Letterbreckaun

The anglicised name "Letterbreckaun" comes from the {{langx|ga|Leitir Bhriocáin}} or Leitir Breacáin meaning "Brecan's hillside",{{cite web |title=Letterbreckaun |url=https://www.logainm.ie/en/18050 |publisher=Placenames Database of Ireland}} and is also the name of a townland on the slope of the mountain. Saint Brecan is a saint associated with Galway county, and is said to be the successor to Saint Enda of Aran.

Letterbreckaun lies at the northern end of the central sector, of the long north-west to the south-east central spine of the Maumturks range, in the Connemara National Park; when viewed from the west, the peak has a distinctive "pyramidal" shape, in contrast to the rounded shapes of the neighbouring peaks.

To the south, Letterbreckaun is connected by a long winding quartzite rocky ridge to Knocknahillion at {{convert|607|m|ft}}; the ridge itself includes the two minor peaks of Barrlugrevagh {{convert|558|m|ft}} and Knocknahillion North Top {{convert|541|m|ft}}, and after Knocknahillion, descends to the col of Maumahoge ({{langx|ga|Mhám Ochóige}}).

To the north of Letterbreckaun is the subsidiary summit of Letterbreckaun NE Top {{convert|603|m|ft}}, whose prominence of {{convert|28|m|ft}} qualifies it as an Arderin Beg. Further north, the slopes of Letterbreckaun drop into the sharp and steep "v-shaped" col of Maam Turk ({{langx|ga|Mám Tuirc}}, meaning "pass of the boar"), from which the entire range bears its name.{{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide | publisher = Harper Collins | isbn = 978-0002201216 | year = 2001 | quote=Walk 15 Binn Bhriocáin and Mám Tuirc}}{{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 35: The Central Maumturks – North}}{{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 19: Letterbreckaun}} Paul Tempan notes that the "holy well" marked on the OS maps at Maam Turk was noted by Irish historian Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh in 1684, saying: "There is a well in memorie of St. Fechin at Mam-tuirk". Further north from the col of Maam Turk is the minor peak of Maumturkmore, which then crosses the "Col of Despondency" to the grassy sandstone and siltstone massif of Leenaun Hill.

Letterbreckaun's prominence of {{convert|322|m|ft}} qualifies it as a Marilyn, and it also ranks it as the 82nd-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the minimum prominence threshold is 100 metres.{{cite web|url=https://mountainviews.ie/lists/highest/|title=Irish Highest 100: The highest 100 Irish mountains with a prominence of +100m|publisher=MountainViews Online Database|date=September 2018}}

The easiest way summit Letterbreckaun is a 6-kilometre 2-3-hour route via the pass of Maam Turk; however, because of its positioning on the high rocky central spine of the central Maumturk range, it is also summited in a longer 14-kilometre 5–6 hour loop-route starting at the col of Maumahoge in the south, climbing Knocknahillion and then along a winding 2-kilometre rocky ridge to the top of Letterbreckaun, before descending via the "v-shaped" col of Maam Turk.

Letterbreckaun is also 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", but of "extreme grade" due to the circa 7,600 feet of total ascent.

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 mans a checkpoint on the summit of Letterbreckaun.{{cite web|url=http://www.simonstewart.ie/Turks/mt3.htm | publisher=MountainViews Online Database|author=Simon Stewart|accessdate=2 August 2019|title=Maumturks Challenge Section 3: Maumahoge to Maumturkmore}}{{cite web|url=https://nuigmc.com/maamturks/route/|title=Maaumturks Challenge: The Route | publisher=University College Galway Mountaineering Club (UCGMC) | accessdate=2 August 2019}}

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File:Maumturks from summit of Benbaun.jpg|Letterbreckaun (centre, distance) viewed from Benbaun

File:South slopes of Letterbreckaun.jpg|South face of Letterbreckaun from ridge with Knocknahillion

File:Lough Inagh, Letterbreckaun (left) and Knocknahillion (right) from Inagh Valley.jpg|Looking north to Letterbreckaun (left), and Knocknahillion (right), across Lough Inagh

File:Knocknahillion and Binn Bhriocain, Maumturks, Ireland.jpg|Letterbreckaun behind Knocknahillion, viewed from Binn idir an dá Log

File:Letterbreckaun (in cloud).jpg|Letterbreckaun (right, in cloud) with the v-shaped pass of Maam Turk (left)

• {{cite book | last1 = Fairbairn | first1 = Helen | title = Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1848892118 | year = 2014}}
• {{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|Letterbreckaun}}

{{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/161/ MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website], Letterbreckaun
• [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