And sho, 2016 comes to a close in the distant north West of Ireland and it has been an outstanding year in all regards. This is just a wee review of a day or two out playing in the middle/outer realms in western Donegal.

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A wee play on this boy was an outstanding day out that took a couple of years to get sorted. Kept getting the motion wrong and arrived to play in the middle of a bouncefest from the northwest. Arrived on the second attempt in the middle of a clifftop mass, alas the good lord didn't provide suitable seas. This stack is looked at by thousands of people every year, yet its summit has only been stood on by seven people in it's 700 year life. :-) Few more details Downpatrick Head Dun Briste climb

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A swift replay on the seven summits of Donegal has led the weary traveller to return sans rope to freesolo them. Undoubtedly a foolish endeavour but alas turn out to be with hindsight, mildly amusing. The Realm of chaos

Sea stack climbing is an extremely foolish activity in which the consequence of getting it wrong can be death. Free soloing sea stacks is a mind bending game in which each and every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Alas the odds are also heavily stacked in the sea stacks favour with hundred of good reasons why this is a bad idea. The equal and opposite side of this is the overcoming of primal fear and loathing that comes from meeting and facing the inner you, your most tricky opponent




The popularity of Cruit Island continues to grow with a steady stream of visitors from all over Ireland and increasing numbers from the UK. With a shade over 400 climbs all less than 10 minutes walk from the car, I had thought all of the major lines and faces had been climbed up to about VS/HVS. Off course I was / am very wrong with another 30 or so new lines being climbed by new routing troops from four different countries over the past year.
Have a wee look at the up to date Cruit Island Guide.



Gola has seen a large increase in climbing visitors this summer with weekend and midweek camper around the lake being a common site on the island. Whispers of repeats on most of the more established E4 and 5's on the main walls and twin cave Buttress, with reports of outstanding climbing and rock on all the routes. On Mhachaire na nGall Walls, Kath McGuire and Ruth Whelan added "Feeling the Altitude which takes the steep wide crack round the corner left of bootleg at about Hard Severe.
At the other side of the Island I paddled from Port Arthur to the centre of the north coast of Gola and climbed four new lines on the 25m sea stack that lives out to sea from the north West Zawn area. Im guessing this was a first ascent of the stack as well but being quite an easy scramble from the the north it very likely to have been stood before.
The Gola guide, Gola Island Guidebook


Owey Island continues to draw the steely fingered on hard classic rock on its sea ward faces with Paul Swail, John McCune and Eamon Quinn continuing to explore the steep wall facing the USA, the Owey Guide PDF is HERE. There are whispers of the Ireland's best E6 pitch on the steep wall to the right of "Fat Arsed Crack." Below are just a few of the lines climbed this year around Owey.

Sleeping Beauty E4 6a 25m **
Start as for Pride of Kingcasslagh and follow it for 8m until you get established on a slopping ledge. From the slopping ledge arrange gear and make some technical moves up and left to get established on the gently over hanging wall. Small positive edges and well protected climbing leads you top the top and a somewhat sloppy top out. Very good face climbing on excellent rock.

The Invisible Gorilla E1 5b 15m **
Located roughly 40m NNW of Photographic Clothing are 2 square granite blocks you can easily scrambling to the top of the first one. The Invisible Gorilla is the obvious crack line you can see on the WSW face of the block. Approach is easiest via abseil to the platform at the base of the route. Climb the initial steep section on good jams to a rest. The crack gets wider but the climbing gets easier to a awkward and thoughtful top out.

Looking is not seeing, E5 6a 20m ***
Another absolute gem. Start 2 crack lines left A Race Against Time at the base unappealing black cleft but don’t let this put you off.... Climb in to the back of the cleft, easier and more enjoyable that it looks and emerge from the darkness with some exciting steep jams. Tackle the gently leaning wall on slopers, jams and finger locks to a head in belly on platform rest and finish to the right up an easy groove.

At slightly more modest grades two new lines were climbed on the Tor Lice Riseagh sea stack by Iain Milller and Michelle Ibanez. "A Day in the Life" and "Cloud of Midgies" climb two excellent cracklines at VS 4c and 5a on the sea ward face of the stack.

The Owey island Guidebook is [url="http://www.uniqueascent.ie/owey_island"]

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