Exploring Slievemore's industrial past

We approached Ireland’s answer to Table Mountain via the Gleniff Valley along the western branch of the Horseshoe Road past Oughtagorey and the deserted shell of Gleniff School. It was a sunny mid-May morning in 2008 and we paused to admire the view of the NE face of the Belbulbin massif with its waterfalls leaping some 900 feet down over sheer cliffs. Of great interest are several prominent crevices, eroded faults in the rock that lead upwards to the plateau, and numerous dark holes that mark secret entrances, for this mountain harbours a warren of tunnels excavated in the quest for minerals. Barite was mined intermittently between the 1830s and 1979 leaving a wealth of industrial features that seem slightly incongruous in such a tranquil setting; the plateau is riddled with old mine workings so great care should be exercised when walking here, especially in poor visibility.

With the farmer’s kind permission (as access is restricted), we were able to walk up the old mine road that winds to the SE round the mountain. At Glencarbury where the road ends, there are some interesting features down slope dating from the 1940s including workshops, loading bays, a magazine, a sanitary block, a miners’ hostel and the rusting pylons of an aerial ropeway built to convey ore down the Glencar Valley. The shell of a concrete crusher building surrounded by waste rock can also be seen here dating from the 1970s when Ireland was Europe’s main producer of barite, as well as a grassed over settling pond just to the east and the Middle Portal (C (G7312 4530)), half blocked up with a metal pipe sticking out. With special kit we entered this to explore the accessible sections of the mine (over 1km in extent) with the permission of the DCENR.

We then headed uphill towards the summit of Slievemore, passing two excavated shafts and a deep crevice where mining upwards from an underground level has intersected the surface to form an unfenced chasm. From the summit incredible vistas emerge: the broad sweep of the horseshoe from Truskmore to Benwiskin, north to Donegal Bay and down the Gleniff Valley, with the winding road we had walked up lending a positively Alpine ambience. We then traversed the escarpment rim to abseil part way down a gully to the west of the summit (D (G7267 4641)). In the late 1800s a series of timber ladder-roads over 140ft high were erected here to transport the ore via cable and buckets to Gleniff from where it was carted to Ballintrillick for processing, quite a feat of engineering! We spotted a rusting sheave wheel from this era on a crag at the top of this gully.

We then headed back down towards Glencarbury inspecting Barton’s Boot (E (G7289 4582)), a 5m x 5m-wide unfenced open hole, presenting a significant hazard to the unwary, before retracing our route back down the mine road to our car, arriving some 8 hours later, dirty and hungry after a fascinating day. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/282/comment/4597/

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eflanaga on Annacoona Top

(Climbed Sunday 13th) From Benwiskin summit (see for second stage of walk) it is a case of retracing your steps the 1.4K to Spot Height 508m (F (G719 479)). From here a bearing of 167 degrees South for 1.4K should take you level with a u-shaped breach in the cliff face (G (G724 466)) with its framed picture of Oughtagorey & Gleniff far below (see picture). From here it’s a little over 500m on a bearing of 121 degrees SE to the summit of Slievemore crossing a fence on the way. The mist which had persistently masked the summits of Truskmore & Tievebaun throughout the day spread across to Slievemore as I made its summit further reducing visibility down into the valley. On my way to Slievemore (and roughly around 550m from Spot Height 508) I encountered a Celtic Cross sited on a newly made concrete plinth (H (G721 473)). A shovel, bucket and some straight edges lay nearby. The cross itself is obviously old and there is evidence of an inscription, sadly long faded and illegible on it. The front of the plinth appears to have a place for a plaque or plate. I wonder if it is commemorative in nature either for an individual or, perhaps, for victims of the Famine? Maybe it is associated with a Mass Rock or something. Can anyone shed any light on this? After reaching Slievemore I decided to make for home as there were not enough daylight hours left to make for Truskmore & Tievebaun. Maintaining a bearing of 247 degrees SW for 2.5K I then took a bearing of 281 degrees West which took me up and over the southern end of Benbulbin’s ridge and the steep descent to the track for the short walk back to the car. Overall, the Benbulbin-Benwiskin-Slievemore circuit was a little short of 17K. A most enjoyable walk despite the poor weather. On a better day it would have been spectacular! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/282/comment/2230/

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madfrankie on Annacoona Top

Unfortunately the gate giving access to the road that winds up to the summit of Truskmore was locked, so a slog on tarmac for twenty minutes was necessary.
The broad ridge connecting Truskmore and Slievemore has it's fair share of peat hags and bog, but visibility on this day was good. In bad weather you can pick up a double sheep fence that brings you up past some modest outcrops onto a broad plateau. The summit, unmarked and indistinct, has stupendous views of the cliffs that edge northward along the spur to Benwhiskin.
Incidently, there is an obvious 'top' on these cliffs which seems to be at least the same elevation as Slevemore, but strangely the map suggests it's some 30m lower. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/282/comment/1832/

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wicklore on Annacoona Top

Reaching Slievemore from Benbulbin involves a long slog across the bog. It was made somewhat more challenging by the amount of holes in the ground along the way. Many of these were several feet deep, some with steep sides. My photo shows one at I (G726 463), next to the fence near the summit of Slievemore. This one was about 20 feet deep and had steep sides, so a fall in here would be very dangerous. I don't know why the bog is littered with these holes, or whether they appear slowly or suddenly collapse.

To reach the summit of Slievemore involves crossing a sturdy wire fence, and there was none of the usual easy crossing spots. There is nothing to mark the actual summit, and this mountain is much better viewed from the ridge north to Benwiskin. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/282/comment/4090/

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wicklore on Annacoona Top

The cliffs at Slievemore give phenomenal views down into Gleniff valley. At J (G725 466) there is a fantastic feature where a circular section of the cliff collapsed at some time in the distant past. This gully gives a particularly satisfying view straight down into the valley below, framed by overhanging rock and sheer cliff face. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/282/comment/4092/

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