Carrauntoohil

 
Overview

Carrauntoohil or Carrauntoohill is the highest mountain on the island of Ireland at 1,038.6 metres. It is on the Iveragh Peninsula in the Reeks District in County Kerry, close to the centre of Ireland's highest mountain range, MacGillycuddy's Reeks.

Description

Macgillycuddy's Reeks is Ireland's highest mountain range, and towering Carrauntoohil is the country's highest summit, at 1040m. There are several routes up, though even the most straightforward requires good hillwalking and navigation skills, while others are serious scrambling or rock-climbing routes.



The traditional route to the summit is via The Devil's Ladder, a gruelling trudge up a badly eroded gully path southwest of the loughs, which is unpleasantly loose and unstable. An alternative route ascends via Brother O'Shea's Gully (some rock scrambling and good route-finding ability required), a steep and challenging route through spectacular mountain scenery. The easiest descent is via the Zig-Zags to the east of the Devil's Ladder.