slieve league

#SlieveLeague #Donegal #Ireland #hike
Rising almost 2000 ft / 598 m from the Atlantic Ocean, Slieve League is known as one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. There is no doubt that it is one of the most magnificent views in Ireland.

Slieve League is almost three times the height of its Clare cousins, the Cliffs of Moher and whilst standing at the viewing point on the Cliff an amazing sea vista and landscape opens up before your eyes. From this point you can see across Donegal Bay to neighboring counties Leitrim, Sligo and Mayo and when looking out to the west the view is of the vast Atlantic ocean as far as the eye can see. From the North West you will be able to see Rathlin O’Byrne Island and Glencolmcille. At the base of the Cliffs you need to look out for the ‘Giants Desk and Chair’ which is a key part of history.

Aswell as these magnificent views, Slieve League and its surrounding areas are enriched with years of local history and heritage. From Slieve League, you can see Benbulbin which has megalithic tombs and mythical links as far back as Finn McCool. Below Knoch na Rí at Carrowmore is where you can find one of the oldest and largest of the Neolithic cemeteries in Europe which dates back as far as 3200 BC. Between Slieve League and the shoreline in Sligo is where you will find Inishmurry which was home to the early Celtic Christian monks. Moving further along the coast in County Mayo is the little port of Killala which is the location of the French landing in 1798. The French came to help the United Irish men in their rebellion against the British crown at the time. Unfortunately, the French were unable to succeed and they made peace and sailed back to France.

A little closer to home at Carrigan Head, you can see one of the Signal Towers which was built by the British to watch out for the return of the French. At the top of Slieve League is where you can find one of the early Christian monastic sites where the remains of Ade McBric’s chapel can still be seen. Alongside the chapel there are also remains of the monks stone dwellings or ‘beehive huts’ as they are known.

A walk across ‘One Man's Path’ is where you will find a trig point which is placed atop an ancient structure which is of unknown origin. Slieve League is known as a sacred mountain which held Christian Pilgrimages for over a thousand years. It is important to remember this fact whilst visiting Slieve League as to not disturb these monuments of Irish cultural heritage.

During WW2 the South of Ireland remained neutral but made some agreements with the Allies. One of which was the ‘Donegal Corridor’. This meant that Allied aircrafts could fly from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland out over the Atlantic in a ‘free fly zone’. The word Éire was placed in stone on headlands around Donegal to act as a navigation aid. Here at Slieve League, you can still see one of these Éire signs beside the car park at the viewing point. Years ago the stones were placed on the ground to spell Éire and painted bright white but now many of them have become slightly overgrown and not as noticeable. There is also another one on the way down from the Cliffs.