Irish Peaks - updated second edition now available

Available to buy in the shops listed below or you can order it online HERE

Irish Peaks is Mountaineering Ireland’s award-winning guide to hillwalking on Ireland’s highest mountains.

Irish Peaks is a large-format book, celebrating Ireland’s highest mountains through an inspiring collection of 72 hillwalking routes, covering all of Ireland’s main mountain areas. The route descriptions, which are illustrated by photographs, were contributed by Mountaineering Ireland members, many from local clubs. Each route is accompanied by a map, the vast majority of these are based on mapping kindly provided by Ordnance Survey Ireland. The book includes a substantial introduction to Ireland’s mountains

Irish Peaks achieved international acclaim in 2021 when it won the guidebook award in the prestigious Banff Mountain Books awards.

The updated second edition of Irish Peaks includes:

• Updated safety advice
• Over 50 new photographs
• Minor changes to 10 routes
• Additional route in Wicklow - Seefingan
• Latest MountainViews Highest Hundred list
• New section on landscape change after glaciation

Irish Peaks can be purchased online from Mountaineering Ireland for €39.95, Mountaineering Ireland members get a discounted price of €29.95 (packaging and delivery are additional).

On this page you can learn more about the Irish Peaks book, you can read reviews of the book, you can check for updates on routes included in Irish Peaks and you can download Paul Tempan’s research on the origin and meaning of Irish landscape names.

The compilation of Irish Peaks has been led by Alan and Margaret Tees, two long-standing Mountaineering Ireland members based in the northwest, with input from many members across the island of Ireland, and support from the Mountaineering Ireland staff team and Zest Creative (design and printing). Mountaineering Ireland is grateful to all who contributed to this tremendous collaborative project.

Irish Peaks has been published by Mountaineering Ireland in tribute to the late Joss Lynam, one of Ireland’s foremost mountaineers who passed away in 2011. Over four decades Joss wrote and edited many guidebooks for hillwalkers, including the original Irish Peaks book, published in 1982. Maintaining values that Joss upheld throughout his life, one of Mountaineering Ireland’s aims in producing this book is to promote responsible engagement with Ireland’s mountains, an engagement that is based on understanding and respect.

Mountaineering Ireland acknowledges the continued support of landowners, without whose generosity and tolerance hillwalking as an activity would not be possible. Readers of Irish Peaks are urged to take responsibility for their own safety, to enjoy the mountains with care for the natural environment, and to have respect for those who own the land and for local communities.

The Irish Peaks book is based on the MountainViews list of Ireland’s Highest Hundred mountains, (with a drop of at least 100 metres between peaks). The Highest Hundred list and the Vandeleur-Lynam list, both launched by MountainViews in 2009, built on work that Joss Lynam had done in compiling lists of Ireland’s mountains.

Irish Peaks includes the origin and meaning of the names of all mountains included in the book. This information is largely based on the work of Paul Tempan. Paul has kindly allowed us to share his latest gazetter which provides information on a range landscape features including: peaks (still the bulk of the entries); mountain ranges; mountain passes and cols; headlands/peninsulas; other coastal features and islands. This is a phenomenal piece of work, and it’s very convenient to have it all accessible in one document. Paul intends to add valleys to it next! Download Paul Tempan’s Gazetter of Irish Landscape Names here.