Editing Mount Brandon

{{good article}}
{{short description|Mountain in Kerry, Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use Irish English|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Brandon<br/>(and the Brandon Group)
| native_name = {{Native name|ga|Cnoc Bréanainn|paren=omit}}
| translation = Brendan's hill
| language = [[Irish language|Irish]]
| photo = Brandon Mountain from Brandon Peak - geograph.org.uk - 331817.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Brandon photographed from Brandon Peak, with its distinctive east–west contrast.
| photo_size = 
| elevation_m = 951.7
| elevation_ref = <ref name="mountainviews">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/9/|title=Mount Brandon|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref><ref name=peakbagger/><ref name="OsiMap70"/>
| prominence_m = 934
| prominence_ref = <ref name="mountainviews"/>
| parent_peak = [[Carrauntoohil]]
| isolation = {{convert|26.7|mi|km}}
| listing = [[List of P600 mountains in the British Isles|P600]], [[List of Marilyns in the British Isles|Marilyn]], [[List of Furth mountains in the British Isles|Furth]], [[List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland|Hewitt]], [[Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins|Arderin]], [[List of mountains of the British Isles by height|Simm]], [[Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams|Vandeleur-Lynam]]
| location = [[Dingle Peninsula]], [[County Kerry]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| map = island of Ireland
| range = Brandon Group<ref name="mountainviews"/>
| coordinates = {{coord|52.235113|N|10.254336|W|type:mountain_region:IE_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = <ref name="mountainviews"/>
| grid_ref_Ireland = Q4604211605 
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey of Ireland|OSI]] ''Discovery'' 70<ref name="OsiMap70"/>
| type= Purple sandstone & siltstone<ref name="mountainviews"/>
| easiest_route = ''Saint's Route'' (''Cosán na Naomh'')
| period=[[Devonian]]<ref name="mountainviews"/>
}}

'''Mount Brandon''' or '''Brandon''' ({{lga|Cnoc Bréanainn|Brendan's hill}}),<ref name="peak">{{cite web|url= http://www.mountaineering.ie/_files/Paul%20Tempan%20Irish%20Mountain%20Placenames%20-%20Feb%202012.pdf|title=Irish Hill and Mountain Names|publisher=MountainViews.ie|author=Paul Tempan|date=February 2012}}</ref> at {{convert|952|m|ft}}, is one of the ten highest peaks in Ireland, being the 8th–highest peak in [[Ireland]] on the [[Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins|Arderin]] list, and the 9th–highest on the [[Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams|Vandeleur-Lynam]] list.<ref name="collins" /> Brandon is the highest Irish mountain outside the [[MacGillycuddy's Reeks]] range and has the greatest [[topographic prominence|prominence]] of any Irish peak except [[Carrauntoohil]], Ireland's highest mountain.<ref name="collins" />

Mount Brandon is at the centre of a long high ridge called the '''Brandon Group''' range of mountains in the [[Dingle Peninsula]] in [[County Kerry]]. The ridge contains seven other major peaks (i.e. above 2,000 ft in height); one is the similarly named '''Brandon Peak''' (840 metres).<ref name="collins"/><ref name="dillon"/> The positioning and dimensions of the Brandon Group ridge have made it the scene of several air accidents over the years.<ref name="jimr"/> The mountain, and range, is named after [[Brendan the Navigator|Saint Brendan]], and is the end of a [[Christian pilgrimage]] trail known as ''Cosán na Naomh''. It is also well regarded for hill walking with routes such as the 4–5-hour ''Faha Route'' (also called ''The Pilgrim's Path''), and the 6–7-hour traverse of the entire range known as "one of the finest ridgewalks in Ireland".<ref name="dillon"/><ref name="collins"/><ref>{{cite book | last1 = Fairbairn | first1 = Helen | title = Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1848892118 | year = 2014 }}</ref>

==Geology==
{{Main|MacGillycuddy's Reeks#Geology}}

Brandon is composed of sandstone particles of various sizes collectively known as ''[[Old Red Sandstone]]''.<ref name="jimr">{{cite book | last1 = Ryan | first1 = Jim | title = Carrauntoohil and MacGillycuddy's Reeks: A Walking Guide to Ireland's Highest Mountains | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1905172337 | year = 2006 }}</ref> Old Red Sandstone has a purple–reddish colour, and has virtually no fossils.<ref name="jimr"/><ref name="MAS">{{cite web|url=http://www.keepirelandopen.org/Reeks_Report.pdf|title=MacGillycuddy Reeks Mountain Access Development Assessment|publisher=South Kerry Development Partnership|date=December 2013|access-date=29 October 2018|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020011519/http://www.keepirelandopen.org/Reeks_Report.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The colour gave its name to nearby [[Purple Mountain (Kerry)|Purple Mountain]].<ref name="jimr"/> The composition of ''Old Red Sandstone'' is variable and contains quartz stones, mudstones, siltstones, and sandstone particles (conglomerate rock boulders with quartz pebbles are visible).<ref name="jimr"/> They are described by the [[Geological Survey of Ireland]] as the oldest [[Devonian]] rocks in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/protected-sites/synopsis/SY000375.pdf|title=Site Name: Mount Brandon SAC|date=12 July 2017|publisher=[[Geological Survey of Ireland]]}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{see also|Mountains of the Dingle Peninsula}}
Mount Brandon itself is in the middle of a long and high [[ridge]] known as the '''Brandon Group''',<ref name="peak"/> which runs north–south for {{convert|10|km}} across the width of the Dingle peninsula. As well as Mount Brandon, the Brandon Group ridge has seven other major classified peaks (see list below), including the similarly named '''Brandon Peak''' {{convert|840|m|ft}}, '''Benagh''' {{convert|822|m|ft}}, '''Faha Ridge''' {{convert|809|m|ft}}, '''Gearhane''' {{convert|803|m|ft}}, '''Masatiompan''' {{convert|762|m|ft}}, '''Piaras Mór''' {{convert|746|m|ft}}, and '''An Scraig''' {{convert|623|m|ft}}.

The most distinctive aspect of the Brandon Group is the contrast between the gentle grassy slopes on its western side, and the sharp cliffs and deep [[cirque|corries]] of its eastern side; an effect that the Brandon Group's long north–south ridge exactly separates.<ref name="dillon">{{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits | publisher = Cicerone | isbn = 978-1852841102 | year = 1993}}</ref>
Mount Brandon owes its craggy shape to the work of [[glaciers]] during the [[ice age]], which gouged out a series of [[Cirque|corries]] on the eastern flank of the mountain. The summit of Mount Brandon is rounded and smooth as it was likely a [[nunatuk]] (like [[Lugnaquilla]] in Wicklow), and presents a stark contrast to Brandon Peak, or ''Barr an Ghéaráin'', which is [[Alps|alpine]] in appearance.<ref name="dillon"/>

[[File:Brandon Faha Ridge Paternoster Lakes.jpg|thumb|left|The chain of ''paternoster lakes'' from Brandon's east corrie; Faha Ridge is middle left, and Benagh back left]]

On Brandon's deep eastern corrie, flanked by Faha Ridge to its north, is a series of rocky plateaus, each of which has a small [[paternoster lake]]; over ten lakes grow in size descending the mountain.<ref name="OSI">{{Cite web |url=http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,446011,611671,5 |title=Ordnance Survey Ireland – Online map viewer |access-date=2010-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829114800/http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,446011,611671,5 |archive-date=2012-08-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> From highest they are, the Locha Chom an Chnoic (Coumaknock Loughs), Loch na Lice (Lough Nalacken) and Loch Cruite (Lough Cruttia).<ref name="dillon"/><ref name="OSI"/> This corrie's natural environment, and positioning on the ''Faha Route'', means it is regularly photographed.<ref name="dillon"/>

Brandon is the [[List of mountains of the British Isles by height|340th–highest mountain, and 10th most prominent mountain]], in Britain and Ireland, on the [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Simms|Simms]] classification.<ref name="dobih">{{cite web|url=http://www.hills-database.co.uk/downloads.html|title=The Database of British and Irish Hills|date=2018|author1=Chris Cocker|author2=Graham Jackson|publisher=[[Database of British and Irish Hills]]}}</ref> Brandon is regarded by the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]] ("SMC") as one of 34 [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Furths|Furths]], which is a mountain above {{convert|3000|ft|0|abbr=on}} in elevation, and meets the other SMC criteria for a [[Munro]] (e.g. "sufficient separation"), but which is outside of (or ''furth'') Scotland; Brandon is referred to as one of the 13 [[Irish Munro]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smc.org.uk/hills/hill-lists#furths|title=Hill Lists: Furths|quote=The list of peaks of 3000ft or more within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland outside (furth) of Scotland. There are currently 34 Furths.|publisher=[[Scottish Mountaineering Club]]|access-date=29 October 2018|archive-date=5 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005153432/https://www.smc.org.uk/hills/hill-lists#furths|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irelandsown.ie/irelands-munros/|title=Ireland's Munros|publisher=Ireland's Own|date=26 June 2018|access-date=29 October 2018|archive-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010213635/https://www.irelandsown.ie/irelands-munros/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Brandon's prominence qualifies for the [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#P600 (the "Majors")|P600]] classification. Both Brandon and Brandon Peak, meet the Britain and Ireland [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Marilyns|Marilyn]] classification.<ref name="dobih"/> Brandon is the 3rd highest mountain, and Brandon Peak is the 9th highest mountain, in the [[MountainViews Online Database]], ''[[Lists of mountains in Ireland#100 Highest|100 Highest Irish Mountains]]''.<ref name="mountain">{{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}}</ref><ref name="collins">{{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}}</ref>

==Naming==

[[File:Saint brendan german manuscript.jpg|thumb|Voyage of St. Brendan.]]

The mountain is called Brandon Mountain, Mount Brandon and Brandon on various maps.<ref name="peak"/>

Brandon takes its name from [[Brendan the Navigator|Saint Brendan]] the Navigator, or ''Bréanainn'', who is said to have been born in what is now County Kerry in 484 AD, and is chiefly known for his legendary voyage in a boat of wood and leather to discover the "Isle of the Blessed", also called [[Saint Brendan's Island]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scheper-Hughes|first=Nancy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kHMqTWylTQC&q=Mount+Brandon&pg=PA25|title=Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics: Mental Illness in Rural Ireland|date=1979|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-04786-0|language=en}}</ref> In the story of Brendan's life (titled, the ''Beatha Bhréanainn'', or the Latin version, the ''Vita Brendani''), he spent three days fasting on the mountain before his voyage, was visited by an angel, and experienced a vision of "a great land to the west";<ref name=PIL>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YVYkrNhPMQkC&pg=PA412 | title=Pilgrimage: From the Ganges to Graceland: An Encyclopedia | isbn=978-1576070048 | date=November 2002 | page=412 | author1=Linda Kay Davidson | author2=David M. Gitlitz| publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | page=25 | author=[[Nancy Scheper-Hughes]] | title=Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kHMqTWylTQC&pg=PA25 | date=2001 | publisher=University of California Press | isbn=978-0520224803}}</ref> the mountain is described as being surrounded by the ocean, which fits with the topography of Mount Brandon.<ref name="peak"/>

Irish academic Paul Tempan wrote in his 2010 ''Irish Hill and Mountain Names'', that it is likely that the mountain was a source of pilgrimage even before both St. Brendan and the arrival of Christianity altogether.<ref name="peak"/> Its importance may be due to the fact that, being so far west and so high, it is the place where the sun can be seen the latest as it sinks below the horizon.<ref name="peak"/> Tempan notes that the medieval story about Brendan's life calls the mountain ''Sliabh nDaidche'' in the Irish version, or ''Mons Aitche'' in the Latin version; and that the Irish academic Dr Alan Mac an Bhaird, had translated this as "mountain of Faithche", as Brandon stands in the Faha townland.<ref name="peak"/> However, some believe that the ''Mons Aitche'' name refers to [[Slieve Aughty]], rather than to Mount Brandon.<ref>Plummer, Charles. (1905) [http://www.aughty.org/pdf/terra_secreta_aughty.pdf Slieve Aughty: Terra Secreta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512190406/http://www.aughty.org/pdf/terra_secreta_aughty.pdf |date=12 May 2023 }}.</ref>

Some sources link the name with the voyages of [[The Voyage of Bran|Bran mac Febail]], however, this is considered less likely.<ref name=GUAR/>

==Hill walking==

[[File:Mt. Brandon Kerry.jpg|thumb|The summit of Brandon seen from ''The Saint's Route'' in the west.]]

The quickest and easiest route to the summit of Mount Brandon is from the west via the final stages of the medieval pilgrim path, ''The Saint's Route'' ({{lga|Cosán na Naomh}}), which begins {{convert|18|km}} away in Ventry.<ref name="bren1">{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtrails.ie/Trail/Cosan-na-Naomh--Saints-Road-/370/|title=Cosan na Naomh (Saints Road)|publisher=Irishtrails.ie|date=2016}}</ref> The route starts from the car park of Ballybrack ({{lga|Baile Breac}}) ({{gbm4ibx|W434094}}), and follows the straight grassy path, marked by large crosses, to the summit of Mount Brandon; then retracing back to Ballybrack. The {{convert|8|km|adj=on}} route takes 3–4 hours.<ref name="bren2">{{cite web|url=https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/2016/05/20/walking-the-saints-road-in-co-kerry/|title=Walking The Saints' Road in Co Kerry|publisher=pilgrimagemedievalireland.com|date=20 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/walks/go-walk-mount-brandon-co-kerry-1.1788164|title=Go Walk: Mount Brandon, Co Kerry|author=John O'Dwyer|publisher=[[Irish Times]]|date=10 May 2014}}</ref> A longer 5-hour variation is to continue north along the summit ridge from Mount Brandon to Piaras Mor, and then descend to Ballyknockane.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/walk-for-the-weekend-cos%C3%A1in-na-naomh-co-kerry-1.3628391|title=Walk for the weekend: Cosáin na Naomh, Co Kerry|publisher=[[Irish Times]]|author=John O'Dwyer|date=18 September 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Brandon East Face.jpg|thumb|East face of Mount Brandon seen from the ''Faha Route'', at [[Cloghane]].]]

A scenic variation is the {{convert|9|km|adj=on}} 4–5-hour ''Faha Route'', the ''Pilgrim's Path'',{{efn|This is sometimes confused with the ''Cosán na Naomh'' on the west side, which can also be called the ''Pilgrim's Path'', hence the use of ''Faha Route'' to properly distinguish it}} which starts from the east via the car park at the ''Faha Grotto'' ({{gbm4ibx|Q493119}}) just outside [[Cloghane]]. The route to the summit is marked, and offers views of the deep [[cirque|corries]] and paternoster lakes on Brandon's glaciated east face. It follows a trail below the Faha Ridge to the summit; then retracing back to ''Faha Grotto''.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Fairbairn | first1 = Helen | title = Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way: A Walking Guide (Collins Press Guide) | publisher = Collins Press|quote=Route 22: Brandon Mountain (Faha Ridge) | isbn = 978-1848892675 | year = 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://outsider.ie/ireland/hiking-in-kerry-5-of-the-best-routes/|publisher=Outside.ie|date=2018|title=Hiking in Kerry: 5 of the Best Routes|quote=Mount Brandon: Faha Route}}</ref>

[[File:Faha Ridge, Brandon Mountain, Kerry.jpg|thumb|Benagh (left), and Faha Ridge (middle), from Brandon North Top]]

The full ridge walk of the entire Mount Brandon range, regarded as "one of the finest ridge walks in Ireland", crosses the full {{convert|15|km|adj=on}} ridge of the Brandon Group from the Conor Pass to Masatiompan and takes 6–7 hours.<ref name="dillon"/> The route from the Conor Pass to Mount Brandon and back to the Conor Pass is even longer, at {{convert|21|km}} and takes up to 8 hours to complete.<ref name="dillon"/>

==List of peaks==
{{Main|Lists of mountains in Ireland}}
The following is a download from the ''[[MountainViews Online Database]]'', who list 15 Brandon Group peaks over 100 metres.

{{legend|#cfc|[[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Furths|Furth]] (or ''Irish Munro''): Height over {{convert|3000|ft|0}}, and on the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club|SMC]] Furth list.}}
{{legend|#cff|[[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Marilyns|Marilyn]]: Any height, and prominence over {{convert|150|m|0}}.}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
|+ style="text-align: left;" |Peaks of the Brandon Group (''[[MountainViews Online Database]]'', October 2018)
|-
!style="text-align:left"|[[Elevation|Height]]<br>Rank
!style="text-align:left"|[[Topographic prominence|Prom.]]<br>Rank
!style="text-align:left"|Name
!style="text-align:left"|Irish Name (if different)
!style="text-align:left"|Translation
!style="text-align:left"|[[Summit|Height]]<br>(m)
!style="text-align:left"|[[Topographic prominence|Prom.]]<br>(m)
!style="text-align:left"|[[Summit|Height]]<br>(ft)
!style="text-align:left"|[[Topographic prominence|Prom.]]<br>(ft)
!style="text-align:left"|[[Topographic map|Topo<br>Map]]
!style="text-align:left"|[[Ordnance Survey Ireland|OSI Grid<br>Reference]]
|-
|1||1||style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|[[Brandon Mountain|Brandon]]<ref name="mountainviews"/>|| Cnoc Bréanainn||Brendan's Hill|| 952 || style="background:#cff;text-align:left"|934 || 3,122 || 3,064 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q460116}}
|-
|2||13||[[Brandon North Top]]<ref name="mountainviews2">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/15/|title=Mount Brandon North Top|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||—||—|| 895 || 23 || 2,938 || 76 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q461125}}
|-
|3||14||[[Brandon Far North Top]]<ref name="mountainviews3">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/1391/|title=Mount Brandon Far North Top|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||—||—|| 840 || 17 || 2,756 || 57 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q459128}}
|-
|4||3||[[Brandon Peak]]<ref name="mountainviews4">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/24/|title=Brandon Peak|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||Barr an Ghéaráin||Top of the Fang{{efn|From the vicinity of Cloghane church there is a strange optical illusion whereby this peak seems higher than the summit, though it is actually over 100m lower.<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 840 || style="background:#cff;text-align:left"|190 || 2,756 || 623 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q472095}}
|-
|5||6||[[Benagh]]<ref name="mountainviews5">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/30/|title=Benagh|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||Binn Faiche||Peak of Faha{{efn|"An Fhaiche / Faha is the name of the townland in which this peak is situated. The grotto at which the traditional ascent of the mountain begins is further down in the same townland. The walls E of the summit were identified as the remains of an inland promontory fort by archaeologist Barry Raftery. For information on this fort, see Archaeology Ireland Heritage Guide No. 29 (published March 2005)".<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 822 || 57 || 2,697 || 187 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q469119}}
|-
|6||8||[[Faha Ridge]]<ref name="mountainviews6">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/35/|title=Faha Ridge|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||Na Poirt||The Fortifications|| 809 || 44 || 2,654 || 144 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q464120}}
|-
|7||10||[[Gearhane]]<ref name="mountainviews7">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/37/|title=Gearhane|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||An Géarán||The Fang|| 803 || 26 || 2,635 || 85 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q468087}}
|-
|8||11||[[Brandon South Top]]<ref name="mountainviews8">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/49/|title=Brandon South Top|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||Faill na nDeamhan||Cliff of the Demons{{efn|Máire MacNeill comments on the place-names around Brandon as follows: From An Seabhac's compendium of the place-names of the district we learn that several places on the mountain have names suggestive of myths which recur at other Lughnasa sites, e.g. Macha an Mhíl (the Beast's Pasture), Faill na nDeamhan (the Demons' Cliff), Com na Caillighe (the Hag's Recess), Loch na Mná (the Woman's Lake), Cnoc an Tairbh (the Bull's Hill), etc.<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 790 || 25 || 2,592 || 82 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q468107}}
|-
|9||4||[[Masatiompan]]<ref name="mountainviews9">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/66/|title=Masatiompan|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||Más an Tiompáin||Rump of the Drum/Hump|Hollow{{efn|Tiompán can also mean a deep sheltered cove. Nearby there is such a cove at Sauce Creek.<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 762 || 109 || 2,500 || 358 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q465145}}
|-
|10||9||[[Piaras Mór]]<ref name="mountainviews10">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/77/|title=Piaras Mór|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||—||Big Pierce{{efn|This name is interpreted as 'big Pierce' in the Ordnance Survey Name Book. However, An Seabhac reports that in his time, nearly a century later, nobody in the locality had an explanation for the name but they did not think it was related to the personal name Piaras. There is a lower peak to the N called Piaras Beag. On the saddle between Piaras Mór and Masatiompan is an ogham stone bearing an inscription which translates as: Ronan, the priest son son of Camogann. There is a chi-ro monogram (representing 'Christ') above it and a Greek cross in a circle on the other side (Barrington, Discovering Kerry, 180).<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 746 || 33 || 2,447 || 108 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q464136}}
|-
|11||15||Piaras Mór thuaidh barr<ref name="mountainviews11">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/1393/|title=Piaras Mór thuaidh barr|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||—||—|| 700 || 12 || 2,297 || 38 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q464138}}
|-
|12||2||[[Ballysitteragh]]<ref name="mountainviews12">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/238/|title=Ballysitteragh|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||An Scraig||Rocky Outcrop{{efn|Also known as Cnoc Bhaile Uí Shé [OSI], 'hill of Baile Uí Shé', from Ballyhea(-bought) townland. The English form Ballysitteragh could be from Baile Suiteoireach, 'the townland of the camp/barracks', but the circumstances of its naming are unclear. Coumhenry, Coumgraig and Coumthrive are hollows below the mountain on the N. side.<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 623 || style="background:#cff;text-align:left"|218 || 2,044 || 715 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q460057}}
|-
|13||12||[[Beennabrack]]<ref name="mountainviews13">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/273/|title=Beennabrack|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||Binn na mBroc{{efn|name="been"|Paul Tempan notes that the Irish name Macha na gCab and the anglicised name Beennabrack have very different meanings. It seems unlikely that they originally referred to the same feature. An Seabhac gives the name Binn na mBroc ('peak of the badgers') for this hill (TCCD, 143, 233), which shows that Beennabrack is a corruption. He does not mention Macha na gCab.<ref name="peak"/>}}<br>Macha na gCab||Peak of the Badgers{{efn|name="been"}}<br/>Plain of the Beaks|| 609 || 24 || 1,996 || 77 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q469054}}
|-
|14||7||An Bhinn Dubh<ref name="mountainviews14">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/521/|title=An Bhinn Dubh|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||—||The Black Peak|| 479 || 51 || 1,572 || 166 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q483056}}
|-
|15||5||Faill an tSáis<ref name="mountainviews15">{{cite web|url=http://mountainviews.ie/summit/694/|title=Faill an tSáis|publisher=[[MountainViews Online Database]]|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>||—||Cliff of the Noose{{efn|Sauce Creek is derived from Irish sás, 'noose', a name referring to the fact that waves and currents make it very difficult to leave this cove by boat.<ref name="peak"/>}}|| 431 || 106 || 1,413 || 348 ||70||{{gbm4ibx|Q497150}}
|}

==Pilgrimage==
{{See also|Pilgrim Paths of Ireland}}
[[File:Cosan na Naomh (Pilgrim's route) - geograph.org.uk - 219293.jpg|thumb|''Cosán na Naomh'' at 500 metres]]

Due to its link with Saint Brendan, the mountain is popular with [[Irish Catholic]] [[pilgrim]]s.<ref name="peak" /> The mountain's relative height and status of being at an extreme westerly point appears to have been of great importance to Saint Brendan.<ref name=PIL/><ref name="peak" /> A [[pilgrimage]] route called ''Cosán na Naomh'' ("The Saints Road") begins at ''Cill Mhic an Domhnaigh'' (Kilvickadowning) on [[Ventry|Ventry Strand]] at the southern end of the Dingle peninsula, and ends at ''Séipéilín Bréanainn'' ("Brendan's Oratory") on Brandon's summit.<ref name="bren1"/><ref name="bren2"/> ''Sáipéilín Bréanainn'' is the remains of a stone building believed to have been used by Saint Brendan. The path to the peak is marked by small white crosses and the peak itself is topped by a large metal cross. It is speculated the pilgrimage originated in pre-Christian times as a [[Lughnasadh]] ritual.{{sfn|Harbison|Lynam|2002|p=17}}<ref name=PIL/>

In 1997, the Irish [[Heritage Council]] set up the Pilgrim Paths Project to restore walking routes along Irish medieval pilgrimage paths.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/recreation/heritage-council-initiatives/the-pilgrim-paths/ |title=The Pilgrim Paths |work=[[Heritage Council]] |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173847/http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/recreation/heritage-council-initiatives/the-pilgrim-paths/ |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> One of the routes chosen was ''Cosán na Naomh'', and an 18–kilometre way-marked trail was constructed between [[Ventry|Ventry Strand]] and the grotto at Ballybrack at the foot of Mount Brandon.<ref name=GUAR>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/oct/09/ireland.walkingholidays.guardiansaturdaytravelsection|title=Mystic mountain|work=[[The Guardian]]|author=Chett Raymo|date=9 October 2004|quote=Mount Brandon, a great solitary peak on Ireland's west coast, has been a holy site for centuries. Chet Raymo takes the pilgrim's path to the top|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/recreation/heritage-council-initiatives/the-pilgrim-paths/cosan-na-naomh/ |title=Cosán na Naomh, Co. Kerry |work=[[Heritage Council]] |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173938/http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/recreation/heritage-council-initiatives/the-pilgrim-paths/cosan-na-naomh/ |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> The trail has been developed to the standard required by the [[Irish Sports Council]] for [[Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland|National Waymarked Trails]] in Ireland.{{sfn|O Caoimh|2004|p=8}} For safety reasons, it was decided not to mark the trail to the end of the medieval route at the summit of Brandon, but to finish at Ballybrack.{{sfn|Harbison|Lynam|2002|p=19}} The starting point at Ventry is one of the places pilgrims would have come ashore.{{sfn|Harbison|Lynam|2002|p=25}} The trail passes a number of important ecclesiastical heritage sites including [[Gallarus Oratory]] and [[Kilmalkedar]] monastic site.{{sfn|Harbison|Lynam|2002|p=22}}

== Aircraft accidents==

[[File:Sunderland-Plane-wreackage-Faha-Ridge-Mount-Brandon-Kerry-Ireland-Wild-Atlantic-Way.jpg|thumb|Wreckage of Sunderland Aircraft, Faha Ridge 1943.]]
Between 1940 and 1943 a number of Allied and Axis aircraft crashed on Brandon and the Faha Ridge.<ref name="jimr"/>

* 20 August 1940: A [[Luftwaffe]] [[Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor]] crash-landed on Faha Ridge, the crew of six survived and were the first known aircrew from Germany to land in Ireland during the Second World War. A plaque commemorating this event is on display in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House in Cloghane Village.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepage.eircom.net/~wrgi/ikg40.html|title=Crash into Faha Ridge|publisher=Wartime Aircraft Crashes in County Kerry|author=Ger O'Regan|date=2005|quote=Luftwaffe Focke Wulf 200 ''Condor'' of KG40 departed Bordeaux in Western France on the morning of 20 August 1940, to carry out weather reconnaissance and pressure readings off the north-west coast of Ireland. As the huge 4 engine aircraft with a crew of 6 straddled the coastline of Mayo, Galway and Clare it developed engine problems and the pilot decided to try and return home. The problems intensified and therefore a decision was made to force land the aircraft at sea rather than attempt to land in the dense fog not knowing exactly where they were. Through the mist one of the crew could just make out Tralee Bay and in particular ''Hogs Head''. The pilot, Captain Kurt Mollenhauer, from Cuxhaven, set course due west as the aircraft began to descend in dense fog; they were heading for Mount Brandon.}}</ref>
* 28 July 1943: A [[British Overseas Airways Corporation|BOAC]] Civilian ''[[Short Sunderland|Short Sunderland III]]'' Flying Boat crashed due to a navigation error onto the lower slopes of Mount Brandon while flying from West Africa to [[Foynes]] Flying Boat Base. Ten of the twenty-five on board were killed in the wreck. An anchor from the wreck is in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepage.eircom.net/~wrgi/gages.html|title=Crash into Mount Brandon|publisher=Wartime Aircraft Crashes in County Kerry|author=Ger O'Regan|date=2005|quote=Capt. Allitt would have had only seconds to react when he would have seen grass below his aircraft at an altitude of approximately 2,000ft. before it impacted into large boulders just below the summit of Mount Brandon. Of the 28 on board, 10 died instantly including Allitt, Noth and Díarmuid Hartigan who was only 70 miles from his home. The crash site was a scene of utter devastation where fire engulfed almost all of the aircraft except the tail section, which bore the registration G–AGES. Amongst the cargo recovered were post from British personnel in Japanese administered [[Prisoner of war camp|POW camps]] in Java. For several months mail continued to be found several miles from the crash site and locals would themselves post the letters to the addressees.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ww2irishaviation.com/gages.htm|title=Shorts Sunderland G–AGES, British Overseas Airways Corporations|publisher=Irish Aviation|author=Denis Burke|date=August 2018}}</ref>
* 22 August 1943: A [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] ''[[Short Sunderland|Short Sunderland III]] [[Flying boat|Flying Boat]]'' belonging to 201 Squadron crashed while flying a patrol in the Atlantic, out of Castle Archdale. It crashed into the lower slopes of Mount Brandon. Eight of the crew of eleven were killed. A plaque commemorating those killed is in O'Connor's Bar and Guest House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepage.eircom.net/~wrgi/201sqn.html|title=2nd Crash into Mount Brandon|publisher=Wartime Aircraft Crashes in County Kerry|author=Ger O'Regan|date=2005|quote=The village of Cloghane had only just about recovered from the B.O.A.C. loss of another Sunderland on 28 July 1943, when tragedy called again 25 days later. Another aircraft came to grief in exactly the same spot and once again with a major loss of life on 22 August 1943. A Royal Air Force Sunderland Flying Boat, DD848, of 201 Squadron, Coastal Command, out of Castle Archdale on Lower Loch Erne, County Fermanagh with a crew of eleven, was intent on hunting U–Boats in The Bay of Biscay but found the inner slopes of Mt. Brandon instead. Again, as on 25 days earlier this area was a scene of carnage with only three survivors.}}</ref>
* 20 December 1943: A [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] ''[[Vickers Wellington]]'' belonging to 304 Squadron based out of [[Predannack Airfield]] crashed directly into Mount Brandon. All of the six Polish crew members were killed. Engines from the wreck are also on display in O'Connor's Bar.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://wartimeni.com/article/vickers-wellington-hf208-crash/ | title=Vickers Wellington HF208 crash on Mount Brandon, Co. Kerry | access-date=26 April 2020 | website=WartimeNI.com | first=Scott | last=Edgar}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
Image:Climbing Mount Brandon, Co Kerry, Ireland.jpg|Ascending the mountain
Image:Paternoster lakes aka Ribbon lakes on Mount Brandon, Co Kerry, Ireland.jpg|[[Paternoster lake]]s on the mountain
Image:Mount Brandon ridge, Co Kerry, Ireland looking across at Carrauntoohil.jpg|Looking across from Mount Brandon towards [[Carrauntoohil]] in the clouds
Image:On Brandon ridge looking towards Stradbally Beach, Co Kerry, Ireland.jpg|Looking towards the curve of Stradbally Beach, 1993
</gallery>

==See also==
{{commons category|Mount Brandon}}
*[[List of Furth mountains in the British Isles]]
*[[List of mountains of the British Isles by height]]
*[[List of P600 mountains in the British Isles]]
*[[Lists of mountains in Ireland]]
*[[Mountains of the Central Dingle Peninsula]], a mountain range in Dingle Peninsula
*[[Slieve Mish Mountains]], a mountain range in Dingle Peninsula

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="OsiMap70">
  {{cite map | publisher = [[Ordnance Survey Ireland]] | title = No. 70 - Kerry | series = Discovery Series
  | scale = 1 : 60,000 | edition = 2nd | year = 2000 | isbn = 1-901496-59-7}}</ref>
<ref name=peakbagger>
  {{cite peakbagger|pid=9022|name=Mount Brandon|access-date=2015-02-12}}</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===

====Climbing====
*{{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits | publisher = Cicerone | isbn = 978-1852841102 | year = 1993}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Fairbairn | first1 = Helen | title = Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way: A Walking Guide (Collins Press Guide) | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1848892675 | year = 2016 }}
*{{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 (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 | last1 = Ryan | first1 = Jim | title = Carrauntoohil and MacGillycuddy's Reeks: A Walking Guide to Ireland's Highest Mountains | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1905172337 | year = 2006 }}

====Religious====
* {{cite book |last1=Harbison |first1=Peter |last2=Lynam |first2=Joss | title=Cosán na Naomh: The Saint's Road, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry | series=Medieval Irish Pilgtim Paths |volume=1 |year=2002 | publisher=[[Heritage Council]] |location=[[Kilkenny]] |isbn=1-901137-30-9 }}
* {{cite conference |url=http://www.usicomos.org/symp/archive/2004/docs/caoimh-4771 |title=The Pilgrim's Path: Promoting Sustainable Development of Walking Routes through Sacred Sites in Ireland |first=Thomas |last=O Caoimh |year=2004 |conference=7th US/ICOMOS Symposium, 25–27 March 2004, Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA |conference-url=http://www.usicomos.org/symp/archive/2004 |book-title=Learning from World Heritage: Lessons from International Preservation and Stewardship of Cultural and Ecological Landscapes of Global Significance |access-date=18 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006150229/http://www.usicomos.org/symp/archive/2004/docs/caoimh-4771 |archive-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}

==External links==
*[https://mountainviews.ie/summit/9/ MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website], Brandon
*[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]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120829114800/http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,591271,743300,0 Ordnance Survey Ireland ("OSI") Online Map Viewer]
*[http://www.logainm.ie/ Logainm: Placenames Database of Ireland]
*[https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/2016/05/20/walking-the-saints-road-in-co-kerry/ Cosán na Naomh, Pilgrim's Route from Ventry Strand to Brandon Mountain]

{{Mountains of Great Britain and Ireland|}}
{{British hills}}
{{Mountains and hills of Munster}}
{{IrishTrails}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Marilyns of Ireland|Brandon]]
[[Category:Hewitts of Ireland|Brandon]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of County Kerry|Brandon]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Ireland]]
[[Category:Furths|Brandon]]
[[Category:Mountains under 1000 metres|Brandon]]
[[Category:Pilgrimage routes]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic pilgrimage sites in Ireland]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of Ireland|Brandon]]