The Ox Mountains or Slieve Gamph[1] (Irish: Sliabh Gamh, 'storm mountains')[2] are a mountain range in County Sligo on the west coast of Ireland. They are also known as Saint Patrick's Mountains after the saint who built churches on its slopes and left his name to some of its wells.[3]
| Ox Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Sliabh Gamh | |
 View of the Ox Mountains from Knocknarea | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Knockalongy |
| Elevation | 544 m (1,785 ft) |
| Coordinates | 54°10′N 8°50′W / 54.167°N 8.833°W |
| Geography | |
  Ox Mountains | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Provinces of Ireland | Connacht |
Geography
editThe highest peak in the Ox Mountains is Knockalongy, which is 544 metres (1,785 ft) high.[4]
The mountains begin immediately southwest of Ballysadare, and run west-southwest for some forty miles to the boundary of County Mayo, where they are continued to the southwest by the Slieve Gamph range, which runs first on the boundary of the two counties, and then into Mayo. The mountains have several summits from 1,200 to 1,800 feet high; and Slieve Gamph reaches 1,363 feet.[5]
Geology
editLead and copper mines were formerly worked in the Ox Mountains, but by 1900, the works had been long since discontinued.[5]
Peaks
edit| Hill | Height (m) |
|---|---|
| Knockalongy | 544 m |
| Annatoran | 512 m |
| Cloonacool | 440 m |
| Sruffaungarve Top | 400 m |
| Meenamaddo | 330 m |
| Knocknashee | 276 m |
References
edit- ^ Slieve Gamph or the Ox Mountains. Placenames Database of Ireland.
- ^ Paul Tempan (May 2019). "Irish Hill and Mountain Names" (PDF). MountainViews.ie.
- ^ The History of Sligo: Town and County Terence O'Rorke, p. 3, 1890.
- ^ "Ox Mountains". MountainViews. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Description of County Sligo from Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland (1900)". Library Ireland. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
