The Trig is the Top!

Of the January 2014 Binnion additions this has to be one of the best and well done to those who added it. Of those who have been out there early doors I hope that you visited the trig point, as this is the true summit and not the one initially marked down as such!

I accessed the summit using the way marked Annalough Loop starting at the car park of Fitzpatricks restaurant and bar. If using this way marked trail to access the summit you can start here, or there is an easier access point from the stile at AnLoughn (J13084 10063), which is higher above sea level and a shorter trip to the top, it has ample car parking and will make your walk a bit shorter. By using the Annaloughan Loop, whether walking all or part of it, just off it is the site of a 1942 Plane Crash which claimed 15 victims. It was the most tragic crash in Ireland in the entire WWII/Emergency period, of which there were many, although despite this it is one of the lesser known crashes to have happened in our hills! The memorial to the crash is beside a rocky outcrop at A (J13113 08998). The best account that I have found of it online is on the link below and I would suggest that you have a read of same before setting out for the hill.
http://www.skynet.ie/~dan/temp/al577/AL577_MOReilly.pdf
The legs of the plane can still be seen in the nearby bog, but I will leave it to those who read the article to ascertain where! The area around here is wet under foot and from here you can take a bearing towards the summit.

There is another point of interest on the way marked loop! Although not as aesthetically outstanding as the many neolithic tombs in this area, the Rockmarshall court tomb is probably the oldest of them all! It is marked on the OSi map and the remnants of it can be found at C (J12500 08000). While I'm mentioning neolithic tombs in the area, you really should check out Proleek Dolmen and it's impressive 40 tonne capstone which is a gentle stroll out the back of the grounds of the nearby Ballymascanlon hotel.

This is an area that has produced some of Louth and Ireland's greatest sport stars in recent years, the nearby Gaelic Football Club has been the most successful in Louth for the past decade. Their finest product being Paddy Keenan, Louth's first All Star and International player. While the brothers Kearney, both recent winners of the rugby six nation championship, are from just a few miles further out the road! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1119/comment/15934/

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Interesting views from a minor summit.

While it's never going to be hard to climb a 310m hill, this one does put up something of a fight when approaching it from the North, with defenses of mush rush, barbed gorse and little tracks.
The view from the top is interesting. The summit sits like the focus of the gigantic mirror of the Carnavaddy to Slieve Foye Cooley Ridge and thus affords a great overview of this ridge.
The attached photo however shows about 100 degrees of the land to the west of the summit. To the right of this is the little appreciated ridge to the south west of Clermont Carn which ends in the grandly named "The Castle", 384m.
To the left of the picture is Dundalk with coastal features such as Soldier's Point.
Right of centre is Slieve Gullion with some of the remains of the volcanic ring dyke such as Croslieve and Feede Mountain visible. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1119/comment/18837/

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History on the hills.

15 airmen lost their lives on this hill in 1942. There is a memorial mentioned in Harry Goodman's comment and an excellent website for further info on dp_burke's comment. What I wasn't expecting and stumbled upon was the landing gear of that fateful plane still sitting on the hillside. A little time to reflect on those that have gone before does not go amiss. It's also worth noting the permanence of the mountains compared to our short time on them. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1119/comment/17810/

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Pleasant 90 Minute Stroll

A blanket of cloud covered the higher Cooleys from Foxe's Rock to Foye but Slievenagloch was in the clear - happy days! Lots of logging activity at 9.30 of a Monday morning, so no space to park at A as it was full of lorries. Room for one car at the roadside directly opposite the stile mentioned in Harry Goodman's post, so parked there and set off as per Harry's instructions. Went to the trig but also visited the cairn (just in case!). Making your way down from the trig and up to the cairn glance to the south: a beautiful little triangular lough lies hidden between two shoulders of the mountain.
From the cairn you can make a beeline down to the road to emerge roughly at Point G. Slievenagloch is a bit wet in places but lots of sheep trails and other little paths take the strain out of what is a pleasant mountain diversion. Back at the car in under an hour and a half. However I'll have to go to Specsavers now as I failed to spot either a plaque or a plane wreck. Maybe next time ... Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1119/comment/20336/

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Liberator AL577 on 16 March 1942

I am trying to complete a page on the Crash of Liberator AL577 on 16 March 1942.
the link is at: http://skynet.ie/~dan/war/al577.htm Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1119/comment/15963/

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