From a Standing Start

Another milestone was tripped over by yours truely yesterday. I’ve passed another birthday, yet still mercifully I’m still in my thirties. To celebrate my brothers, a pal and I decided to climb to Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed, a cave 560 metres (1867 ft) up the Dartry Mountains. It has long been a goal of mine to climb some of the great hills that we all take for granted here in the North West. Years ago I had driven around the Geniff Horse Shoe glen and marvelled at the rock formations and hills around the valley. Up the valley on the south side is an enormous cave that is just below the summit. Its easy to see how the cave became embroiled in the old Irish legend of Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Gráinne.

For those who don’t know the story, Grainne the daughter of  High King Cormaic McAirt was to be married to Fionn MacCumhaill leader of the Fianna Warriors. At the wedding Grainne was disgusted at how old Fionn was compared to her father. She slipped a sleeping potion into the drink of  Fionn and the other guests and then coerced Diarmaid MacDuibne to run away with her by threatening a geis (or curse) on him. ( Women! They never change…) This set off a chase throughout Ireland as the couple try evade capture by Fionn. Many places in Ireland are called Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed, so named for the couple who spent time there as they tried to stay ahead of Fionn.

Diarmaid and Grainne's Bed

The cave is in Sligo  roughly at 54°22’20.36″N and 8°25’22.30″W. The easiest way to reach it is to drive to the village of Cliffoney, Co Sligo and then follow the signposts for the Gleniff horse shoe Glen.

We parked below the cave at a derelict house and started out at 10.30am under sunny and breezy conditions. Our plan was to go up along the more gently sloping  path left of center in the photograph, and then cross to the steeper slope below the cave. I would have considered myself the unfittest of the bunch climbing, and the burning in my calve muscles started pretty quickly. Of course it didn’t help that I was laughing at the smart ass comments coming from the guys ahead of me. Comments about setting out from base camp, rationing provisions and having to eat sheep. We were all un-used to climbing and had to take regular breaks on the way up. The terrain was scrubby grassland, very well cut back by sheep. As the incline became more steep, we had to progress spiderman style on hands and feet. This of course meant watching where your hands went as there was nettles and thistle lurking among the grass.

We  lost a good man on the way up. Our pal John who none could call a sissy, stopped and stuck to the hillside like a limpet. John has fished for King Crab in Alaska on a trawler. Anyone who has watched Deadliest Catch knows how tough that job is. John also regulary saves kittens from trees, rescues damsels in distress and helps little old ladies across the street, so his credentials are impeccable. John decided to turn back and we decided not to slag him… at least until we got back to the car.

Gleniff Valley from half way up

From just above half way up the view is spectacular. Looking north Mullaghmore can be seen and if there was less haze, one could see clear across Donegal Bay to Slieve League. Just above the halfway point the terrain levelled out to make  travel a little easier. The remaining four of us, walked along the sheep trails to the scree slope beneath the cave. This is where the hill walking gave way to mountaineering. Below the mouth of the cave is a rock gulley that zig-zags to a small grassy slope at the mouth of the cave. Previous climbers had left a rope dangling down the gulley to assist those that would come after them.  Using a combination of the rope and careful climbing we took turns at climbing up to to the grass slope at the cave mouth. A second rope anchored to a pin at the mouth of the cave gave assistance over the last couple of meters.

I now know the meaning of the word exhilaration. When I could turn around and take in the scenery, and the surroundings of  the giant air-craft hanger of a cave perched atop a mountain… exhilaration is the only word. My younger brother had been here the previous year and had told us about the numerous caverns and smaller chambers further in, so in preparation we had brought torches.  In the back of the cave to the right is a chamber about the size of a big house that has second chamber leading off  into the mountain. On the other side of the cave is an even larger cavern that  has some interesting stalactites. Not having any experience as cavers or climbers we left the deep exploration for those with the proper skills. What we saw though, was certainly very impressive.

We were nervous about the decent so after half an hour we started back down again. Going down one at a time and taking exceptional care we managed it without difficulty. Not surprising the descent went a lot faster than the ascent. Climbing took us just under an hour and twenty minutes, while the descent was just over half an hour. From a fitness point of view I was happy; I wasnt as fast going up as the rest of the guys, but racing up and down would have defeated the purpose.

The buzz from climbing up to Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed is still with me, though last night I caught myself twitching a few times as I thought I was falling. On hindsight it may have been less than wise for five untrained guys to climb to a cave at the top of a mountain and then explore inside. The ropes that were so helpful during the last section are made of nylon. Nylon rope deteriorates faster than any other type or rope, and with the exposed conditions up there, it definately shouldnt be trusted. While some kind soul left these ropes for those that came after, we dont know how long ago that was and wether the archor points they made can still be relied upon. If you decide that you would like to climb Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed in those mountains I would suggest going as part of an experienced group and being exceptionally careful.

I heard recently that more than 5000 Irish people have taken up the hobby of hillwalking in the past year, which isn’t really surprising. There is  fantastic countryside  all around us and the cost of starting out is minimal.  On beautiful clear days like yesterday, it also beats going to the gym.