I climbed Bengorm on a clear, sunny day in May as a way of reaching the higher target of Corranabinnia. During the whole walk of 6.5 hours, my only human encounters were on the lower slopes of the mountain: a man working turf near the spot where I parked in Glendahurk and two ladies finishing their climb of Bengorm around midday as I was just 20 minutes into my walk. For the rest of the day I was entirely on my own, which seems to be common in these remote hills of the Nephin Beg Range. After heading east on a track climbing gently out of Glendahurk, I turned north towards Bengorm on a path through the turf cuttings in the townland of Oghilees.

Apparently this part of the range, the hills immediately north of the Newport to Mulranny road (N59) are known locally as the Oghilees Mountains according to Fiachra Mac Gabhann's Logainmneacha Mhaigh Eo. I thought the path would fizzle out as I left the turf cuttings behind, but it was more distinct than expected and was waymarked with posts pointing towards a mass rock. Alone? Well, not quite. There was a congregation of sorts at the mass rock, a small flock of sheep, which all dispersed and fled as I arrived but for one. I thought it might be injured or trapped between boulders, but it did eventually stir and seemed fine. The mass rock had a stone altar and was in good condition, so it seems to be visited regularly. Further up the ridge, around the 380m mark where it levels off briefly, I had another encounter.

I became aware of a bird of prey circling nearby and calling in alarm. It didn't take long to realise that the danger which it was trying to warn off was myself. I couldn't identify it exactly at the time, but I noticed that the wings were bent like an elbow so that the wing-tips were swept back at almost 45 degrees. I found out later that this is typical of the silhouette of a peregrine falcon. I stopped briefly to video it with my phone, though the video was more useful as a sound record of the call than for the visuals, as the bird appeared as a mere speck. However, I was able to identify this later as the alarm call of a peregrine falcon. I was a good 50 metres away from the edge on the Glennamong (E) side, but obviously close enough to its nest to be treated as a threat. Not wanting to cause the bird undue distress, I moved on as fast as was feasible on the steepish ground. I reached the summit of Bengorm in just under 2 hours and after a brief break continued to Corranabinnia. Magnificent views into Glennamong (the valley), E to Buckoogh and S to Clew Bay. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/309/comment/23565/