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Croaghaun

Not to be confused with Croghan Hill.
For Croaghaun in the Blackstairs Mountains, see Croaghaun, County Carlow.

Croaghaun
Highest point
Elevation688 m (2,257 ft)[1]
Prominence688 m (2,257 ft)[1]
Parent peakNone
ListingP600, Marilyn, Hewitt
Coordinates53°58′52″N 10°12′14″W / 53.981°N 10.204°W / 53.981; -10.204
Naming
English translationlittle stack
Language of nameIrish
Geography
Croaghaun is located in island of Ireland
Croaghaun
Croaghaun
Location in Ireland
LocationCounty Mayo, Ireland
Parent rangeAchill Island
OSI/OSNI gridF553060

Croaghaun (Irish: Cruachán) is a mountain on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland. At 688 metres (2,257 ft), it has the highest sea cliffs in Ireland,[2] as well as the third highest sea cliffs in Europe (after Hornelen, Norway, and Cape Enniberg, Faroe Islands).

Geography

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Comparison of cliffs in Europe

Croaghaun is the most westerly peak of Achill Island, and its highest mountain. Its cliffs lie on the northern slope of the mountain. The cliffs at Croaghaun can only be seen by hiking around or to the summit of the mountain, or from the sea. They are part of a sequence of sheer rock faces which start south of Keem Bay and loop around the uninhabited north-west of the island, by Achill Head and Saddle Head, and east to Slievemore, occasionally dropping vertically into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Nature

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The Croaghaun cliffs are home to two families of peregrine falcons (RTÉ, 2008). September and October are the best time to see the fastest creatures on Earth here, as they teach their young to fly. Metamorphic, quartz-laden gems may be observed, along with Mediterranean heathers and the waters of the Atlantic. It is common to see schools of bottlenose dolphins and basking sharks, once a source of revenue for Achill Island (BBC, 2009). Porpoises are found in large numbers. Orcas, humpback whales, and other whales have been sighted.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Achill & Corraun Area NW: Croaghaun Subarea". Mountainviews. Croaghaun.
  2. ^ Clarke, Harold (1970). Ireland in Color. New York: Viking Press, p. 108. ISBN 978-0-670-40093-5
  3. ^ Majella Loftus (24 September 2008). "World's largest animal spotted off Achill Island". Western People. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011. A RARE sighting of a blue whale, the planet's largest living animal, was recorded off Achill Island last week.
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Media related to Croaghaun at Wikimedia Commons