Leenaun Hill

Irish academic Paul Tempan records that Leenaun hill has also been called "Bunnaviskaun". The peak has been called Leenaun Mountain.{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/beauty-scene-of-leenane-leenane-mountain-co-galway-1.1217514 | title=Beauty scene of Leenane: Leenane Mountain, Co Galway | author=Michael Kelly | date=7 June 2008 | accessdate=12 August 2019 | quote=If the mists stay away, a walk up Leenane Mountain - or is it a hill? - offers one of the most spectacular panoramas in Ireland, writes Michael Kelly}}

Tempan notes the subsidiary peak of {{langx|ga|Búcán}}, it takes the term "búc" from the dialect word "buc", which means "point" or "summit", and is found in Southern France in mountain names (e.g. Buc Pointu).

Leenaun Hill lies on its own massif in the northeastern sector of the Maumturk range, separated from the central spine of the range by a deep col at {{convert|250|m|ft}}, which is known to hill-walkers of the Maumturks Challenge as the "Col of Despondency". The geology of this massif is derived from siltstone and sandstone, and contrasts sharply with the quartzite and grits of the central spine; while the summits on the massif of Leenaun Hill are grassy with peak hags, in contrast to the rocky ridges of the central spine.

A long northwest to southeast grassy ridge runs through Leenaun Hill's massif, with Leenaun Hill lying close to the centre of the ridge. To the northwest are the subsidiary peaks of Meall Cheo ({{convert|578|m|ft}}), {{langx|ga|An Meall Dubh barr thiar thuaidh}}, whose prominence of {{convert|20|m|ft}} qualifies it as an Arderin Beg. Further north lies Leenaun Hill Far North-West Top ({{convert|556|m|ft}}), {{langx|ga|Meall Dubh i bhfad siar ó thuaidh barr}}, whose prominence of {{convert|28|m|ft}} also qualifies it as an Arderin Beg. The most northerly subsidiary peak, and the most northerly peak in the Maumturk range, is Búcán ({{convert|550|m|ft}}), meaning "spur", whose prominence of {{convert|45|m|ft}} qualifies it as an Arderin.

To the southwest of Leenaun Hill is a long grassy ridge with the minor subsidiary peak of Taobh Dubh {{convert|422|m|ft}}, meaning "black hillside".

Across the "Col of Despondency", lies another subsidiary peak of Maumturkmore {{convert|422|m|ft}}, also known as {{langx|ga|Binn Bhán}} (meaning "white peak"), whose geology is a complex mix of marbles, metavolcanics, schists, and grits. Immediately to the south of Maumturkmore is the steep "v-shaped" col of Maam Turk, ({{langx|ga|Mám Tuirc}}, meaning "pass of the boar"), from which the entire range bears its name, and south of which lies the quartzite peaks of the central spine of the Maumturks range, starting with Letterbreckaun, the 2nd-highest peak in the range at {{convert|667|m|ft}}.

While the grassy and boggy massif of Leenaun Hill is less appealing to climbers than the rocky peaks of the rest of the Maumturks range, Leenaun Hill and its subsidiary peaks offer well-regarded views of Killary Harbour, Ireland's deepest fjord, and the Mweelrea mountain range.

The most straightforward route to the summit of Leenaun is the 6-kilometre 2–3 hour roundtrip route from the village of Leenaun and back; however, because of its positioning on a high massif, it can also be climbed as an 11-kilometre 4–5 hour loop-route from Leenaun village in the north, summiting to the ridge south of Leenaun Hill, and then turning northwest to summit Leenaun Hill and most of its northerly subsidiary summits before returning to the village.{{cite book | author=Paul Phelan | year=2011 | title=Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks | publisher=Collins Press | isbn=978-1848891029 | quote="Route 15: Leenaun Hill}}{{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide | publisher = Harper Collins | isbn = 978-0002201216 | year = 2001 | quote="Walk 12–14: Leenaun Hill to Mám Tuirc }}

Leenaun Hill is climbed as part of the Maamturks Challenge, a 25-kilometre 10–12 hour walk over the full Maumturks range (from Maam Cross to Leenaun), which is considered one of the "great classic ridge-walks of Ireland",{{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits | publisher = Cicerone | isbn = 978-1852841102 | year = 1993 |quote="Walk 49: Corcogemore, Mullach Glas, Binn Mhór, Binn Chaonaigh, Binn idir an Dá Log, Letterbreckaun, Leenaun Hill}}{{cite book | last1 = Fairbairn | first1 = Helen | url=https://www.amazon.com/Irelands-Best-Walks-Walking-Guides/dp/184889211X | accessdate=1 August 2019 | title = Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1848892118 | year = 2014 | quote=Route 36: The Central Maumturks – South}} but of "extreme grade" due to the circa 7,600 feet of total ascent.{{cite book | author=Paul Phelan | year=2011 | title=Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks | publisher=Collins Press | isbn=978-1848891029 |quote=Route 18: Maumeen to Mumahoge}} Since 1975, the University College Galway Mountaineering Club, has run the annual "Maamturks Challenge Walk" (MCW),{{cite web|url=http://nuigmc.com/maamturks/about/|title=The Maumturks Challenge | publisher=University College Galway Mountaineering Club (UCGMC) | accessdate=1 August 2019}} and man a checkpoint at Meall Cheo; the summit of Leenaun Hill is optional being southeast of the MCW route as it crosses the "Col of Despondency" from Maumturkmore.{{cite web|url=http://www.simonstewart.ie/Turks/mt4.htm | publisher=MountainViews Online Database|author=Simon Stewart|accessdate=2 August 2019|title=Maumturks Challenge Section 4: Maam Turk to Leenaun}}{{cite web|url=https://nuigmc.com/maamturks/route/|title=Maaumturks Challenge: The Route | publisher=University College Galway Mountaineering Club (UCGMC) | accessdate=2 August 2019}}

File:Leenane & Leenane Hill from Ben Gorm.jpg|Massif of Leenaun Hill, with Leenaun village, from across Killary Harbour on Ben Gorm

File:Binn idir and da Log (far left) & Letterbreckaun (middle right) from Leenane Hill.jpg|"Col of Despondency" (middle) to Letterbreckaun (middle), with Binn idir an dá Log (far left)

File:Leenane Hill as viewed from the cairn at Meall Cheo (578 m).jpg|Leenaun Hill as viewed from the cairn at Meall Cheo (578-metres)

File:Leenane Hill (left) and Leenane North West Top (right) from Leenane Village.jpg|Leenaun Hill (left), and Leenaun Far North West Top (right) from Leenane village

• {{cite book| author=MountainViews Online Database (Simon Stewart)|year=2013 | title=A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins |publisher=Collins Books | isbn=978-1-84889-164-7}}
• {{cite book | author=Paul Phelan | year=2011 | title=Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks | publisher=Collins Press | isbn=978-1848891029 }}
• {{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide | publisher = Harper Collins | isbn = 978-0002201216 | year = 2001 }}
• {{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits | publisher = Cicerone | isbn = 978-1852841102 | year = 1993 }}

{{commons category|Leenaun Hill}}

{{commons category|Maumturk Mountains}}

• Twelve Bens, major range in Connemara
• Mweelrea, major range in Killary Harbour
• 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

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{{reflist}}

• [http://nuigmc.com/maamturks/about/ The Maamturks Challenge], University College Galway Mountaineering Club
• [https://mountainviews.ie/cms/mv1/node/12 The Maamturks Challenge: Routecard (2015)]
• [https://mountainviews.ie/summit/246/ MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website], Leenaun Hill
• [https://mountainviews.ie/mv/irl150setup.htm MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database]
• [http://www.hills-database.co.uk/downloads.html The Database of British and Irish Hills ], the largest database of British Isles mountains ("DoBIH")
• [http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/ Hill Bagging UK & Ireland], the searchable interface for the DoBIH

{{Mountains of Great Britain and Ireland|}}

{{Mountains and hills of Connacht}}

{{IrishTrails}}

Category:Marilyns of Ireland

Category:Hewitts of Ireland

Category:Mountains and hills of County Galway

Category:Mountains under 1000 metres