more a big ugly hill that is home to several communications towers and masts. The hill is accessible by heading West at the petrol station in the village of Collon, County Louth (on the main Dublin/Derry Road). The masts are visible on the right-hand side around 1/4 of a mile up the road. The peak is accessed via a short walk (5 minutes) over the service laneway at the top of the hill. The Cooley Mountains are visible from the top but the view is pretty average. Not worth a visit unless you are looking for an easy and quick way to up your 'summit count'. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1002/comment/3347/

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