I was excited about the imminent arrival of this publication, and wasn’t disappointed by the glossy cover, and superb photos and topos inside.  The increase in size from the usual guidebook format helps to make the photos more dramatic, and the recent availability of drone photography means that places like Malinbeg have much improved and clearer topos.

I was aware that the guide was going to be a selection restricted to West Donegal only, but could not find any reference to this in the introduction, or anywhere else.  West Donegal seemed reasonable to me, (perhaps because a revised Inishowen Guide had come out last year), but not to even mention the existence of Inishowen is tantamount to publishing a hillwalking guide to Kerry, with no mention of the Dingle Peninsula.

Donegal came into being in 1585 apparently, combining the existing Tir Conail and Inis Eoghan.  This guide is a guide to Tir Conail, and this would have been an appropriate title, particularly considering the publication’s Gaelic emphasis.

It’s difficult to see past this, but doing so, I was surprised not to see grid references given for the crag location, directions etc, but Lat/long.  This must be the way forward for the mobile phone brigade? Personally, I know where all the crags are, but not everybody does, so I would be interested to hear what folk think about that.

I also liked the inclusion of articles by activists giving a bit of background history to many of the crags.

Having said all that, this publication is inspirational, up to Dave Flanagan’s usual practice of raising the bar for everybody else.

It’s a long, long Way, gets further every day, it’s a long, long way from Belmullet to, well, anywhere. But we went, and it was worth it.
The meteo said the 4cast was great, (but, alas, no one had told Belmullet). We, Me’nher, biked to Erris Head on Friday, windy and dramatic, but Friday afternoon late, the wet weather came back, along with the rest of the group, from IMC David and Paddy, from CC Valli, Margaret, Derek, Seanski, Michael, Ronan, Anne, Helen and Jackie also from BCC. Ulster were decimated in Lavelles bar, (on the tele, that
is!) Then Michael arrived disguised as a bush.
Saturday dawned dry, but windy, so all were out on the crags pretty much. I was climbing with MQ and we did some of the easier classics, Fine Spine, Carlsberg and Left Whale. Margarets leg seemed to hold up well, as did my dodgy knee.
Leinster fared no better than Ulster on Saturday afternoon in Lavelles, but Belmullet seemed far removed from Bilbao, for everyone but Paddy.
Sunday was still cold and windy, where is this feckin heatwave? Swim as usual for the hardy ( not as cold as Culdaff) then we paired off to different areas. Gareth and Helen arrived. I managed a couple of new routes with Margaret over at Blacksod Wall, called Amputees and Ampu-knees, both about Severe, but the bottom easier third was amputated, due to high seas. Pity.
Monday dawned dreich, thick sea mist. We were getting reports of a heatwave elsewhere, so, had it not cleared quickly, we might have pulled out. But it cleared to a lovely day, and we, Paddy , David, Valli, Self, Gareth and Helen went to Vallis discovery near French port, to be called Gleann Sona. I Led three new routes with Valli, two of which were exceptional, Enigma, and Le Grande Diagonal, HS 3c and VS4b, the most obvious features of the slab. Gareth and Helen did the second
ascent of Enigma, and took some great photos. David and Paddy did another route on the seaward end.
Margaret and self went into Belmullet town in the afternoon, but when we returned to Scotchport, so had the sea-mist. All fled, ourselves to Vallis house, where we were royally hosted by herself and Gerry.
Home Tuesday morning.

If there’s one thing you can always count on at the Fairhead Climbing Meet, it’s world-class trad climbing, great company, and weather that likes to keep everyone guessing. This year’s meet, held from 29th–31st May 2026, delivered all three in generous measure.

Our weekend started by pitching what was supposed to be a trusty five-person tent. Unfortunately, it turned out to have developed a rather liberal interpretation of the term “waterproof.” Every heavy shower transformed parts of the inside into a very exclusive indoor paddling pool. By Sunday morning, we’d become experts at strategically positioning our chairs around the leaks and convincing ourselves that damp socks build character. Every time the rain hammered down, we’d glance nervously at the tent ceiling as if sheer optimism might stop the next drip.

Thankfully, the weather never managed to spoil the climbing. Although showers drifted through the weekend, there were plenty of dry windows, and climbers made the most of every one. Fairhead’s magnificent dolerite cliffs looked as imposing and beautiful as ever, with colourful ropes hanging from walls across the crag whenever the rain eased. It was one of those weekends where everyone became an expert meteorologist, constantly checking the horizon and declaring, “That cloud will probably miss us,” usually moments before getting soaked.

I teamed up with my climbing buddy, Nicola, and we managed to pack in some memorable routes. One of the highlights for me was leading The Black Thief (VS) on The Prow. It’s one of those routes that reminds you exactly why people travel from all over to climb at Fairhead. Brilliant movement, satisfying gear placements, enough exposure to keep the heart rate honest, and an incredible position above the sea. It was an absolute pleasure from the first move to the last and easily one of my favourite leads of the weekend.

Feeling encouraged by that success, I decided to keep the momentum going by jumping on The Offence. As it turned out, the route had other plans.

Somewhere above a reassuring-looking grey offset nut, I discovered what every trad climber experiences sooner or later: my very first proper trad fall.

There’s always plenty of debate about whether your first trad whipper is terrifying or liberating. Mine was mostly memorable because everything worked exactly as it should. The grey offset nut held beautifully, proving once again that good gear placements are worth their weight in gold. Nicola delivered a wonderfully soft, reactive catch. Huge thanks to her for that. It was reassuring to know that when gravity finally had its say, my climbing partner had everything completely under control. I dusted myself off after a few censored words, had a laugh, and got straight back on the route. Consider the trad initiation officially complete.

One of the best things about Fairhead has always been the atmosphere away from the crag. Once ropes were packed away each evening, everyone gathered back at the campsite to swap stories, exaggerate pitches, compare bruises, and discuss the gear placements they were absolutely certain would have held… despite quietly being glad they never had to find out.

After a full day of climbing, a few well-earned beers on both Saturday and Sunday evenings tasted particularly good. There’s something about sitting around with fellow climbers, climbing shoes kicked off, hands scraped, muscles aching, and a bottle in hand that perfectly rounds off a day on the cliffs. The conversations flowed just as easily as the beer, with tales ranging from triumphant on-sights to epic epics and near misses.

Saturday night’s entertainment featured guest speaker James McHaffie, who shared stories and insights from his impressive climbing career and extremely hard routes.

If Saturday was excellent, Sunday somehow managed to raise the bar even higher.

Robbie Phillips took to the stage and completely blew everyone away with a dramatic, funny and deeply engaging talk that had the audience hooked from start to finish. His stories were delivered with infectious enthusiasm, and the accompanying short film was nothing short of epic. It perfectly captured the adventure, commitment and friendships that make climbing such a special sport. Robbie was also great craic throughout the entire weekend, chatting with everyone, sharing stories and generally making himself part of the event rather than simply turning up. It’s easy to see why he’s such a popular figure in the climbing community.

By Monday morning, we were packing up. Somehow, despite the leaking tent, the rain showers and my inaugural trad fall, everyone seemed to be leaving with huge smiles on their faces.

That’s the magic of the Fairhead Climbing Meet.

The weather can throw everything it has at you, your accommodation might slowly transform into a water feature, and you may find yourself unexpectedly testing a small piece of metal lodged in a crack. Yet none of that matters. What stays with you are the incredible climbs, the laughter shared with old and new friends, the evenings spent over a few deserved beers, and the unmistakable feeling of being part of a brilliant climbing community.

A massive thank you goes to the organisers, volunteers, guest speakers and everyone who helped make the weekend another unforgettable success. Fairhead once again proved why it’s one of the highlights of the Irish climbing calendar.

Climbfest

The Club held their nineteenth Climbfest during the early May bank holiday weekend.  Since its inauguration in 2005, the event continues to attract climbers from across Ireland and further afield, to the joys of trad climbing in Donegal.  This year the Club went back to its base in Culdaff, Inishowen which resulted in a large number of climbers (80+ turning up) coupled with a prolonged four day assault on Inishowen’s many crags.  Lá Bealtaine (1^st of May) brought the sunshine and an unprecedented early invasion of Culdaff with up to 25 climbers out enjoying the crags at Dunowen and Dunmore Head.  The Club’s campsite proved popular for the tented dwellers while the recently extended campervan bay was pushed to its limits and beyond.  A new firepit was christened and a large contingent gathered for an evening of catching up, planning ahead and celebrating Bealtaine in the tranquil surroundings of Bunnagee.

The annual Saturday ‘Come and Try’ session at Dunmore Head was curtailed by the ever-increasing moisture coming in off the Atlantic.  This eventually transcended into rain thus creating the perfect conditions for a full-on assault of Culdaff’s most popular non-climbing crag – McGuinness’ Bar.  Another campfire session followed, albeit a bit more disjointed.

Sunday morning showed signs of promise.  The brave and the depraved sought the wave while the sane and vain rolled their eyes in the rain.  After hearing how lovely the water was and how it wasn’t all that cold or wet for that matter, the serious matter of where best to climb that day and when would the sun come out, were all discussed.

Brasil Rock became the venue of choice and very soon this unique rock outcrop was overwhelmed with climbers enjoying both the variety of climbs and the fantastic climbing location.  The top roped Dunowen crags next the Club’s campsite also received a large number of climbers and a few more adventurous climbers made it to Glenagiveny with its many demanding routes.  On Sunday evening, the Club hosted a social event in McGrory’s of Culdaff.  Jo Green – Climber and officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, give a great talk on the species we can see of our coast and illustrated how climbers can help the group by reporting sightings of Whales, Dolphins and Sharks.  Club member and seasoned climber, Hugh McCann, then give a talk and a slick slide show on the joys and logistics of climbing in the Sierra de Gredos mountains in central Spain.  Food, much chat and many tales followed. 

Monday morning and the sun did shine.  Dunmore Head and the sheltered Finbarr’s Wall were enjoyed by a large contingent that remained for the fourth day.  The latter crag received much praise from visiting climbers.  Overall, Colmcille Climbers once again ran a very successful Irish Trad climbing event with the weather helping to both encourage climbers out and, when needed, in.  Some routes that climbers reported enjoying the most included Alhambra, The Hustler, Broadbins Emporium (Brasil Rock), Orange Blossom, Black Perception (Dunmore Head) and Redford Classic (Finbarr Wall).

Many thanks to Mountaineering Ireland for continual support of this annual event and to the inhabitants of Culdaff for accommodating a large influx of brightly clad halfwits.

Report from Ronan Duddy

A little summary of the year.

Early March

Skiing in Austria for a week with Fiona, and brother (plus partner) and my friend. Sant Anton was the venue. I had not skied before and it was utterly brutal. Snow plow turns felt like turning a container ship. Fell a lot, surprised I didn’t break anything. Fiona had skied before and did great. By the end of the week I was getting the hang of parallel turns.

Early May

Climbfest at Malin Beg. Fiona didn’t climb as in the first trimester. I climbed a lot with George, did some great climbs (thanks George!). Seconded one of Warren Poots’ E2s with a Welsh climber .

Mid May

Climbed at Lower cove.

Spent the weekend at Fairhead camping and climbing. Finally succeeded on a popular multipitch route a friend and I had bailed on spectacularly last year (slight epic on that occasion where we left the house at about 8am and got home at 3am). This time the route went smoothly. The following day I did more climbing with George. Post on weekend: Weekend-at-fairhead

Went climbing at Dalkey sometime before the ban during the year too… can’t remember when.

Late May, Early June

Fairhead meet. Talk by Hazel Findley. George and I paired up for more climbing (in the rain!). David peddling CCC guidebooks. Post on CCC website: Fairhead-meet-may-2025

Fiona and Ronan Small Crag Fairhead 

Mid July

MI meet in Chamonix. Our first time. Stayed for a week. Did some walks, climbed with Marcin and watched the climbing world cup. Fairly relaxed time given pregnancy. Chamonix/alps seem family friendly which is good to know.

End of Aug

Climbed at Fairhead. Took the furthest fall I’ve ever taken in my life, inches away from the top of Thunderhips at the Prow. Was starting to feel like a caged animal towards the top and didn’t have big enough cams for the final part. Left heel and back still a little sore.

Ronan on Midnight Cruiser Prow Fairhead 

End of Nov

Baby is due. All’s going well thankfully.

A report by Philip  Mannus

It has been a very busy year. I passed my Winter ML on 5/2/25. I spent two weeks in Aviemore Area doing some grade 1 routes and practising for the assessment. I also passed my Climbing wall development Instructor qualification in May of this year.

 I soloed Marmolada at 3,343metres, the highest mountain in the Dolomites by its Via ferrata. It was challenging because a lot of the Via Ferrata wires were frozen and buried in snow and ice meaning that I had to solo climb over patches without any safety crossing some major drop offs. I climbed the mountain on both the ascent and descent via the VF. The return route took 11hrs. This was following 10 days attempting to climb Mont Blanc via the Grand Mullet arete onto the Dome. We had to turn back at 4,100metres due to a storm.  As a result of the weather we travelled to Orpierre and climbed there for 2 days on multi pitch bolted routes.

View of The Mont Blanc Du Tacul from the Cosmiques Hut. The conditions were not in for an ascent and the avalanche in the pic was a further indication that conditions were not in. The guides in the refuge also advised against it.

The walk to the Cosmiques hut from the Aiguille du Midi was interesting as the climb down the arete out of the tunnel was sketchy at best. Much easier coming up than going down.

I returned to Mont Blanc with Séan Convery in September. We took the standard route but there was nothing standard about it. Heavy snow made it pretty tough going, a real slog in 30cm of fresh snow. At one point we were lucky not to have been near an avalanche just up from the Goutier. 

Top of Mont Blanc

Séan was fighting a very bad flu, otherwise he would have left me in his trail. Thankfully we made it to the top!  The peak was a nightmare, very dicey around the summit, with some guides giving it a miss and staying at the Tete Rousse hut. 

Pics of the May/June attempt to climb Mont Blanc from the Grand Mullet Hut. Crossing the series of crevasses and coming down from the hut.

We spent the previous two days looking at Mont Blanc du Tacul from the Cosmiques hut, but the conditions weren’t in and we just went to the hut from the Aiguille du Midi.  At least it got us acclimatized.   While on the Mont Blanc trip with Séan we also did some local sport climbing and a via ferrata.

During the summer, Sean and I also set up a few new routes in Donegal, one named after my twin brother, who passed away 5yrs ago and it was called “A nod to Davey”.

Had a three-day trip in Glencoe where I guided a very nervous fellow climbing member around the CWD arete, Buachaille Etive Beag and Ben Stava. Fantastic views except for Ben Strava which was covered in mist.

Oh yes, and I am off to climb Aconcagua in Mendoza in Jan.

A report by Helen Harris

• Elevation: 5,137 m
• Duration: 10 days
• Route: Southern Route from Doğubayazıt
• Camps: Camp 1 (3,200 m) and Camp 2 (4,200 m)

The Mount Ararat expedition began with an acclimatisation climb on Mount Arto (3,560 m) near Lake Van — a windswept volcanic ridge.

Mount Arat

The team, which also  included Colmciller Jackie Wade, then travelled east to Doğubayazıt, the frontier town beneath Ararat’s immense snow dome and drove up rough tracks to the trailhead and began the ascent to Camp 1 (3,200 m). 

Camp 1

To prepare for the summit push, the team made a rotation from Camp 1 to Camp 2 (4,200 m), carrying light loads and spent a few hours there to acclimatise, taking in the sweeping views over Armenia and Iran before descending back to Camp 1 for the night.

Summit Day

Three of the team left Camp 2 in darkness with headlamps and crampons donned

The final 1,000 metres to the top were a slow, rhythmic grind in the thin air. By around 8:00 a.m the summit of Mount Ararat (5,137 m) was reached under clear skies. The view was extraordinary: the white cone of Süphan Dağı to the west, the peaks of Iran to the east, and far below, the green patchwork of the Aras Valley.

After taking photos and a few quiet moments on the summit, the long descent back to the trailhead began. Unfortunately, the descent on rotation between camp two and camp one  brought an unexpected and serious challenge. I sustained a fall on loose scree, suffering a fractured tibia and fibula with ankle dislocation.

Descent by Horse

With no official mountain rescue service on Ararat, our guide acted quickly. After stabilising the injury a horse was brought up from the lower slopes, allowing for a difficult  evacuation to the roadhead. From there, I was transported to Doğubayazıt Hospital for emergency treatment and surgery 

Mount Ararat gave us everything a great expedition should: beauty, challenge, and humility. Yet the accident was a sobering reminder of how quickly things can change in remote, high-altitude environments

Report by Paddy O’Brien

The Belmullet peninsula was the venue for this meet with Scotchport bay as the base. This bay on the NW side of the peninsula makes a great base, quiet, level parking, some camping space and a calm sheltered bay for swimming with ever changing views.

The crags are 1km north at Dún na mBó and are reached by just 10 to 15min pleasant walk from the upper car park. If you have an eeeeeebike you still have to walk, unless you can persuade someone to carry you! The days were warm and sunny which energised everyone into tackling the crags. Six new crags were opened up, some existing routes and a total of 19 new routes were climbed, ranging in grade from V Diff to HVS and 10m to 30m in length on good rock.

Valli produced her ever reliable wood burner and a very pleasant, mild, midge free evening was had. There was no music or song but who needs Alan or Frank when you have DW after one or two glasses of red!

This area has plenty to offer and there is lots more potential, it’s well worth a visit.

Thanks to everyone who came along and for making it a memorable weekend.