'Summit Negotiations'

Summit Negotiations We began this series with a trek through Ireland's mountain ranges, before visiting the glens, loughs, waterfalls, passes and rock features. In the final article of the series we return to the peaks and consider a handful of summits whose names are not transparent in terms of their origin or meaning, one from each province. Musheramore (and Claragh Mountain) The people around Millstreet in North Cork have a saying about the weather: ‘Ceo ar Mhuisire is Clárach lom, an comhartha soininne is fearr ar domhan’, ‘Mist on Mushera and Claragh clear is the best sign in the world of good weather’. Musheramore is the highest mountain in the vicinity at 644m, while Claragh Mountain only reaches 452m, so the saying refers to conditions when just the highest peaks have a light covering of cloud. As with weather, so it is with names, for the meaning of Clárach is clear: Ir. clár refers to something flat, such as a table, a plank or a level plain. Claragh Mountain is noticeably flat-topped, and this is the sense of the name. But as for Musheramore, often covered in mist, its meaning is shrouded in a little mystery. It comes from Ir. Muisire Mór, this much is sure, but what does muisire signify? It is not a word found in Irish dictionaries or in other place-names. However, the peak appears on 17th century maps of Munster by Speed and Bleau as Slew Muskere. This appears to be an anglicisation of *Sliabh Múscraí, which makes it clear that the mountain was associated with the Múscraí, an early people of Munster. The baronies of Muskerry East and Muskerry West in Co. Cork are also named after them. The transition from Múscraí to Muisire is unusual, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that such a change occurred. Corranabinnia / Cushcamcarragh There are more substantial hills unnamed on Ordnance Survey maps in Co. Mayo than in any other Irish county. These include Slieve Carn (254m, between Manulla and Kiltimagh), Knockakishaun (390m, between Croagh Patrick and the Sheeffry Hills) and Minaun (466m, Achill's third highest mountain). This is particularly odd given that all these peaks, and many other physical features, are named on an excellent map of the county commissioned by the Mayo Grand Jury and surveyed by a young Scot named William Bald from 1809 to 1816. Bald later went on to engineer the Antrim Coast Road from Larne to Cushendall (a stretch of coastline not traversed by any road prior to this). Bald's map of Mayo was published in 1830, just 8 years before the Ordnance Survey visited Mayo in the course of carrying out the first national survey. It is a great pity then, and something of a mystery, that it was ignored as a source of place-names since many blanks, which could easily have been filled then, have persisted to the modern day. One area with more than a few peaks crying out to be named on the Discovery series is the southern half of the Nephin Beg Range. The highest of these, reaching 714m, is called Corranabinnia in several walking guides, whilst an alternative name, Cushcamcarragh, is found in other sources such as the AA's Illustrated Road Book of Ireland (1970). Versions of both these appear in the relevant area on Bald's map, though neither seems to have referred to the peak itself. Bald calls the rugged bowl to the north Curranabinna, which fits the interpretation of the name as Ir. Coire na Binne, 'cauldron/corrie of the peak'. He attributes the name Cuscamecurrough to the narrow ridge which leads to the summit from the south-west. Again this makes sense of the name, which can be derived from Ir. Coiscéim Charrach, 'rocky step', an apt description for this lofty arete. And so this peak is known today by two names, both transferred from distinctive physical features in its immediate vicinity. The original name of the peak eludes us at present, but it seems probable that it began with binn, since Coire na Binne probably alludes to it. Agnew's Hill (earlier Benwellerorie) The modern name of this peak is straightforward, but an older one is more challenging. Agnew's Hill, inland from Larne in Co. Antrim, is named after a family of Scottish stock who came to prominence in this area in the 17th century. It does not appear on Mercator's map of South-East Ulster printed in 1595, but there is a peak in the right location marked as Benwellerorie, so this seems to be an earlier designation for the hill. The name is not completely clear, but it appears to begin with binn ‘peak’ and end with the name Ruairí/Rory. It may be derived from *Binn Mhaol Ruairí, ‘Rory's bare peak’. Rory’s Glen is a townland in Kilwaughter parish, situated on the slopes of the hill and named after the clan chieftain, Rory Og MacQuillan. The MacQuillans were an Anglo-Norman family who held the title of Lord of the Route and controlled north-east Antrim in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were ousted from power by the MacDonnells who defeated them at the Battle of Orra in 1583 (on Slieveanorra, near Armoy). Members of the Agnew family (Ir. Ó Gníomh) leased land in Kilwaughter parish from the Earl of Antrim (a MacDonnell) in 1635, showing that their star was rising with the MacDonnells as the MacQuillan fortunes declined. Croaghanmoira This mountain lying south-east of Lugnaquilla in the Wicklow Mountains clearly contains the word cruach, a heap or stack, and when seen from Glenmalure it has the typical conical profile of peaks so named. Suggestions for the second part of the name have included maor ‘steward’ and machaire ‘plain’, but neither of these would account for the anglicised form ending in -moira. More likely is a connection with the Earl of Moira, whose title refers to Moira in Co. Down, but who held lands in the vicinity of Greenan in Glenmalure. In 1805 Thomas Kemmis purchased the Ballinacor Estate, comprising lands around Greenan from the Right Honourable Francis Rawdon Hastings, Earl of Moira. Croaghanmoira stands above Ballinacor House and would clearly have been part of this estate. Prior to the sale of the land in 1805, it would not be surprising if it were called *Cruachán Mhaigh Rath, ‘the little stack on the Earl of Moira’s land’, and this could be anglicised as Croaghanmoira. It stands in contrast to Croghan Kinsella, which lies about 10 miles to the south on the Wicklow/Wexford border within the territory dominated by the powerful Kinsella family (Uí Chinnsealaigh) during the Middle Ages. Readers who want to know more about place-names will find the publications of An Brainse Logainmneacha and the Northern Ireland Place-Name Project useful. These websites will also be of interest: www.logainm.ie Bunachar Logainmneacha na hÉireann / Placenames Database of Ireland www.placenamesni.org Northern Ireland Place-Name Project A list of the Arderins, 406 Irish mountains over 500m, with names in English and Irish, was published in Walking World Ireland no. 94 (2010 Annual). This list is available on the Mountain Views website with notes: http://mountainviews.ie/resources/?PHPSESSID=jq2aa7t952um3kpdc4p1tlu8a1