Benbrack (Irish: Binn Bhreac, meaning 'Speckled Peak')[2] at 582 metres (1,909 ft), is the 251st–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale;[3] while it does not have the elevation to be a Vandeleur-Lynam, it has the prominence to rank as a Marilyn.[4][5] Benbrack is situated on its own small massif to the north of the core Twelve Bens mountain range in the Connemara National Park in Galway, Ireland. It is the 10th-tallest of the core Twelve Bens, and is linked by a deep col to Muckanaght, which is itself attached by a high ridge to the tallest mountain of the Twelve Bens range, Benbaun at 729 metres (2,392 ft).[5][6]

Benbrack
Binn Bhreac
South face of Benbrack viewed from Muckanaght, with col of Maumnascalpa at right
Highest point
Elevation	582 m (1,909 ft) [1]
Prominence	264 m (866 ft) [1]
Listing	Marilyn, Arderin
Coordinates	53.537986°N 9.862684°W / 53.537986; -9.862684 [1]
Naming
English translation	speckled peak
Language of name	Irish
Geography
Benbrack Location in Ireland
Location	Galway, Ireland
Parent range	Twelve Bens
OSI/OSNI grid	L7655855818
Topo map	OSi Discovery 37
Geology
Type of rock	Pale quartzites, grits, graphitic top bedrock[1]

Naming

The name is most likely derived from the lumps of quartzite stones and boulders that are strewn across the summit of Benbrack.[2]

Geography

Benbrack sits on its own small massif, with Benbaun and the large massif of the core Twelve Bens lying to the south, connected via a deep col called Maumnascalpa to the Bens of Muckanaght 654 metres (2,146 ft) and Benfree 638 metres (2,093 ft); to the north is Kylemore Lough (and Kylemore Abbey), and across the Lough is the massif of Garraun, which is part of the wider Twelve Bens/Garraun Complex Special Area of Conservation.[6][7]

To the west of Benbrack, at the end of a long spur, is the subsidiary, and similarly named summit of Knockbrack at 442 metres (1,450 ft) (Irish: Cnoc Breac, meaning "speckled hill"). To the north of Benbrack, is the other subsidiary summit of Benbaun, at 447 metres (1,467 ft), which can confused with the larger 729-metre Benbaun to the south, and therefore its other Irish language place name Irish: Maolán (meaning "knoll"), can be used instead.[5][7]

Benbrack lies at the intersection of two major U-shaped valleys, with Glencorbet to the east, and Polladirk to the west (Polladirk can be viewed from a popular scenic viewpoint on the summit of Diamond Hill).[6][5] To the northwest of Benbrack, is the small valley and river of Mweelin Irish: Mweelin, around which Knockbrack, Benbrack and Benbaun (477 m) form a small horseshoe, popular with walkers.[8]

Hill walking

The most straightforward route to climb Benbrack is a 5-kilometre 2.5-hour round-trip via its subsidiary peak of Benbaun, starting and ending at the car-park in Kylemore Abbey (L747583); this route can be expanded into the 7-kilometre 3.5 hour Mweelin Horseshoe, by descending via Knockbrack.[6][8][9]

Benbrack is also climbed as part of the Glencorbet Horseshoe, a 14-kilometre 6–7 hour circuit of Kylemore River, usually done counter-clockwise, which takes in the peaks of Benbaun (477 metres), Benbrack, Muckanaght (optional), Benfree, Benbaun (729 metres), and ending at Knockpasheemore.[10][7][11]

Gallery

• 
  Polladirk Valley with Benbrack and Knockbrack to the left, as viewed from Diamond Hill
• 
  Summit of Knockbrack as viewed from the col with Benbrack
• 
  View northwest to Killary Harbour, from the summit of Benbrack

Bibliography

• Fairbairn, Helen (2014). Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848892118.
• MountainViews Online Database (Simon Stewart) (2013). A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins. Collins Books. ISBN 978-1-84889-164-7.
• Paul Phelan (2011). Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848891029.
• Dillion, Paddy (2001). Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0002201216.
• Dillion, Paddy (1993). The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits. Cicerone. ISBN 978-1852841102.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benbrack.

• Twelve Bens
• Mweelrea, major range in Killary Harbour
• Maumturks, major range in Connemara
• Lists of mountains in Ireland
• List of Marilyns in the British Isles

References

External links

• MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website, Benbrack
• MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database
• The Database of British and Irish Hills , the largest database of British Isles mountains ("DoBIH")
• Hill Bagging UK & Ireland, the searchable interface for the DoBIH