Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – The 500-Metre Tops of Ireland

Pigeon Rock Mountain North Top (J 261 250) - 500m Subs addition

There has been a reclassification to The 500-Metre Tops of Ireland list due to a re-assessment of information on Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland maps.  This is the second reclassification to this list since its data were re-evaluated for publication on the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH).  The hill is situated in the central western part of the Mourne Mountains in the north-east of Ireland, and is positioned between the small communities of Hilltown to its north-west and Attical to its south.

Access to the hill can be gained from its easterly side where car parking near to the high point of the B27 road gives relatively easy access up its easterly flank; otherwise a more challenging walk can take in this hill whilst visiting a number of adjacent peaks following the course of the Mourne wall.

The hill is named Pigeon Rock Mountain North Top and its summit is positioned at J 261 250.  The south top of this hill is currently listed as Pigeon Rock Mountain with a 534m high summit at J 264 244 with 141m of drop.  Pigeon Rock Mountain North Top was not included in the Sub list that accompanied the main list when published on D0BIH as debate on its prominence favoured c 19m, however this has been re-assessed and detail from a number of Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland maps have been examined, the details appear below:

OS historic map:  1749ft (530m converted to current datum) for north top and 1755ft (532m converted to current datum) for south top

Map 29:  534m for north top, no spot height for south top.

Harvey map:  534m for north top and 534m for south top.

Mourne Country Outdoor Pursuits map (OS of NI publication 1990):  533m for north top and 534m for south top.

Mournes Activity map (OS of NI publication [update from the Outdoor Pursuits map] 2009):  534m for north top and 534m for south top.

After re-assessment of the above data we have decided to include Pigeon Rock Mountain North Top as a new Sub adjoined to the main 500-Metre Irish list.

This now brings the overall total for The 500-Metre Tops of Ireland to 201 and the Subs have increased by two compared to when the list was published on DoBIH.

Thanks to Jim Bloomer for supplying historical map information and suggesting this hill’s re-assessment.

To access the list on DoBIH.

The full details for the hill are:

Cardinal Hill:  Slieve Donard

Summit Height:  534m

Name:  Pigeon Rock Mountain North Top

OS of NI 1:50,000 map:  29

Summit Grid Reference:  J 261 250

Drop:  c 20m

Michael Dewey and Myrddyn Phillips (August 2016)