BSW3 3. Heather, bees and views
Nov 05, 2021, 10:11 AM
Speaker: Dan Gallagher
From The Bluestack Way - Part 3 playlist.
Directions
The route joins a track of the townland of Cronagrass below Binbane mountain and curves round southwestward to join the main Frosses to Glenties road (R262). Along this section of the route can be found Ling heather moorland. Cronagrass was once populated; evidence of which can be found in the many ruins in this townland. In the past the heather was used to house honeybee stocks to produce Ling heather honey; a prized product and a very fine honey with a bittersweet flavour and a full bouquet. Ling honey is not runny but sets to a jelly and is much sought after by the coinnoisseur.
Spectacular scenery
Kinfaela gives a comprehensive description of the panorama that is on offer from standing atop Leagan’s Hill (Liagan Hill in his book) on the Ardara road just outside of Inver. It deserves to read in full from his classic 1867 book 'The Cliff Scenery of South West Donegal', but we will give you the section that concerns us on The Bluestack Way: -
'North of Drimhome appear the mountains of Pettigo and Lough Derg rising still higher and higher til they reach Barnesmore. Next in succession rises Cruach-Gorm (Blues Stack 2213 feet) looking like the hugh dome of some monster cathedral. It is the second in height to Mount Errigal among the mountains in Donegal (third in fact we believe, after Muckish). Then sweeping in a semi-circle towards you there appear, in one continuous range, the peaks of Cruach-an-airgoid (Silver Hill, 1967 feet), Carn-na-Bhaodhan (pronounced 'ween' meaning Calf Hill) which has a comlech at the summit, and lastly Binbane (White Peak, 1490 feet) within two miles of us. Here there is a break in the communication, occupied by a plateau of moorland directly to the north of us. To the left of this, or northwest of where we stand, and at a distance from Binbane of about five miles rise the ridge of Mulmossog, three miles long, which at its westerly extremity allows a gap or nick to intervene between itself and the Cronarade range to admit of the passage of the road between Killybegs and Ardara. This passage is called the Nick of the Ballagh.
Then follows the rocky chain of Cronarade, which at its western end forms a bold promontory at Towney Head. In the opening already referred to, between Binbane and Mulmossog, you can distinctly discern the main ocean. On the left of this portion of the background may be observed the mountains of Lettermackaward, and the island of Arranmore. The whitish grey pyramidal-shaped peak towards the right of Errigal (2452 feet) the loftiest mountain in Donegal, and the dark rounded mass near it in Muckish (2190 feet)'.
In our audio piece, Michael Gallagher opines why people had more energy in the old days.
From The Bluestack Way - Part 3 playlist.
Directions
The route joins a track of the townland of Cronagrass below Binbane mountain and curves round southwestward to join the main Frosses to Glenties road (R262). Along this section of the route can be found Ling heather moorland. Cronagrass was once populated; evidence of which can be found in the many ruins in this townland. In the past the heather was used to house honeybee stocks to produce Ling heather honey; a prized product and a very fine honey with a bittersweet flavour and a full bouquet. Ling honey is not runny but sets to a jelly and is much sought after by the coinnoisseur.
Spectacular scenery
Kinfaela gives a comprehensive description of the panorama that is on offer from standing atop Leagan’s Hill (Liagan Hill in his book) on the Ardara road just outside of Inver. It deserves to read in full from his classic 1867 book 'The Cliff Scenery of South West Donegal', but we will give you the section that concerns us on The Bluestack Way: -
'North of Drimhome appear the mountains of Pettigo and Lough Derg rising still higher and higher til they reach Barnesmore. Next in succession rises Cruach-Gorm (Blues Stack 2213 feet) looking like the hugh dome of some monster cathedral. It is the second in height to Mount Errigal among the mountains in Donegal (third in fact we believe, after Muckish). Then sweeping in a semi-circle towards you there appear, in one continuous range, the peaks of Cruach-an-airgoid (Silver Hill, 1967 feet), Carn-na-Bhaodhan (pronounced 'ween' meaning Calf Hill) which has a comlech at the summit, and lastly Binbane (White Peak, 1490 feet) within two miles of us. Here there is a break in the communication, occupied by a plateau of moorland directly to the north of us. To the left of this, or northwest of where we stand, and at a distance from Binbane of about five miles rise the ridge of Mulmossog, three miles long, which at its westerly extremity allows a gap or nick to intervene between itself and the Cronarade range to admit of the passage of the road between Killybegs and Ardara. This passage is called the Nick of the Ballagh.
Then follows the rocky chain of Cronarade, which at its western end forms a bold promontory at Towney Head. In the opening already referred to, between Binbane and Mulmossog, you can distinctly discern the main ocean. On the left of this portion of the background may be observed the mountains of Lettermackaward, and the island of Arranmore. The whitish grey pyramidal-shaped peak towards the right of Errigal (2452 feet) the loftiest mountain in Donegal, and the dark rounded mass near it in Muckish (2190 feet)'.
In our audio piece, Michael Gallagher opines why people had more energy in the old days.