Overview
The polite English name hides a blunt Irish one. Devilsmother renders Magairlí an Deamhain, ‘the demon’s testicles’, a name that originally pointed at the knobbly twin humps of the mountain’s northern ridge before the mapmakers cleaned it up. The whole hill also went by Binn Gharbh, simply ‘rough peak’, which is the more honest description of what you’re climbing. At 645 m (2,116 ft) it’s the second-highest summit in the Partry Mountains and the 208th-highest in Ireland, standing on the border where County Galway meets County Mayo, high above the head of Killary Harbour and the Western Way long-distance path below.
The walk
This is a mountain for walkers who can navigate, not a casual outing. There’s no marked trail. The usual approach starts near the village of Leenane and follows the ridge south-east, with the Galway/Mayo county line running more or less along the crest. A lay-by near the bridge at grid reference L935 655 gives access into the Glenacally valley and up towards the Devilsmother North Top; there’s no formal car park, so space is tight.
Underfoot it’s rough going – open moorland that turns boggy after rain, with exposed sections along the crest where the wind has nothing to slow it. Allow a full day, and treat the navigation seriously: in low cloud the ridge line is hard to hold, and the summit is no place to be guessing. Carry the OS Discovery Series Sheet 37, a compass you can use, and a charged phone or GPS as backup rather than your only tool.
The views
The reward, on a clear day, is the panorama. West, the ground falls away to Killary Harbour – often called Ireland’s only fjord, though Lough Swilly and Carlingford Lough have a claim to the title too – with the Twelve Bens and the Connemara coast beyond. East, the land rolls back into the Partry range and the Maam valley. It’s the kind of view you earn rather than drive to, which is much of the appeal: the popular peaks of Connemara are busy, and this one rarely is.
When to go
Late spring to early autumn (roughly May to October) gives the most settled weather and the longest daylight, and the best odds of actually seeing the fjord rather than the inside of a cloud. Western Irish weather turns fast, so check a mountain forecast the morning you set out, not the day before. Winter brings ice, deep snow and high winds to the ridge and should be left to those equipped for it.
What to pack
- Sturdy, waterproof boots with good ankle support
- Layers, including a waterproof and a windproof
- Map (OS Discovery Sheet 37), compass and a power bank
- Plenty of water and high-energy food
- Head torch and whistle, even on a day walk
If you’ve the legs, the navigation and a decent forecast, Devilsmother gives you one of the quietest big-view ridge days in Connemara. Start early, tell someone your route, and don’t let a bright car park talk you onto the hill in bad weather.