Mount Brandon
Mount Brandon or Brandon (Irish: Cnoc Bréanainn, meaning 'Brendan's hill'), at 952 metres (3,123 ft), is one of the ten highest peaks in Ireland, being the 8th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list, and the 9th–highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Brandon is the highest Irish mountain outside the MacGillycuddy's Reeks range and has the greatest prominence of any Irish peak except Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain.
| Mount Brandon (and the Brandon Group) | |
|---|---|
Mount Brandon photographed from Brandon Peak, with its distinctive east–west contrast. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 951.7 m (3,122 ft) |
| Prominence | 934 m (3,064 ft) |
| Parent peak | Carrauntoohil |
| Isolation | 26.7 miles (43.0 km) |
| Listing | P600, Marilyn, Furth, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam |
| Coordinates | 52°14′06″N 10°15′16″W |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Cnoc Bréanainn |
| English translation | Brendan's hill |
| Geography | |
Mount Brandon (and the Brandon Group) | |
| Parent range | Brandon Group |
| OSI/OSNI grid | Q4604211605 |
| Topo map | OSI Discovery 70 |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Devonian |
| Mountain type | Purple sandstone & siltstone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Saint's Route (Cosán na Naomh) |
Mount Brandon is at the centre of a long high ridge called the Brandon Group range of mountains in the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. The ridge contains seven other major peaks (i.e. above 2,000 ft in height); one is the similarly named Brandon Peak (840 metres). The positioning and dimensions of the Brandon Group ridge have made it the scene of several air accidents over the years. The mountain, and range, is named after Saint Brendan, and is the end of a Christian pilgrimage trail known as Cosán na Naomh. It is also well regarded for hill walking with routes such as the 4–5-hour Faha Route (also called The Pilgrim's Path), and the 6–7-hour traverse of the entire range known as "one of the finest ridgewalks in Ireland".