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Sawel Mountain

Coordinates: 54°49′N 7°02′W / 54.817°N 7.033°W / 54.817; -7.033
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Sawel
Samhail or Samhail Phite Méabha
Sawel as seen from the southeast.
Highest point
Elevation678 m (2,224 ft)[1]
Prominence580 m (1,900 ft)[1]
ListingCounty Top (Londonderry and Tyrone), Marilyn, Hewitt
Coordinates54°49′N 7°02′W / 54.817°N 7.033°W / 54.817; -7.033
Naming
English translationlikeness to Méabh's vulva
Language of nameIrish
Geography
Sawel is located in Northern Ireland
Sawel
Sawel
Location in Northern Ireland
Sawel is located in island of Ireland
Sawel
Sawel
Sawel (island of Ireland)
Sawel is located in the United Kingdom
Sawel
Sawel
Sawel (the United Kingdom)
LocationCounty Londonderry/County Tyrone,[2] Northern Ireland
Parent rangeSperrins
OSI/OSNI gridH618973
Topo map(s)OSNI Discoverer Series 13 The Sperrins (1:50000), OSNI Activity Map Sperrins (1:25000)
Geology
Mountain typePsammite & semipellite[1]

Sawel Mountain (from Irish Samhail Phite Méabha, meaning 'the likeness of Méabh's vulva')[3][4] is the highest peak in the Sperrin Mountains, and the 8th highest in Northern Ireland. It is also the highest mountain in Northern Ireland outside of the Mourne Mountain range located in County Down.

Geography

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To the north of Sawel is County Londonderry and to the south, County Tyrone. The summit is 678 metres (2,224 ft) high and is composed of crystalline limestone.[5][6] Around the peak, there is "montane heathland", with plant life including heather, bilberries and cowberries, although this is being damaged by hillwalking and grazing.[7] Sawel is the source of the River Faughan, a 29 miles (47 km) long tributary of the River Foyle.[8]

Naming

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The Irish name of the mountain is a reference to a glen or hollow on the side of Sawel.[3][4] It was also historically called Slieve Sawel,[9][10][11] from the Irish word sliabh ("mountain").

Plane crash

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On 5 January 1944 a Royal Navy Stinson Reliant (FK914) of 878 Naval Air Squadron was on a flight from RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) when it crashed into Sawel Mountain in bad weather, killing all three crew. Due to snow drifts on the mountain the bodies of the crew weren't recovered until 29th January.[12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Sawel Mountain". MountainViews. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  2. ^ Marshall, David (2006). Best Walks in Ireland. Frances Lincoln Publishers. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-7112-2420-9. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  3. ^ a b MountainViews
  4. ^ a b Mills, A. D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-960908-6. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  5. ^ Somerville, Christopher (25 September 2008). "Sperrin Hills: walk of the month". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  6. ^ "Sperrin Mountains". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Wildlife Action in Derry~Londonderry" (PDF). Derry City Council. 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Starrett, Ian (12 October 2000). "Preserving McGilloway's ways". News Letter. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  9. ^ Cahill, Jane (1987). Northern Ireland. Chelsea House Publishers. p. 12. ISBN 9781555461874. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  10. ^ Wade, Herbert (1922). The New International Encyclopaedia. Dodd, Mead & Co. p. 617. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  11. ^ Chambers's Encyclopaedia: Volume 9. W. and R. Chambers. 1867. p. 618. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  12. ^ "Stinson Reliant FK914 crash at Sawel Mountain, Co. Londonderry".
  13. ^ "Mt Sawel | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives".

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