Birreencorragh: One of Mayo's Hidden Mountain Gems ⛅️

 “Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.”   

 Hermann Buhl

_{After months of lockdowns, travel restrictions, and staying close to home, the easing of COVID-19 restrictions finally gave me the opportunity to get back into the hills. Having spent far too much time indoors since Christmas, I was eager to swap four walls for open mountain views. Birreencorragh had been on my list for some time. I had read plenty of positive reports about the mountain, particularly about the spectacular views from its summit, so it seemed like the perfect choice for my first real adventure following the long hiatus.}

^{OSI 1/50000 General location of Birreencorragh}

Birreencorragh, or Birin Corrach in Irish, meaning "rocky little spike", lies about 30 km north of Castlebar in the Nephin Beg mountain range. Standing at 698 metres according to the OSI, it is crowned by a summit cairn, much like many of the mountains in this part of the country.While researching the route, I noticed that most people choose to approach the mountain from the south. This route has the added bonus of taking in Birreencorragh South Top along the way, which stands at 564 metres. Two summits for the price of one is always hard to turn down.With that in mind, I decided to follow suit and tackle Birreencorragh from the southern side myself.   

^{The Route that I followed. Up and Down the same way.}

    ^{Birreencorragh as seen from my house in Castlebar}

Route

On arriving at the Coillte forest, I decide to leave the car at a suitable spot near the road junction rather than drive all the way to the end of the forest track. From here, the climb begins immediately, and the going is tough. The steep ground is littered with felled trees, long grass, and hidden drainage ditches that make every step a little uncertain.Thankfully, once I pass spot height 336 and leave the forestry behind, the terrain begins to ease. The rough ground gives way to open mountainside and short sheep-grazed grass, making for much more pleasant walking. From here on, progress is steady, although the climb still demands plenty of effort.After some decidedly lung-bursting ascent, I reach Birreencorragh South Top at 564 metres. The hard work is quickly forgotten as I stop to take in the views. From this vantage point, the landscape of the Nephin Begs stretches out before me in all its wild beauty, providing the perfect reward for the effort of getting there.

  _{Birreencorragh South Top pictured from the Camp site}

  _{Birreencorragh South Top showing the full extent of the Glenlara ridge line pictured from the Summit of Birreencorragh}

There are several cairns scattered across Birreencorragh South Top, two of which are recorded on the Irish Monuments website. From the summit, I get my first real appreciation of the route ahead. The broad ridge of Glenlara stretches out in front of me, leading the eye towards Birreencorragh before curving gently around and rising once more towards the main summit.For me, this ridge is one of the highlights of the entire hike. The walking is easy and enjoyable, with dry ground underfoot and a gradual descent before the final climb begins. On either side, the views open up across the surrounding landscape, giving a wonderful sense of space and freedom. To the west and east, the mountains, valleys, and loughs of the Nephin Begs spread out in every direction, making it hard not to stop every few minutes to take it all in.I was fortunate with the weather on the day. Although conditions were a little hazy at times, the sunshine more than made up for it, and the ridge walk towards Birreencorragh was an absolute pleasure from start to finish.

^{Knockaffertagh with Nephin Mor in the background viewed from  South Top looking towards the East.}

^{Irish Monuments Website}

^{View from one of the Cairns on South Top looking towards the summit} 

My original plan had been to do the full Birreencorragh Loop, taking in Knockaffertagh and spending the night on the mountain. However, when I reached spot height 587, (marked as a campsite on the map) , I found the conditions much windier than I had expected. The thought of camping on the exposed summit no longer seemed like such a good idea. I stopped for a while and took stock of the situation. The spot where I was standing offered a good level place to pitch the tent, some shelter from the wind, and excellent views of the surrounding mountains. The more I looked around, the more it seemed like the ideal place to spend the night. Looking across towards the summit from my campsite, I also began to rethink my plans for Knockaffertagh. The ground between the two mountains looked steep, and with a full pack on my back, I felt it would be difficult going. There was no need to force it. Instead, I decided to leave that part of the walk until the following morning, when I could tackle it carrying only the essentials. In truth, the decision was an easy one. The sun was already beginning to sink towards the horizon, and the evening light was spreading across the mountains. With a good campsite secured for the night, I was free to relax, enjoy the scenery, and spend some time capturing the sunset before darkness finally settled over the Nephin Begs.

             _{Tent pitched about 100mts from the top.}

^{Home for the night}

^{Sun beginning to drop down on the horizon to the West.} 

^{A Red Sun pictured over Nephin Beg and Corslieve to the west.} 

 ^{Looking towards the two Corabinnias In the Mulranny direction.}

When I'm out on a trip like this, I always try to set aside some time for astrophotography. Unfortunately, the conditions were not on my side this time. Although the sky remained cloud-free throughout the night, the haze that had lingered all day showed no sign of lifting after dark. Added to that was a waxing gibbous moon, around 56% illuminated, whose bright light washed out much of the night sky.Under clearer conditions, I might still have had a chance of capturing the Milky Way despite the moonlight, but the combination of haze and moon glow made that impossible. It was a little disappointing, but that's all part of mountain photography, and sometimes the conditions simply don't cooperate. Not all was lost, however. While the stars refused to reveal themselves, the moon put on a show of its own. As it sank towards the horizon through the hazy night sky, I managed to capture a beautifully atmospheric image that, in many ways, became one of the highlights of the evening.

^{The Moon setting in the West.}

Sunrise the following morning was something special. As I emerged from the tent, I watched a narrow band of cloud stream up and over the summit from the south, moving with surprising speed, like a giant conveyor belt crossing the mountain. It was one of those moments that seemed almost unreal.At the same time, the sun was just beginning to clear the summit of Nephin, sending the first rays of light across the landscape. From my campsite below, I was perfectly positioned to watch the scene unfold and managed to capture a photograph at just the right moment.Then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, the cloud vanished. The mountain returned to stillness, leaving little evidence of the spectacle that had taken place only minutes before. I felt fortunate to have witnessed it firsthand. Experiences like these are impossible to plan for and are often the moments that stay with you long after a hike is over.

 ^{The Summit with the rapid moving layer of cloud.}

^{Sunrise looking towards the East and Nephin Mor. Croaghmoyle can be seen just about through the haze on the right.}

Once the sun was up and I had some breakfast, it was time to tackle the final 100 metres to the summit. The cloud that had put on such a display at sunrise had long since disappeared, although the haze remained. It was a beautiful morning nonetheless, with  blue skies and warm sunshine making for ideal climbing conditions. Leaving the camp behind, I set off carrying only my camera gear in a small backpack. From below, the final climb had looked a little intimidating. The steep slope and loose stones scattered across the mountainside gave the impression that it would be harder than it actually was. As I worked my way upwards, however, I found the ascent surprisingly straightforward. Before long, I was standing on the summit of Birreencorragh. As with many mountains in this part of the country, the highest point is marked by a substantial cairn. Interestingly, I could find no reference to it on the Irish Monuments Website, so I was unable to learn anything about its history or origins. Beside the cairn stands a small stone structure, little more than four low walls forming a basic shelter. It certainly did not look like the most comfortable place to sit out bad weather, but it has probably offered welcome protection to many hikers over the years. Whether the shelter dates from the same period as the cairn or is a more recent addition built by hillwalkers, I cannot say for certain. Either way, both structures add a sense of character to the summit and serve as reminders of the many people who have stood here before, taking in the same views across the wild landscape of the Nephin Begs.

Information added by Ger McGreal  in response to the above query,
 

“The Cairn you mention used to support a trig point on top which was knocked down about 15 years ago. I would imagine it was built in the 1930s. The bivy shelter has been added to throughout the years and is relatively new. It provides great shelter on a bad day for a snack. I've never over nighted there but have thought about it lol. The biggest drawback about birreencorragh is access if you have camping gear and it is a slog. There is an alternative route up from the Keenagh side which is long but less arduous.”

^{The Summit.}

^{The stone Cairn on top of Birreencorragh.}

 ^{Looking north from the Summit along the spur that leads down into Keenagh.}

With the summit reached and the photographs taken, there was only one job left to do. By placing a few additional stones on the cairn, I unofficially increased Birreencorragh's height from 698 metres to the much more respectable 700 metres. Naturally, this was done purely in the interests of preserving the cairn and had nothing whatsoever to do with my desire to stand on a 700-metre mountain!

^{GPS to prove it !!!}

 _{REMEMBER LEAVE NO TRACE !}

Carpe Diem