Overview
Slieve Callan, also known as Mount Callan, rises to 391m (1,283ft) in west County Clare. It sits roughly in the middle of the triangle drawn by Milltown Malbay, Inagh and Connolly, about 8km back from the Atlantic. That inland-but-coastal position is the whole point: on a genuinely clear day the summit gives a wide sweep from Mount Brandon and the Dingle Peninsula in the south, past the Aran Islands and the Silvermine Mountains, round to the Connemara hills and the Burren. The local ACRES action plan records megalithic tombs and ringforts in the wider Slievecallan area.
The catch is in the phrase ‘clear day’. This is west Clare, with about 2,000mm of rain a year, and the summit clouds over when the valleys below are still bright. Time it for a settled spell or don’t count on the view at all.
Access and the hill
The summit plateau is soft, boggy ground pitted with waterholes over slate and carboniferous shale, wet more or less year-round, so wear boots and expect to pick your line. Public access to the summit, any designated parking and the permissions that apply have not been confirmed, so stay on public routes and leave farm and wind-farm entrances clear. Respect gates and signs, and keep to any waymarked path. There are no facilities on the hill, so carry your own water. Reception can be patchy on top, so download maps or bring the OSi sheet, and check the forecast, as the summit can be misty when the valleys are clear.
For a waymarked walk in County Clare, try the Dromore Wood Loop near Ruan.
The tombs, the ogham stone and the folklore
In the townland of Knockalassa on the southern side stand the remains of two megalithic tombs. Local lore holds that damaging them brings bad luck, reason enough to leave them be. A small lake, Lough Boolynagreana, sits on the mountainside above. Their exact locations and access arrangements have not been confirmed, so admire only what is visible from public routes and do not cross fields to reach them.
The hill was long used for Lughnasa gatherings each August, the harvest festival marked on high ground across Ireland. In the late 18th century an ogham stone was found here, and it was translated and published by antiquarians. The reading claimed it marked the grave of Conán, a warrior of the mythical fianna. The same stone feeds the legend of Kilstiffen, a drowned city said to lie off the coast near the Cliffs of Moher, whose golden key is supposedly buried beneath it.
The wind farms
The southern and eastern slopes now carry two wind farms, Slieve Callan West and East, with 29 turbines granted permission in 2017, built in 2018 and sold on in 2020. They’ve changed the look of the hill entirely, and how you feel about that is a matter of taste. Mind the ‘no trespass’ signage near the substations and keep clear of turbine bases and service areas. Under the planning deal, the developers committed €1.5 million in community funding to Milltown Malbay, Inagh and Kilmaley for local infrastructure and heritage.
The Slieve Callan steam engine at Moyasta
The name also belongs to a locomotive. A short drive south-west at Moyasta, the West Clare Railway kept the restored Slieve Callan engine, built in 1892 by Dubs & Co. It hauled the narrow-gauge West Clare line for 60 years until 1952, sat for decades on a plinth at Ennis station, and was rescued for a long restoration led by local businessman Jackie Whelan. The line was immortalised in Percy French’s ‘Are You Right There Michael?’. Its opening status changes, so check with the West Clare Railway before you build a day around it.
Nearby villages and attractions
- Inagh – at the foot of the hill and a gateway to the Mid Clare Way, and home to St Tola Goat Cheese.
- Connolly – a few kilometres east, with a Fairy Trail popular with families; the Cloontabonniv Bog Walk starts here.
- Corcomroe Abbey – a ruined Cistercian abbey a short drive away, worth a quiet half-hour.
- Aillwee Cave – the cave and birds-of-prey centre to the north.
Practical information
Access and parking: the hill lies west of Ennis toward Kilkee, off the R476. Look for signposted public routes, and do not park across farm gateways or wind-farm entrances.
Safety: keep dogs under control near livestock and turbine perimeters, and check current local notices before you go. Weather on the summit changes quickly.