Letter Hill, also known as Tully Mountain and officially recorded as Cnoc Leitreach, rises approximately 355 meters (1,165 feet) above the northern side of Ballinakill Harbour, about five kilometers northwest of Letterfrack in County Galway (National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS], 2013; Placenames Database of Ireland, n.d.). Composed mainly of ancient schist and gneiss, the mountain is protected as a Special Area of Conservation because it contains valuable European dry heath and alpine heath habitats. Its slopes feature rocky outcrops, upland grassland, heather, juniper, bearberry, mosses, lichens, bog plants, and insect-eating sundews (NPWS, 2013).
Travelers can view Tully Mountain from roads and coastal areas around Letterfrack, Ballinakill Harbour, and the Renvyle Peninsula. Letterfrack, reached by the N59, provides a convenient base with accommodations, food, and access to nearby Connemara National Park, where marked walking routes offer panoramic views of Tully Mountain and the surrounding coastline (Fáilte Ireland, n.d.). Visitors should wear sturdy footwear, prepare for rapidly changing weather, respect private property, and avoid disturbing the mountain’s protected vegetation. Wildlife found across the wider Connemara landscape includes hares, foxes, otters, stoats, bats, red deer, and birds such as meadow pipits, skylarks, stonechats, kestrels, merlins, and peregrine falcons, although sightings vary by season and habitat (NPWS, n.d.).
References:
Fáilte Ireland. (n.d.). Connemara National Park.
National Parks and Wildlife Service. (2013). Tully Mountain SAC: Site synopsis.
National Parks and Wildlife Service. (n.d.). Nature and conservation: Connemara National Park.
Placenames Database of Ireland. (n.d.). Cnoc Leitreach/Tully Mountain.
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