Galtymore or Galteemore () is a mountain in the province of Munster, Ireland. At , it is one of Ireland's highest mountains, being the 12th-highest on the Arderin list, and 14th-highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Galtymore has the 4th-highest topographic prominence of any peak in Ireland, which classifies Galtymore as a P600, or "major mountain". It is one of the 13 Irish Munros.
The Galtee mountains are formed from sandstone and shale and contain 24 peaks above . It runs east-west for between counties Tipperary and Limerick; Galtymore is the highest point of both counties. The mountain is accessed by hillwalkers via the 3–4 hour Black Road Route, but is also summited as part of the longer 5–6 hour Circuit of Glencushnabinnia, and the at least 10–hour east-to-west crossing of the entire range, called the Galtee Crossing, which is climbed annually in the Galtee Challenge.
The mountain and its deep corrie lakes are associated with various Irish folklore tales regarding Saint Patrick and serpents.
Naming
Irish academic Paul Tempan in his Irish Hill and Mountain Names Database (2010), listed "Galtymore" as the name for the peak, and "Galty Mountains" as the name for the range. This is anglicised from . "Galtymore" is recorded as early as the Civil Survey of Co. Tipperary (Down Survey, 1654–56) as a boundary feature of the barony of Clanwilliam. The peak is named "Galtymore Mountain" on the Ordnance Survey Ireland Discovery Map. The townland on its southern slopes is named Knocknagalty (Cnoc na nGaibhlte).Knocknagalty. Placenames Database of Ireland.
Some guidebooks and other publications suggest that the name "Galty" or "Galtees" is an anglicisation of Sléibhte na gCoillte (mountains of the forests). The 19th century diarist Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin recorded a different Irish name, Beann na nGaillti, and the names of three nearby places are derived from this: Glencoshnabinnia (P. W. Joyce, Irish Names of Places iii, 366), Slievecoshnabinnia and Carrignabinnia.
The range was historically named Sliabh gCrot (the hump mountains), anglicised as "Slievegrot"; or Crotta Cliach (the humps of Cliú), after the territory of Cliú.
The summit of Galtymore is marked as Dawson's Table, named after the Dawson-Massey family who were large landowners in the area (Tipperary Directory 1889), owning much of the land on and around the north section of the Galty range.
The area also originated Kerry Group's popular bacon food brand Galtee; and the term Galtee Mountains is still in common use.
Geology
The geology of the Galty Mountains is described as being Old Red Sandstone, from the Devonian period, and Silurian shales. Old Red Sandstone is also common in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range, and as well as having a purple–reddish colour, is also devoid of fossils.
The southern smooth slopes of the Galty range give way to a steep northern face, pocked with deep corries and their accompanying moraine lakes. The long central ridge of the Galtys, which runs for about in an east-west direction, was too high to be overridden by the inland ice-sheets, and although it resulted in the creation of small corrie glaciers, its summits are capped by tors formed from conglomerate rock (known as the Slievenamuck Conglomerate Formation).
Geography
The climbing guidebook writer Paddy Dillion said of the range: "the lofty Galty Mountains have forested flanks; and there is much heather, bogs, and steep slopes, but the effort is worth it and Galtymore is a splendid viewpoint".
The Galty (or "Galtee") Mountains are a broadly straight east-west grass-covered range with a central ridge section, stretching from Greenane in the east, to Temple Hill in the west. This central ridge section includes the highest peaks of Galtymore , Lyracappul , Carrignabinnia , and Slievecushnabinnia . Many of the peaks of the central section have a moderate topographical prominence, which means that the central ridge maintains a reasonably sustained height; an attractive feature for hill walkers.
The 24 peaks of the Galty range with a height above , and include 13 peaks with a height above , and five that are classified as Marilyns – being peaks with a prominence above . The Galtys are described as Ireland's highest "inland" range.
Galtymore and Galtybeg sit near the middle of the range and their north faces show evidence of glacial erosion with a number of deep corries, most of which are now occupied by loughs. Between Galtymore and Galtybeg lies Lough Diheen, while Lough Curra lies between Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia.
Galtymore is the 460th-highest mountain, and 12th most prominent mountain, in Britain and Ireland, on the Simms classification. Galtymore is regarded by the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) as one of 34 Furths, which is a mountain above in elevation, and meeting the other SMC criteria for a Munro (e.g. "sufficient separation"), and which are outside (or furth), of Scotland; this is why Carrauntoohil is also referred to as one of the thirteen Irish Munros. Galtymore's prominence qualifies it as a P600, which classes Galtymore as a "major" mountain in Britain and Ireland. Galtymore ranks as the 5th-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the prominence threshold is .
Hill walking
The most straightforward route to the summit of Galtymore is from the south via the 3–4 hour Black Road Route, which starts at the end of the Black Road car park () (accessed from the R639 road near the village of Skeheenarinky), and summits Galtybeg , before the main summit of Galtymore. It then retraces its route back to the Black Road car park.
The 5–6 hour Circuit of Glencushnabinnia, which follows a loop around Galtymore's deep northern corries at Lough Curra and Lough Dihneen, is described as the "connoisseur's route". It starts at the forest car park () near the Clydagh Bridge in the north, and climbs Cush , Galtybeg , Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia , before returning to the start (it can also be done anti–clockwise).
The annual Galtee Challenge organised by the Galtee Walking Club is the full , over 10-hour, east-to-west crossing of the range (also called the Galtee Crossing), and takes in all major peaks of the Galty Mountains. The challenge normally starts in Cahir in the east, and finishes in Anglesboro Village, in the west. Despite the distance, longer than the MacGillycuddy's Reeks Ridge Walk, the 10–hour estimate is reasonable as the variation in elevation is moderate.
List of peaks
The MountainViews Online Database list 24 Galty mountain peaks with an elevation, or height, above .
Peaks of the Galty Mountains (MountainViews Online Database, October 2018)HeightrankProm.rankNameIrish name (if different)TranslationHeight(m)Prom.(m)Height(ft)Prom.(ft)Topo.mapOSI GridReference11GaltymoreCnoc Mór na nGaibhltebig hill of the Galtys 918 898 3,011 2,946 7426 LyracappulLadhar an Chapaillfork/confluence of the horse 825 100 2,708 328 74322CarrignabinniaCarraig na Binnerock of the peak 823 27 2,700 88 7445GreenaneAn Grianánsunny spot 801 157 2,629 515 7459GaltybegCnoc Beag na nGaibhlteThe small hill of the Galtys 799 80 2,622 263 74616Greenane West—— 787 39 2,582 129 7473Temple HillCnoc an Teampaillhill of the church 783 188 2,569 617 74820SlievecushnabinniaSliabh Chois na Binnemountain beside the peak 775 28 2,542 92 74913KnockaterriffCnoc an Tairbhhill of the bull 692 51 2,269 168 741021Knockaterriff BegCnoc an Tairbh Beaghill of the little bull 679 28 2,229 91 74114CushCoisside/flank 641 176 2,104 578 74127MonabrackMóin Bhreacspeckled moor 630 94 2,067 308 741318LaghtshanaquillaLeacht Sheanchoilleburial monument of the old wood 629 36 2,065 118 741411KnockeenatoungCnoicín na Teangahill of the tongue 601 66 1,973 218 741523Lough Curra Mtn—— 600 23 1,970 75 741624Laghtshanaquilla North-East Top—— 598 19 1,962 62 741710KnockastakeenCnoc an Stáicínhill of the little stack 583 78 1,913 256 741814SturrakeenAn Starraicín"the pointed peak" or "the steeple" 542 46 1,777 151 74198BenardAn Bhinn Ardthe high peak 480 85 1,573 277 742012Slieveanard NE Top—— 449 64 1,471 210 742115SeefinSuí FinnFionn's seat 447 42 1,465 136 742217Seefin N Top—— 444 39 1,457 128 742319SlieveanardSliabh an Airdmountain of the height 438 33 1,436 108 74242SlievenamuckSliabh Muicemountain of the pig 369 234 1,211 768 66
Summit
Galtymore's summit is described a large concave plateau separated by two peaks. The plateau consists of Old Red Sandstone and is known as Dawson's Table after the historical landowners, the Dawson-Massey family. This is similar to Percy's Table on the summit of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in County Wicklow and Leinster. There is a cairn on top of each peak and the eastern one marks the true summit of Galtymore. These twin summits give Galtymore a distinctive profile from a distance. The summit of Galtymore marks the boundary of Limerick and Tipperary.
In 1975, a white reinforced-iron cross was erected on the north edge of Dawson's Table by Tipperary local Ted Kavanagh. The cross is situated a few metres away from the eastern summit cairn and looks into the glen of Aherlow. It required carrying around half a ton of material up the mountain to build, and is kept white by being painted every year. The steel cross replaced an earlier wooden cross which was erected in 1954 by a local group of climbers, and which by the 70s had fallen into disrepair.
To the west of the summit of Galtymore lies a dry stone wall known as the Galtee Wall, that was built in 1878 to separate the Dawson-Massey Estate in the north, from the Galtee Castle Estate in the south. It is recorded that it took 30–40 men more than 4 years to complete the wall, and that the reason for its construction was to give employment to local small farmers during a period of economic depression (hence why is it also called a famine wall). The Galtee Wall runs from below the west summit of Galtymore, across the top of Slievecushnabinnia, the top of Carrignabinnia, and on to the summit of Lyracappul, the second-highest peak in the Galtees.
Folklore
The mountains appear in Irish folk tales, and the deep corrie lakes of the Galtys were believed to be enchanted. In early Irish literature, the mountains are called [Sliab] Crotta Cliach (the [mountain] humps of Cliú), which was the name of the surrounding territory. As can also mean a celtic harp, the name was interpreted as "mountains of Cliach's harps", and there is a tale of a legendary harper called Cliach playing his harps in the mountains to woo an otherworldly woman who lived in the summit cairn on Slievenamon. After failing, he plays his two harps together, and the hill bursts open and forms a lake. This lake is Lough Muskry, which is named after the Múscraige people that lived in the south of Ireland.