Slieve Gallion
| Slieve Gallion | |||
| County Londonderry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Slieve Gallion from the southwest | |||
| Range: | Sperrins | ||
| Summit: | 1,732 feet H8188 54°43’48"N, 6°45’36"W | ||
Slieve Gallion is a mountain in the Sperrins, in County Londonderry. By road, it is 4 miles from Moneymore, 8 miles from Cookstown, and 8 miles from Magherafelt.
Slieve Gallion is the eastern limit of the Sperrin Mountains It has 2 peaks: the southwestern peak at Glenarudda Mountain and Tintagh Mountain reaches a height of 1,732 feet while the northeastern peak reaches a height of 1,627 feet. The mountain is part of the parishes of Desertmartin, Lissan and Ballinascreen.
The name is from the Irish language: Sliabh gCallann means "mountain of the heights"[1])
Landscape and nature
To the west, the landscape consists of blanket bog and coniferous forest;[2] most of the trees in the Slieve Gallion area are Sitka spruce.[3] There are also lodgepole pine trees, as well as oak towards the south of the area. Animal species living in the area include the Irish hare (a sub-species of the mountain hare[4]), the curlew, and the red grouse. The otter can also be found around nearby rivers.[3] Slieve Gallion is classed by the Northern Ireland Planning Service as an area of "High Scenic Value".[5]
Peat formed at Slieve Gallion in the early Holocene period, around 10,000 years ago.[6] The radiocarbon dating of pollen has shown that there were plants in the area 10,000 years ago. 7,000 ago, the number of alder trees steeply increased.[6] In recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of sheep grazing in the area, as well as an increase in mountain biking and hill walking, contributing to erosion.[6]
Geology and the hand of man
Slieve Gallion is in origin a volcanic plug.[2] The mountain is formed from volcanic-derived igneous rock, and also granite on the southern slopes. It is steep, and has a flat top.
There is a telecommunications mast on the northeastern summit.
Sport
A challenge walk/run from the village of Moneymore to the summit of Slieve Gallon took participants through idyllic countryside such as Cairndaisy glen and the Postmans Way. This sadly ended a number of years ago. More recently a mountain race from the foot of Inniscarn Forest to the summit and back has become an annual event which normally takes place on the last Saturday of September or the first Saturday of October. Organised under the Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association, this event attracts some of Northern Ireland's top athletes and hosted the British & Ireland Junior Mountain Running Championships in October 2006.
References
- ↑ "Slieve Gallion". Mountain Views. http://mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?mtnindex=398. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Environment & Heritage Service - Slieve Gallion Landscape". Environment and Heritage Service. http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/landscape/country_landscape/41/41-land.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Environment & Heritage Service - Slieve Gallion Biodiversity Profile". Environment and Heritage Service. http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/landscape/country_landscape/41/41-bio.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ↑ "Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus)". Environment and Heritage Service. http://www.peatlandsni.gov.uk/wildlife/mammals/irish_hare.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ↑ "Drafy Magherafelt Area Plan 2015". Planning Service NI. http://www.planningni.gov.uk/AreaPlans_Policy/Plans/Magherafelt/draft_plan/03countryside1_pfv.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Slieve Gallion Londonderry". National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland. 2003. http://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.asp?item=105. Retrieved 2008-05-17.