The best thing on Masatiompan isn’t the summit. It’s the Arraglen Ogham stone, a 6th-century sandstone pillar standing on the saddle just short of the top, at around 650 metres – one of the highest Ogham stones in Ireland. Someone hauled a near two-metre slab up here 1,500 years ago to mark a grave, and it’s still standing.
The mountain itself is a rounded 763 m top (Irish: Más an Tiompáin, roughly “rump of the drum”) in the northern Brandon Group on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry. It’s a Vandeleur-Lynam and Arderin summit with a modest 108 m of prominence over its parent, Brandon. People come for the walk and the stone as much as the peak.
The route
The standard way up is a 12.5 km out-and-back from the Teer car-park (130 m), a small lay-by just outside Cloghane on the Wild Atlantic Way. Parking there is free and saves a dull road-walk from the village.
From the car-park a minor track climbs steadily for about 3.5 km to a stone shed with a green roof, above the Arraglen valley. Past the shed a grass path joins the waymarked Pilgrims’ Path/Dingle Way and works up to the saddle between Piaras Mór (748 m) and Masatiompan. From the saddle it’s a 20-minute scramble along an old fence line to the summit.
Route metrics:
- Distance: 12.5 km round trip
- Ascent: about 770 m
- Time: around 4 hours
- Grade: moderate to strenuous – a steady climb with some rock near the top
- Navigation: mostly waymarked, but carry the OSi Discovery sheet 70 or a GPS for the lower track
The Arraglen Ogham stone
The stone (catalogued CIIC 145) is a sandstone pillar about 1.9 m tall, 38 cm wide and 20 cm thick. Its Primitive Irish inscription reads QRIMITIR RÓNÁIN MAQI COMOGANN – “of the priest Rónán son of Comgán” – and one face carries a circled cross, catching the moment when pagan Ogham met early Christianity. Setting it this high, on an exposed saddle rather than down in a valley, says the spot mattered to whoever raised it. The Dingle Peninsula has around 60 known Ogham stones, one of the densest concentrations in the country, and this is the one that makes you work for it.
The route also ties into the Cosán na Naomh, the old pilgrims’ way that climbs the range towards Mount Brandon. Masatiompan isn’t the pilgrimage’s end, but you’re on ground medieval pilgrims walked.
The summit views
From the top the view runs a full 360°. South-west you can pick out Ballydavid Head, Smerwick Harbour and the Blasket Islands; south the ridge falls away towards Mount Brandon (952 m) and the Conor Pass.
West it takes in Brandon and Tralee bays, Sás Creek and the Maharee Islands, backed by the rounded Slieve Mish tops. North-west, on a clear day, the sightline reaches Kerry Head and the Loop Head peninsula over in County Clare. Pick a settled day: on the wrong one you’ll climb three hours for grey.
Practical information
- Parking: free at Teer, but only a handful of spaces – they go early on summer weekends and school holidays.
- Facilities: none on the route; the nearest are in Cloghane.
- After the walk: O’Connor’s in Cloghane is the walkers’ pub. Outside it sits the engine of a WWII aircraft – one of five that came down on the Brandon mountains during the war – with more plaques and wreckage inside.
- Weather and safety: the ridge is fully open to Atlantic wind and fog can close in fast. Take waterproofs, gloves and proper boots; the scree near the top needs care.
- When to go: April to June and September to October give the steadiest weather and longest light. Winter needs full hill gear and ice experience.
Nearby
- Mount Brandon – the group’s high point at 952 m and the end of the Cosán na Naomh pilgrimage.
- Brandon Bay – a sheltered inlet a short drive from Cloghane, good for windsurfing and sea-kayaking.
- Dingle Way – the 179 km peninsula circuit crosses the shoulder of the range near here.
Check the Met Éireann mountain forecast before you set out, get to Teer early for a space, and leave time in Cloghane afterwards for the pub with the aeroplane engine outside.