Galtymore
| Galtymore | |||
| County Limerick, County Tipperary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Galtymore | |||
| Range: | Galtee Mountains | ||
| Summit: | 3,015 feet R878238 52°21’58"N, 8°10’46"W | ||
Galtymore or Galteemore is a mountain on the border between the counties of Limerick and Tipperary, within the Galtee Mountains (or "Galty Mountains"). At a height of 3,015 feet, Galtymore is the highest point of both of those counties.
The mountain's name is from the Irish language, in which it is called Cnoc Mór na nGaibhlte, meaning "Big Hill of the Galtys".
The Galty Mountains are reckoned to be the highest range in an inland county of Ireland, an island whose mountains tend to cluster in a ring around the coast, and Galtymore is the only inland county peak to exceed 3,000 feet, a height which qualifies it as a "Furth Munro". It is indeed one of only two mountains of Ireland outside Kerry to exceed 3,000 feet.
The townland that covers the southern face of Galtymore is called Knocknagalty.
Lie of the land
Galtymore sits near the middle of the Galty mountain ridge which runs east-west. To the east of Galtymore is Galtybeg (2,621 feet) and to the west is Slievecushnabinnia (2,513 feet).
The slopes of Galtymore are steep but the summit is broad, rounded and rocky. This is due to the constant freeze-thaw action experienced by the summit during the ages and the effect of the Ice Age. The north face shows much evidence of glacial erosion. It harboured a number of corries formed by glaciers, in the floor of most of which are loughs.
Lough Diheen lies between Galtymore and Galtybeg, white Lough Curra lies between Galtymore and Slievecushnabinnia.
Ascent
Galtymore is not a difficult mountain to climb (no special equipment is needed), but the Galtees are steeper than many Irish mountains and the north face is often snow-covered in the winter months. A popular starting point for the ascent of Galtymore is the "Black Road" which can be accessed from the N8 Dublin to Cork road near the village of Skeheenarinky.