Croaghaun

Not to be confused with Croghan Hill.

For Croaghaun in the Blackstairs Mountains, see Croaghaun, County Carlow.

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).

Croaghaun
Highest point
Elevation	688 m (2,257 ft)[1]
Prominence	688 m (2,257 ft)[1]
Parent peak	None
Listing	P600, Marilyn, Hewitt
Coordinates	53.981°N 10.204°W / 53.981; -10.204
Naming
English translation	little stack
Language of name	Irish
Geography
Croaghaun Location in Ireland
Location	County Mayo, Ireland
Parent range	Achill Island
OSI/OSNI grid	F553060

Geography

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

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

• Lists of mountains in Ireland
• Coastal landforms of Ireland