Sawel Mountain

Sawel Mountain (from Irish Samhail Phite Méabha, meaning 'the likeness of Méabh's vulva')^[3][4] is the highest peak in the Sperrin Mountains, and the 8th highest in Northern Ireland. It is also the highest mountain in Northern Ireland outside of the Mourne Mountain range located in County Down.

Sawel
Samhail or Samhail Phite Méabha
Sawel as seen from the southeast.
Highest point
Elevation	678 m (2,224 ft)[1]
Prominence	580 m (1,900 ft)[1]
Listing	County Top (Londonderry and Tyrone), Marilyn, Hewitt
Coordinates	54°49′N 7°02′W
Naming
English translation	likeness to Méabh's vulva
Language of name	Irish
Geography
Sawel Location in Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland Sawel Sawel (island of Ireland) Show map of island of Ireland Sawel Sawel (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Location	County Londonderry/County Tyrone,[2] Northern Ireland
Parent range	Sperrins
OSI/OSNI grid	H618973
Topo map(s)	OSNI Discoverer Series 13 The Sperrins (1:50000), OSNI Activity Map Sperrins (1:25000)
Geology
Mountain type	Psammite & semipellite[1]

Geography

To the north of Sawel is County Londonderry and to the south, County Tyrone. The summit is 678 metres (2,224 ft) high and is composed of crystalline limestone.^[5][6] Around the peak, there is "montane heathland", with plant life including heather, bilberries and cowberries, although this is being damaged by hillwalking and grazing.^[7] Sawel is the source of the River Faughan, a 29 miles (47 km) long tributary of the River Foyle.^[8]

Naming

The Irish name of the mountain is a reference to a glen or hollow on the side of Sawel.^[3][4] It was also historically called Slieve Sawel,^[9][10][11] from the Irish word sliabh ("mountain").

Plane crash

On 5 January 1944 a Royal Navy Stinson Reliant (FK914) of 878 Naval Air Squadron was on a flight from RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) when it crashed into Sawel Mountain in bad weather, killing all three crew. Due to snow drifts on the mountain the bodies of the crew weren't recovered until 29th January.^[12][13]

See also

• Sliabh Beagh
• Lists of mountains in Ireland
• Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
• List of Marilyns in the British Isles
• List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland