Carrigeenamronety Hill

The Carrigeenamronety Hill site was designated as a Natura 2000 site in 1998 under the Habitats Directive.^[5] Statutory Instrument No. 221 of 2017, establishing the site as an SAC (site code: 000397), was passed in 2017.^[2] The National Parks and Wildlife Service notes two features which qualify this site for an SAC designation:

• Killarney fern or Trichomanes speciosum (Natura 2000 code 1421)
• Dry heath (Natura 2000 code 4030)^[1][2]

The European Environment Agency website EUNIS notes that the Carrigeenamronety Hill site is protected as a Natura 2000 site due to the presence of two habitat types:

• European dry heaths (Natura 2000 code 4030)
• Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix (Natura 2000 code 4010)^[5]

The Biodiversity Information Systems for Europe (BISE) webpage for Carrigeenamronety Hill notes that the site is protected as a Natura 2000 site under the Habitats Directive due to the presence of the Killarney fern (Trichomanes speciosum or Vandenboschia speciosa), and due to the presence of a habitat containing heath and scrub.^[6] The Carrigeenamronety Hill site is also a proposed National Heritage Area site or pNHA.^[7]

Carrigeenamronety Hill is located close to the village of Ballyorgan, County Limerick. The site includes areas in the townlands of Boleynanoultagh, Gortacurrig (electoral district of Kildorrery) and Graigue (electoral district of Templemolaga) in County Cork and Kilcruaig in County Limerick.^[2]

Patrick Weston Joyce notes in the 1869 edition of his book The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places, that the name Carrigeenamronety is derived from the ridge of rocks on this hill from which the peasantry would take stones to use as quern-stones. The word bro refers to a quern or hand-mill or to the mill-stones used with water-mills. This gives the area its Irish name of Carraigín-na-mbrointe, or the little rock of the mill-stones.^[8] In Weston's 1900 book Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland, he refers to this hill as Knockeenamroanta.^[9]

From the Historic Environment Viewer website of the National Monuments Service, the hill is also known as Quern Hill: "known locally as Quern Hill or Carrig na mBrónta".^[10]

It is also known locally as Kilcruaig Mountain, from the townland name.^[11][12]

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) site synopsis for this SAC describes the ecological features of the site. As well as key flora and fauna, the synopsis notes that the underlying geology of the area is Old Red Sandstone and Silurian rocks. An escarpment of conglomerate rock occurs at the summit of the hill.^[13]

The hill reaches an altitude of 400.9 metres above sea level.^[4] On the List of Marilyns in the British Isles, Carrigeenamronety is ranked number 1448, at a height of 401 metres and with a prominence of 226 metres. It is an established walking/cycling track - the Ballyhoura Darragh Hills Loop walk includes Carrigeenamronety and its neighbouring mountain, Carrighenry.^[14] The Ballyhoura Way section of the Beara-Breifne Way (commemorating the journey of Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare from West Cork to Leitrim) passes very close to Carrigeenamronety along the Ballyhoura Mountains.^[15]

The flora at this site is primarily dry siliceous heath (60%) and wet heath (10%).^[13] At the lower altitudes of this mountain site, unimproved grassland of purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) is noted, as are areas of improved grassland.

The key flora at this site is the Killarney fern (Trichomanes speciosum). European dry heath, a protected habitat, occurs here. The Killarney fern is a rare plant and is vulnerable to collecting. Monitoring of the species is carried out by the NPWS.^[16]

According to the NPWS site synopsis, two bird species listed in the Birds Directive are known to use this site:

• Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus)
• Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)^[13]

The NPWS conservation objectives for the Carrigeenamronety Hill SAC were published in 2021.^[17] In this document, it is noted that, while dry heath is the primary habitat in this SAC, the extent of dry heath at the site has not been recorded in detail. Wet heath also occurs here, as does dry-humid acid grassland. The target for the site is to ensure the area is stable or increasing, with regard to natural processes.

Maintaining appropriate soil pH and nutrient levels is also set as a target, however, the current nutrient levels have not been defined. The deposition of nitrogen at the site is known to be an issue for the site.^[17] Maintenance of the dry heath vegetation communities at the site is a target objective, however, the extent of the diversity of dry heath vegetation at the site has not yet been mapped.^[17]

Maintenance of the distribution, populations, colonies, population size, infrastructure and other features of the protected Killarney fern is a key objective for the SAC.^[17]

The Biodiversity Information Systems for Europe webpage for the Carrigeenamronety Hill site notes three threats and pressures to the site:

• Fire and fire suppression (high)
• Artificial planting on open ground (non-native trees) (medium)
• Walking, horseriding and non-motorised vehicles (medium)^[6]

The NPWS site synopsis for the site notes that conifer planting for commercial afforestation is a significant threat at this SAC.^[13]

The Historic Environment Viewer of the National Monuments Service includes records of the archaeology to be found on Carrigeenamronety Hill. The records (with their National Monument record numbers) include:

• Millstone quarry (CO009-005003-) ^[10]
• Mass rock (CO009-005002) ^[18]
• Enclosure/'lios' (LI059-006----) and (CO009-005001-) ^[19][20]

The millstone quarry area is to be found on the southern slope of the hill, crossing the Cork-Limerick county border (in Boleynanoultagh and Gortacurrig townlands). The record for the site notes that there are several sandstone outcrops at this site. Areas where quarrying took place were to be seen here, including hollows where conglomerate millstones had been extracted, and partially completed millstones still in place. The record for this monument notes that Carrigeenamronety Hill is also known as Quern Hill or Carrig na mBrónta.^[10][21]

There is a mass rock situated on a south-facing slope of the site (in Boleynanoultagh townland), consisting of a rectangular slab of sandstone rock, with supporting stones. The slab is 0.7 x 0.78 x 0.12 m, with a cross carved into the south face.^[18][22]

There are two records of enclosures at Carrigeenamronety, referring to the same structure. Records LI059-006 and CO009-005001- refer to an enclosure which was recorded in 1984 as consisting of a circular area approximately 2.5 metres above the surrounding area. It is 34 metres in diameter. There are "undulations" around the edge of the interior of the structure, and it is suggested these may be the remains of an enclosing bank. It is known locally as the "lios".^[19][20]

The neighbouring hill, Carrighenry, has a hillfort on its summit, called Castlegale Hillfort (National Monument record number LI059A001----) ^[23][24] It is approximately 120 metres (1.6 hectares) in diameter. The National Monuments record notes that it is known as "the Citadel". On the west side of the summit, the fort is bounded by a sandstone cliff of approximately 6-7 metres. The rest of this enclosure consists of a double ring of dump constructed stone bank material. These lines are approximately 2 m in height and 5 m in width. The Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland records this fort as having a stone cairn at the highest point within the hillfort. This is considered to be the remains of a post-medieval tower.^[25]