The Sheeffry Mountains
Mweelrea and Inisturk lie to the west. Ben Gorm, Devilsmother, Maumtrasna, the Maumturks, Leenane Hill and the Twelve Bens are all visible to the south. Croagh Patrick, the Nephin Begs, Corraun, Clare and Achill Islands dominate to the north. Truly, the views from the Sheeffry Mountains are among the very best anywhere in Ireland.
A spine that runs east to west across south Mayo, with its high point at Barrclashcame (772m), the Sheeffrys offer really lovely walking. The range can be accessed via its grassy slopes to the south, while excellent corries encompassed by nice scree-strewn cliffs on its northern side are somewhat less welcoming.
Indeed, the range can now also be entered on its eastern extremity from the section of the Western Way that has recently been taken off-road. This brings the walker north from Tawnyard Lough and up by Tawny Rower. This route can be viewed here (red-dashed line on left hand side).
One option is to avoid the aforementioned (lower) area to the east and ascend from the south, up the long southeast spur. Points 742m and 762m can be visited on the way across to Barrclashcame. Lough Brawn, sitting in its beautiful north-facing corrie, is followed by a lakeless double-corrie and the pleasant Sheeffry ridge. Barrclashcame itself, while no more than a grassy plateau, is in fact the third highest point in Mayo and Connacht.
Having reached Barrclashcame, it is worthwhile continuing a few hundred metres SW across the little plateau to reach the western edge of the Sheefry range. Here, a steep drop-off affords wonderful uninterrupted views of Doo, Fin and Glencullin Loughs below and the Mweelrea massif across their icy dark waters.
While the range cannot boast a jagged or peaked summit, the Sheeffrys nevertheless offer a really nice day’s hillwalking, with views of more formidable Mayo and Connemara summits all around.
