Ben Bulben
Encyclopedia
Ben Bulben, sometimes spelt Benbulben or Benbulbin (from the ), is a large rock formation
in County Sligo, Ireland
. It is part of the Dartry Mountains
, an area sometimes called "Yeats
Country".
Ben Bulben is listed as a protected structure.
s are "Gulban's peak" and "jaw-shaped peak."
Ben Bulben was formed during the Ice age
, when Ireland was under glacier
s. Originally it was a large ridge. The moving glaciers shaped it into its present distinct formation.
limestone
on top of smaller amounts of Glencar limestone. The smoother sides are composed of Ben Bulben shale
. These rocks formed in the area approximately 320 million years ago. Barytes was mined at Glencarbury on the Ben Bulben range between 1894 and 1979.
s and storm
s that come in from the Atlantic Ocean
. However, if climbed by the south side, it is an easy climb, due to the fact that side slopes very gently. Upon reaching the summit, the climber is rewarded with a magnificent view of Yeats Country.
plants, due to the mountain's height, which allows for cooler temperatures than is normal. These plants were deposited when the glaciers that created Ben Bulben melted. Insect
s, wild hare
s, and fox
es inhabit Ben Bulben.
. It is said to be the dwelling
of the Fianna
, a band of warriors who lived in the 3rd century. One example is a story in which the warrior Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
(Diarmund) is tricked by the giant
Fionn mac Cumhaill
(Finn McCool) into fighting an enchanted boar
, which later kills the warrior by piercing his heart
with its tusk. The mountain is said to be Diarmuid and Grainne's resting places. Also, in the 6th century, St. Columba
led 3,000 soldier
s up Ben Bulben to fight for the right for the saint to copy from a Psalter
he had borrowed from St. Finnian
.
, an Irish Republican Army
column, including an armoured car were cornered in Sligo. The car was destroyed by another armoured car belonging to the Irish Free State
's National Army
, and six of the IRA soldiers fled up the Ben Bulben's slopes. In the end, all were killed, allegedly after they had surrendered. They are known as the "Noble Six".
Brigadier Joe Ring, Brian McNeill, Capt. Harry Benson and Seamus Devins were among those to have been killed on the mountain. Three of these were ancestors of current and recent politicians: Ring is the grand uncle of Michael Ring
, McNeill is the uncle of former Tánaiste
and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell
and Devins is the grandfather of Jimmy Devins
. Mary O'Rourke
once narrated a radio documentary telling how her grandmother was used as a safehouse.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Sinn Féin had engaged in a slogan campaign around the theme Brits out of Ireland. Roads and walls throughout the 26 counties had been marked with these slogans as was Benbulben in 1977. It was marked first with 'Brits Out' (180 ft long and 25 ft high) and then later with the less offensive slogan 'H-Block'.
Ben Bulben overlooks the village of Mullaghmore, known for the assassination of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
there in 1979.
is from nearby Drumcliffe
.
Andy "The Bull" McSharry
, involved in a famous 17-year-long dispute over his land, lives near Ben Bulben.
, after whom Yeats Country is named. County Sligo is considered integral to the poet's work. The mountain is one of the destinations on the Passport Trail of the poet's life.
Yeats wrote the following in The Celtic Twilight:
Yeats's famous poem, Under Ben Bulben, is basically a description of Yeats Country. It describes the sights that he saw in Yeats Country.
The following is an excerpt from Under Ben Bulben:
This was Yeats's final poem, published in The Irish Times
. He is now buried in nearby Drumcliffe Churchyard.
Rock formation
This is a list of rock formations that include isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrops. These formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock...
in County Sligo, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is part of the Dartry Mountains
Dartry Mountains
The Dartry Mountains are a range in the north west of Ireland.They are situated mainly on the border of County Sligo and County Leitrim....
, an area sometimes called "Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
Country".
Ben Bulben is listed as a protected structure.
Etymology
"Ben Bulben", "Benbulben", and "Benbulbin" are all anglicizations of the Irish name "Binn Ghulbain". "Binn" is the word most often used for "peak" or "mountain", while "Ghulbain" means either "Gulban('s)" or "jaw-shaped". The two most common translationTranslation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s are "Gulban's peak" and "jaw-shaped peak."
Formation
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, when Ireland was under glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s. Originally it was a large ridge. The moving glaciers shaped it into its present distinct formation.
Rock composition
The steeper sides of Ben Bulben are composed of large amounts of DartryDartry
Dartry is a suburb of Dublin. Among the locations in Dartry are Dartry Road, Temple Road, Orwell Park, and Palmerston Park.-Dartry Road:In the part of Dartry Road between Palmerston Park and Temple Road is located Trinity Hall, the most prominent student residence for students of the University of...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
on top of smaller amounts of Glencar limestone. The smoother sides are composed of Ben Bulben shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
. These rocks formed in the area approximately 320 million years ago. Barytes was mined at Glencarbury on the Ben Bulben range between 1894 and 1979.
Climbing
Ben Bulben is an established climbing destination. If climbed by the north face, it is a dangerous climb. That side bears the brunt of the high windWind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
s and storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
s that come in from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. However, if climbed by the south side, it is an easy climb, due to the fact that side slopes very gently. Upon reaching the summit, the climber is rewarded with a magnificent view of Yeats Country.
Flora and fauna
Ben Bulben hosts a unique variety of plants, possessing some organisms found nowhere else in Ireland. Many are arctic-alpineArctic-alpine
An arctic-alpine taxon is one whose natural distribution includes the Arctic and more southerly mountain ranges, particularly the Alps. The presence of identical or similar taxa in both the tundra of the far north, and high mountain ranges much further south is testament to the similar...
plants, due to the mountain's height, which allows for cooler temperatures than is normal. These plants were deposited when the glaciers that created Ben Bulben melted. Insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, wild hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
s, and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es inhabit Ben Bulben.
In Irish history
Celtic legends
Ben Bulben is the setting of many Celtic legendsCeltic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
. It is said to be the dwelling
Dwelling
Dwelling, as well as being a term for a house, or for living somewhere, or for lingering somewhere, is a philosophical concept which was developed by Martin Heidegger. Dwelling is about making yourself at home where the home itself is a building that is a house...
of the Fianna
Fianna
Fianna were small, semi-independent warrior bands in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology, most notably in the stories of the Fenian Cycle, where they are led by Fionn mac Cumhaill....
, a band of warriors who lived in the 3rd century. One example is a story in which the warrior Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne or Diarmid O'Dyna is a son of Donn and a warrior of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is most famous as the lover of Gráinne, the intended wife of Fianna leader Fionn mac Cumhaill in The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne...
(Diarmund) is tricked by the giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill , known in English as Finn McCool, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, occurring also in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man...
(Finn McCool) into fighting an enchanted boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
, which later kills the warrior by piercing his heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
with its tusk. The mountain is said to be Diarmuid and Grainne's resting places. Also, in the 6th century, St. Columba
Columba
Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
led 3,000 soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s up Ben Bulben to fight for the right for the saint to copy from a Psalter
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
he had borrowed from St. Finnian
Finnian of Moville
Finnian of Movilla Abbey, Irish Christian missionary, 495–589.-Origins and life:Finnian was a Christian missionary who became a legendary figure in medieval Ireland. He should not to be confused with his namesake Finnian of Clonard...
.
Irish Civil War
In September 1922, during the Irish Civil WarIrish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, an Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
column, including an armoured car were cornered in Sligo. The car was destroyed by another armoured car belonging to the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
's National Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
, and six of the IRA soldiers fled up the Ben Bulben's slopes. In the end, all were killed, allegedly after they had surrendered. They are known as the "Noble Six".
Brigadier Joe Ring, Brian McNeill, Capt. Harry Benson and Seamus Devins were among those to have been killed on the mountain. Three of these were ancestors of current and recent politicians: Ring is the grand uncle of Michael Ring
Michael Ring
Michael Ring is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Mayo constituency since June 1994, and is the current Minister of State for Tourism and Sport....
, McNeill is the uncle of former Tánaiste
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :...
and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
and Devins is the grandfather of Jimmy Devins
Jimmy Devins
James "Jimmy" Devins is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician and medical doctor. He served as a Teachta Dála from 2002 to 2011....
. Mary O'Rourke
Mary O'Rourke
Mary O'Rourke is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. She is a former Teachta Dála for the Longford–Westmeath and Westmeath constituencies. She served as Minister for Education , Minister for Health and Minister for Public Enterprise...
once narrated a radio documentary telling how her grandmother was used as a safehouse.
Recent history
It is said that an American World War II aircraft crashed on top of Ben Bulben. To this day, some of its remains can allegedly be found on the mountain.In the 1970s and 1980s, Sinn Féin had engaged in a slogan campaign around the theme Brits out of Ireland. Roads and walls throughout the 26 counties had been marked with these slogans as was Benbulben in 1977. It was marked first with 'Brits Out' (180 ft long and 25 ft high) and then later with the less offensive slogan 'H-Block'.
Ben Bulben overlooks the village of Mullaghmore, known for the assassination of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
there in 1979.
Notable people
The athlete Mary CullenMary Cullen
Mary Teresa Cullen is an Irish long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres on the track, and cross country running...
is from nearby Drumcliffe
Drumcliffe
Drumcliffe, officially Drumcliff , is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is 8 km north of Sligo town on the N15 road between Ben Bulben and the sea.-History:...
.
Andy "The Bull" McSharry
Andy "The Bull" McSharry
Andy "the Bull" McSharry is an Irish sheep farmer from County Sligo who came to national attention after a seventeen-year campaign during which he objected to casual walkers trespassing on his land, a dispute which inspired other farmers to object to similar treatment...
, involved in a famous 17-year-long dispute over his land, lives near Ben Bulben.
In literature
Ben Bulben features prominently in the poetry of W. B. YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, after whom Yeats Country is named. County Sligo is considered integral to the poet's work. The mountain is one of the destinations on the Passport Trail of the poet's life.
Yeats wrote the following in The Celtic Twilight:
Yeats's famous poem, Under Ben Bulben, is basically a description of Yeats Country. It describes the sights that he saw in Yeats Country.
The following is an excerpt from Under Ben Bulben:
This was Yeats's final poem, published in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
. He is now buried in nearby Drumcliffe Churchyard.
See also
- List of mountains in Ireland
- Wiktionary definition of a ben
External links
- Ben Bulben statistics
- Tourist information
- Climbing Benbulben
- An image of Ben Bulben with a small caption
- Information, pictures and a panorama of Ben Bulben
- Hiking the Benbulben and the old coal mine
- Sinn Féin Anti British Slogans 1977
Yeats
- An essay on the Ben Bulben in Yeats' poetry
- A second site detailing Ben Bulben in Yeats' poetry
- Reading of "Under Ben Bulben" by Jim NortonJim Norton (actor)Jim Norton is an Irish character actor.-Performances:Jim Norton has been acting for over forty years in theatre, television, and movies, and frequently plays clergymen, most notably Bishop Brennan in the sitcom Father Ted, as well as in The Sweeney , Peak Practice , Sunset Heights , A Love Divided...
on RTÉ Radio 1RTÉ Radio 1RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...