BSW2 12. Grey Mare's tail
Nov 03, 2021, 01:45 PM
Speaker: Patsy McNulty
From the Bluestack Way Part 2 playlist.
Patrick Campbell wrote that the menfolk of the Crugha Gorma 'were experts in sheep stock and famous for their knowledge of those mountains and hills. Their sheep dogs only understood commands in the Irish language, and like many other mountain districts in Donegal, it has never been known of anyone to leave Sruhill without refreshment in plenty. In the summers of the 1920s on Sunday evenings, I often witnessed a house full of visitors and sheep farmers, all enjoying the big bowls of good strong tea and beautiful pot-oven cake, capped with the finest home-made butter. The big decorative bowl was filled so generously that if you were to slip your spoon in it, you would have to seek the assistance of your knife to fish it out. Those were the times we enjoyed such refreshments which were given by people whose hearts were as big as their hills, those great people the Kennedys and Kennys of Sruhill, the Gasur Mors (the big boys).
The green braes to each side of the Grey Mare’s Tail, which are continually watered from its spray, give a pleasant freshness to that mountainside, and a tasty run for mountain rabbits which are always plentiful there. This is the early source of the Eanymore river which ends in Inver Bay and provides the earnest fisherman with many pleasant hours. It also, no doubt made an impression on many emigrants who left its shores and the feeling of those people can be felt in the words of the songwriter, Patrick Ramsey in his song ‘The Banks of the Sweet Eanymore': -
How I dream of that dear place, as if it were for me
The purling rills of Sruhill Hills, perhaps no more to see,
It’s far away I deemed to stray across the western tide,
To view those hills and other rills far away from Eanny’s side
The shape of the valley was cut from a V-shaped river valley by a glacier in the ice age. The erosion by the ice cut away the lower sections of the streams on the sides of the valley and now form ‘hanging valleys’ with waterfalls. The Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall is an example of this. The rocks of the sides of the Sruell valley are the Lough Mourne Schists and the Barnesmore granite at the end of the valley.
Follow the path straight from the river for approx. 20m then right along the laneway to the main road. Once at the road, turn right towards the mountains, following the course of the Eanymore on your right. Walking along the road towards the mountains one can see into the Sruell valley with an impressive waterfall on its left slope, known locally as the Grey Mare’s Tail. This fall has its source in a lake on top of the mountain known as Lough Asgarha in the townland of Binnasruell.
Sruell comes from sruth meaning stream. Flora bog cotton, butterworth, St. Patrick’s cabbage, tormentil and wild violets. To the left of the Grey Mare’s Tail is the 505m Binnasruell. Beyond it is a walk into the Sruell valley up to 671m Lavagh More and 650m Lavagh Beg. Lavagh translates into Leamhach referring to elm, which was once common in Irish woodlands. Also once common was elm, which suffered from overuse by humans, especially the Vikings, and Dutch elm disease.
Patrick Cambell writes ‘Sitting by the window in the Kennedy home, attention is drawn to the Scardan, that big waterfall on the north mountain in the Sruhill townland. This part of the townland north of the river has been locally called “far Sruhill. Ruball na Larach Baine (The Grey Mare’s Tail) which this fall resembles so much, begins its long journey from a mountain lake named Lough Eascartha which is tucked in a valley behind one of the high cliffs on the north Sruhill side. This cliff or spink is called the Cock of Sruhill or Coilleach na Sruthaille. The stream from this lough runs in an irregular direction and spills over the cliff from a height of about 1,800 feet and falls into another stream which runs southwest from Sruhill gap. This waterfall can be seen from a considerable distance and while in spate sends a foam all along its precipitous course.
Our audio piece, Patsy tells us some more about the waterfall and the lakes above the waterfall.
From the Bluestack Way Part 2 playlist.
Patrick Campbell wrote that the menfolk of the Crugha Gorma 'were experts in sheep stock and famous for their knowledge of those mountains and hills. Their sheep dogs only understood commands in the Irish language, and like many other mountain districts in Donegal, it has never been known of anyone to leave Sruhill without refreshment in plenty. In the summers of the 1920s on Sunday evenings, I often witnessed a house full of visitors and sheep farmers, all enjoying the big bowls of good strong tea and beautiful pot-oven cake, capped with the finest home-made butter. The big decorative bowl was filled so generously that if you were to slip your spoon in it, you would have to seek the assistance of your knife to fish it out. Those were the times we enjoyed such refreshments which were given by people whose hearts were as big as their hills, those great people the Kennedys and Kennys of Sruhill, the Gasur Mors (the big boys).
The green braes to each side of the Grey Mare’s Tail, which are continually watered from its spray, give a pleasant freshness to that mountainside, and a tasty run for mountain rabbits which are always plentiful there. This is the early source of the Eanymore river which ends in Inver Bay and provides the earnest fisherman with many pleasant hours. It also, no doubt made an impression on many emigrants who left its shores and the feeling of those people can be felt in the words of the songwriter, Patrick Ramsey in his song ‘The Banks of the Sweet Eanymore': -
How I dream of that dear place, as if it were for me
The purling rills of Sruhill Hills, perhaps no more to see,
It’s far away I deemed to stray across the western tide,
To view those hills and other rills far away from Eanny’s side
The shape of the valley was cut from a V-shaped river valley by a glacier in the ice age. The erosion by the ice cut away the lower sections of the streams on the sides of the valley and now form ‘hanging valleys’ with waterfalls. The Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall is an example of this. The rocks of the sides of the Sruell valley are the Lough Mourne Schists and the Barnesmore granite at the end of the valley.
Follow the path straight from the river for approx. 20m then right along the laneway to the main road. Once at the road, turn right towards the mountains, following the course of the Eanymore on your right. Walking along the road towards the mountains one can see into the Sruell valley with an impressive waterfall on its left slope, known locally as the Grey Mare’s Tail. This fall has its source in a lake on top of the mountain known as Lough Asgarha in the townland of Binnasruell.
Sruell comes from sruth meaning stream. Flora bog cotton, butterworth, St. Patrick’s cabbage, tormentil and wild violets. To the left of the Grey Mare’s Tail is the 505m Binnasruell. Beyond it is a walk into the Sruell valley up to 671m Lavagh More and 650m Lavagh Beg. Lavagh translates into Leamhach referring to elm, which was once common in Irish woodlands. Also once common was elm, which suffered from overuse by humans, especially the Vikings, and Dutch elm disease.
Patrick Cambell writes ‘Sitting by the window in the Kennedy home, attention is drawn to the Scardan, that big waterfall on the north mountain in the Sruhill townland. This part of the townland north of the river has been locally called “far Sruhill. Ruball na Larach Baine (The Grey Mare’s Tail) which this fall resembles so much, begins its long journey from a mountain lake named Lough Eascartha which is tucked in a valley behind one of the high cliffs on the north Sruhill side. This cliff or spink is called the Cock of Sruhill or Coilleach na Sruthaille. The stream from this lough runs in an irregular direction and spills over the cliff from a height of about 1,800 feet and falls into another stream which runs southwest from Sruhill gap. This waterfall can be seen from a considerable distance and while in spate sends a foam all along its precipitous course.
Our audio piece, Patsy tells us some more about the waterfall and the lakes above the waterfall.