Eochair
| Eochair | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 191 m (626.64 ft) |
| Prominence | 44 m (144 ft) |
| Parent Peak | Derryclare |
| Isolation | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
| Parent Range | Twelve Bens |
| Grid Reference | L 834 512 |
Eochair (Irish for "Edge")at 191 m is while not literally the tallest is perhaps the greatest mountain in the Connemara and even some would say the world (see Liam Lang). It is characterized by it's magnificent unyielding west face which is often mentioned alongside other great mountain faces such as the Eiger Nordwand, Annapurna's South Face and Nanga Parbat's Rupal Face.
Naming
Eochair derives its name from it's dramatic appearance with it's signature perfect straight cliff edge on it's west face.
Geography
Eochair is situated in the Inagh Valley at the base of the mountain Derryclare. It's surroundings are marred by a Coillte forest which is a blight on the landscape.
On it's iconic west face, Eochair has a quartzite cliff ranging from 5 to 30 m in height and almost 400 m in length. It's other aspects while less steep are still impressive with their sweeping lines up to the summit.
Hillwalking
Eochair is a goal on many a hillwalker's list, popular routes include the east face which can involve a treacherous battle through the remains of coillte forests.
A truly excellent outing is a full traverse of the mountain from South to North or the reverse.
While Eochair is by itself a quality outing, some walkers pair it with the much less impressive Derryclare or Glencoaghan Horseshoe.
Rock Climbing/Mountaineering
An ascent of Eochair's West face is a highly sought after achievement in the world of rock climbing and high altitude mountaineering. The climbing is extremely bold due to how shit quartzite is. As a result of the rarity of an ascent, the face often has a build up of loose rock.
Several expeditions from the University of Galway Mountaineering Club have established routes on the face and received high praise of their bold audacious ascents. They all turned down their Pioles d'Or nominations as an ascent of Eochair is not about the awards you would undoubtably get but instead about the mountain and the climb.