Slievenaglogh Buttress

From Irish Climbing Wiki

J323289 On the west side of Slievenaglogh, about 300m north of the Hares Gap is a large broken buttress. The Main Face is on the left-hand side which is a large fairly continuous crag with a distinct central bay and smaller crags to the right. There are a few routes to date but the area is not popular.

From the car park (312314) follow the Trassey Track towards the Hares Gap, breaking left up the side of Slievenaglogh directly to the crag. The last large buttress on the left of the Main Face and near the top is marked by a step up in the middle and then a corner and has the following two routes.

El Paso 15m HS 4b
P. Robinson, G. Henry, G. Watts. 10/92.
Climb the groove line just to the left of the step.

Whisper End 15m HVS 5a
G. Henry, P. Robinson, G. Watts. 10/92.
Climb the groove mid-way between the left end of the buttress and the step.

The next two routes described below are located on the Main Face.

Its a 5a Mantle Into Heaven Brother 36m HVS 5a
S. McIlwaine, B. Stewart. 29/6/86.
Takes a corner at the left-hand side of the Main Face, 1) 12m Climb a prominent flake/crack below overhangs until possible to move out left onto large ledge at foot of corner. 2) 24m Climb corner via a series of small ledges to bottom of overhang. Climb overhang to top.

Macho Man 37m VS 4c
R. McKee, D. Kirkwood. 17/4/79.
Start - as for Its a 5a Mantle Into Heaven Brother. Start up the flake crack to overhang. Through this to patch of heather. Continue to where crack becomes green and up to 'sentry box'. Bridge up and exit up crack on left.

The following routes are best approached by an abseil down the left-hand corner of the central bay. This corner could be climbed at D/VD.

Bogey-Man 30m HS 4a
D. Mageean, M. Caffery. 25/5/92.
Start - 3m right of left-hand wall. Up a thin crack into a corner system. Surmount the overhang on right-hand side and continue up crack (crux).

Vice-Man 25m HS 4a
D. Mageean, M. Caffery. 25/5/92.
Start - in central bay 7m right of abseil corner. Climb central crack just right of overhang on good holds to bulge at 15m and finish in upper crack of Bogey-Man.

Bolt-Man 30m HVS 4c
D. Mageean, M. Caffery. 25/5/92.
Climb the obvious right-hand corner of central bay.

Free-Fall 30m HS 4b
A. Chambers, N. Anderson. 20/4/94.
This route starts in this area? but as yet there is no match between the rock and the features described. Climb series of blocks and up into niche. Move awkwardly out left and continue up flutes to top.

There are a further four routes (D - VD) on the smaller crags to the right.

J301238 On the eastern-facing bluffs of Slievenaglogh a few routes have been climbed on some of the broken crags and although the area is neither popular nor the climbing particularly attractive it is set in pleasant surroundings.

The two routes formally recorded are in a gully directly above where the wall running off the slopes of Binnian enters the Silent Valley and re-emerges on the slopes of Slievenaglogh. The routes are at the back of the gully on the right-hand wall when approached from below.

Indecision 20m VS 4c
K. O'Hara, S. J. Ferris. 28/3/97.
Start - at the lowest point of the wall. Follow blind cracks on the right of the slab to a small overhang at half height. Surmount the overhang and continue up crack to top. Belay on large boulders.

Man of Sorrows 20m E1 5b
S. J. Ferris, K. O'Hara. 28/3/97.
Start - in the open book corner left of the obvious nose. Climb the corner for a few metres then swing right onto the wall to avoid the triangular overhang. Move back left directly above the overhang and climb the shallow chimney into the diedre above.