Croaghaun
{{Short description|Mountain in County Mayo, Ireland}}
{{Distinguish|Croghan Hill}}
{{For|Croaghaun in the Blackstairs Mountains|Croaghaun, County Carlow}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Irish English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Croaghaun
| photo = Croaghaun cliff.jpg
| photo_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|53.981|N|10.204|W|type:mountain_region:IE|display=title,inline}}
| elevation_m = 688
| elevation_ref = {{cite web |title=Achill & Corraun Area NW: Croaghaun Subarea|url=https://mountainviews.ie/summit/127/|website=Mountainviews |location=Croaghaun}}
| prominence_m = 688
| listing = P600, Marilyn, Hewitt
| translation = little stack
| language = Irish
| parent_peak = None
| location = County Mayo, Ireland
| range = Achill Island
| map = island of Ireland
| map_relief = yes
| map_caption = Location in Ireland
| grid_ref_Ireland = F553060
| type =
}}
Croaghaun ({{langx|ga|Cruachán}}) is a mountain on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland. At {{Convert|688|m}}, it has the highest sea cliffs in Ireland,Clarke, Harold (1970). Ireland in Color. New York: Viking Press, p. 108. {{ISBN|978-0-670-40093-5}} as well as the third highest sea cliffs in Europe (after Hornelen, Norway, and Cape Enniberg, Faroe Islands).
Geography
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.
{{Clear left}}
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.{{cite web |author=Majella Loftus |url=http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/eykfqlidau/ |date=September 24, 2008 |title=World's largest animal spotted off Achill Island |access-date=2011-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927153609/http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/eykfqlidau/ |archive-date=2011-09-27 |website=Western People |quote=A RARE sighting of a blue whale, the planet's largest living animal, was recorded off Achill Island last week.}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Croaghaun}}
{{Mountains of Great Britain and Ireland}}
{{British hills}}
{{Mountains and hills of Connacht}}
Category:Mountains and hills of County Mayo
Category:Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland