A Guide to the Comeragh Mountains, Third Edition
The 3rd Edition was published at the end of November 2018
After many requests, A Guide to... The Comeragh Mountains has been republished. This latest edition is bigger and better than the previous edition. It is 432 pages long at 250mm x 205mm and the book is copiously illustrated with colour images throughout. At this size it is possible to include larger and better photographs: there are several double page spreads, in addition to several more single page and half page photographs. The text has been largely rewritten and there is an additional chapter in this edition on Comeragh Rivers.The chapters on Changes to the Comeragh Mountains and The Importance & Future of the Comeragh Mountains have been updated, and, in total, 21 walks are described each with an accompanying map.
The book is great value at €25. Because of its size and weight (1.33 kilogrammes), it is costly to post within Ireland (€9).
The book is available in the following Waterford bookshops (as of late December 2018):
Waterford City
The Book Centre,
Altitude (Ballybricken),
Ardkeen Stores (Dunmore Road)
Dungarvan
Reader's Choice (Mary Street),
Eason's in Dungarvan Shopping Centre
Ardmore
Ardmore Pottery
Clonmel
Eason's (Showgrounds Shopping Centre),
Bookmarket (Market Place Shopping Centre)
There is great walking to be had in the Comeraghs and the Walks Chapter describes some superb walks in very scenic locations.
The new 1:25,000 map of the Comeraghs (published in early November 2018) is a fantastic addition and should be consulted and used by anyone walking in the Comeraghs. Available locally or online (see EastWest Mapping)
Some of the images in the book include:
The 2nd Edition was published in May 2008
The 2nd edition is sold out.
The Comeragh Mountains are an isolated massif surrounded by the rich agricultural land of county Waterford in the southeast of Ireland. There are two mountain ranges, though the distinction between the Comeragh Mountains and the Monavullagh Mountains is not entirely obvious from Ordnance Survey maps. The general trend of these mountains is from north to south; the northern section is the Comeragh Mountains, while the more gently sloping southern end is the Monavullagh Mountains. The ‘Comeraghs’ is the name usually applied to both ranges combined, a term which will be used throughout the book. The word Comeragh is from the Irish Cumarach meaning “abounding in hollows and river confluences” and Monavullagh is Móin a’ Mhullaigh meaning “bog of (or on) the summit”.
Some of the images featured in the book:
The main aim of this book is to inform those wishing to visit and enjoy the unenclosed uplands of the Comeraghs. The origins of the range and the forces prevailing when these mountains were formed are described; the soils are also considered in terms of formation and fertility. Climate is an important influence and a brief summary is presented, to highlight the climatic conditions and also to point out the impact of weather on the range; in many respects, climate is the principal factor regulating all life on the hills. There is a comprehensive section on flora and fauna and attention is drawn to the more obvious wildlife present in the Comeraghs. There are important archaeological sites within the range and information on these is provided to assist those wishing to visit them and to enlighten those who may accidentally stumble upon them in their rambles about the mountains. The use to which the land is put is of critical importance in that it determines how the Comeraghs change over time and the main agents of land use change are examined. Finally, there is a chapter on the cultural importance of the Comeraghs and the various designation that apply to them; possible future management options for the protection of the range are also presented.
There is a walks section which may be of help to the casual walker intent on exploring the range. An infinite number of walks, of varying difficulty, are possible in the Comeraghs. However, the emphasis of the walks descriptions is primarily to offer assistance to those willing and able for low-level walks to the coums. The maps accompanying the walks descriptions
are intended merely as a guide and should be used in conjunction with the more detailed Discovery maps for the region. Comeragh placenames are presented in both Irish and English, largely because of the inherent interest of these names and the valuable information often conveyed by them about the location. A list of the available maps and other useful information is given, as are the scientific names of the species mentioned in the text.
A secondary aim of this book is to describe the Comeraghs as they are now, as a basis against which past, present and future changes and their impact on the range can be assessed and indeed to outline the changes that have taken place since the first edition of this book was published in 1995. It is hoped that those who live near and those who visit the Comeraghs, and who draw inspiration from them, may help in some way to ensure the long-term protection of the range for the benefit of the generations to come.
The book is B5 in size (240 mm x 170 mm), and has 224 pages of text, photographs and maps in full colour throughout.
Please email for further details
This publication received support from The Heritage Council (under the 2008 Publications Grants Scheme), Intacta Print, Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council.
