Birreencorragh is situated at the apex of the Glendorragha Valley off the R317 from Newport. The faces the mountain presents to the south and to the north west are particularly spectacular, while it slopes gently enough along a narrow ridge directly north and curls northeastwards towards Knockaffertagh to encircle the valley. The summit has the broken base of a trig pillar and a circular stone shelter.

The best approaches are from the south beginning from the Coillte forest at the mouth of the valley. There are parking places here, at G042 027 A and G035 024 B, a good way along forest tracks from the road. From the second of these spaces head north up a grassy rise towards sh336, west to Birreencorragh South Top and north to Birreencorragh itself. It should take under 1.5hours to the top.

For the full circuit of Glendorragha, head north from the summit to sh646 and then north east, following the lip of the valley towards Knockaffertagh. Descending from here can be tricky. One option is to head south to the top of a gully at around G047 041 C. From here you can thread down the gully and through the scree patches carefully to the floor of the valley. A safer way would be to head east from Knockaffertagh onto the obviously gentler ground and contour down from there. Enter the forest around G048 031 D - the ground is a bit soft at first, and follow the tracks back to the car. Allow 5 to 6 hours for the circuit. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/112/comment/4872/

Finally got to climb this beautiful remote peak. Thanks to MV contributors and Google satellite I found a great way up by driving to point B and parking at a turning point with a closed gate straight aheaad. (note: my ford focus managed the rough track sub 20km/hour). A steep grassy strip to the right of a new wire fence gets you up through the trees to th open mountainside. A lung busting start to a very pleasant hill walk.
Unfortunately I did not have enough daylight to take on the horseshoe back via Knockaffertagh. There and back was a comfortable 3 hours. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/112/comment/20326/

Approach to Birreencorragh was from the col with Glenlara to the S. This gives a great appreciation of the very steep E slopes, partially covered in scree, dropping down into Glendorragha. As climb the distinctive form of Clare Island becomes perfectly framed between the hills of Buckoogh and Bengorm. The NW ridge drops down off the main ridge and it is well worth the short detour for another view of this many faced mountain. As near the summit the ground becomes scree covered which gets larger for the last section. At the top there is the remains of a trig pillar and a shelter cairn where i had a bite to eat out of the wind. There is an even more expansive view from here as to that described from Glenlara - can now see Croughaun and Menawn on Achill to add to Slievemore, the Sligo mtns are also now visible beyond Nephin along with the Bluestacks in Donegal and more of the hills to the SW in Connemara. With the clarity of visibility I could see the beginnings of hills to the SE - Wicklow? Drop down N along the broad ridge, the ground levels and becomes very stoney as you pass three small cairns. When reach the fourth cairn, topped by a white rock, can either continue along the N ridge or turn to the NE and drop down, again a broad and stoney ridge as you head straight for the bulk of Nephin. Pass 2 more marker cairns, at the second head E and drop down gently at first but then more steeply to the col with Knockaffertagh. Birreencorragh is a fantastic mountain and the horse shoe walk lets you glimpse all of its facets - it is quite different from the various compass points. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/112/comment/1965/

I relived the opening scene from The English Patient, flying low and steady over the desert south of Birreencorragh.Sadly the transport wasn't a Tiger Moth, nor was my headpiece particularly Fiennes. The drone was merely the computer's fan, and the windscreen was framing Google Earth software. Still I was drawn back to that morning in June when I stole out at first light and drove on empty roads to the southern base, ascended a wet grassy step, galloped along the spine of the beast that slept at her feet, and then , gloriously, was assumed body and soul onto the heavenly peak. I saw Nephin peeping sheepishly from behind Knockaffertagh, and Lough Conn shimmered and seemed suspended high in the air. To the south west lay Clew bay and the thousand frozen whales stopped momentarily on a seaward trajectory. Alone , without Map, compass, GPS, whistle,food or oxygen; alone on the awesome south face of Birreencorragh :"this most excellent canopy, the
air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical
roof fretted with golden fire". Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/112/comment/1850/

The approach to the summit from the western slopes is fairly steep and rocky; we tackled it as part of a Glenlara - Birreencorragh - Knockaffertagh horseshoe. The summit area itself is rocky and consists of a windbreak fashioned from these rocks and what looks like a demolished trig pillar in the middle of a large stone cairn. Unfortunately the summit was fog-bound when we reached it, so this picture is from the SW near Glenlara. If planning to do this horseshoe, be extra careful in the fog. There are two spurs north of the summit, and you need to take the right-hand one. We misjudged and ended up with an hour's detour to get back on course! Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/112/comment/1254/

Once we got below the cloud ceiling, there were some nice views to be had. This shot shows the valley at the centre of the Glenlara - Birreencorragh - Knockafertagh horseshoe, with Beltra Lough in the background. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/112/comment/1255/