Buy the Bouldering in Ireland guidebook
The Bouldering in Ireland guidebook details all the major and minor bouldering areas across the length and breadth of the island of Ireland including Glendalough and The Wicklow Mountains, The Reeks, The Burren, Connemara, North West Donegal, Inishowen Peninsula, Fair Head, The Mournes and many more. |
|
The guide is available in all good outdoor shops in Ireland and the UK. I get more of the cost price if you buy from this website but suit yourself.
Reviews of the guide
Bouldering in Ireland was a finalist in the 2011 Banff Mountain Book Competition!
Only €15 + postage and packaging (Ireland/UK €3, the rest of the world €7.50)
10/11/11 Gravity Climbing Centre is OPEN
After a long wait Dublin has it's first dedicated climbing centre and its open for business. Gravity is one of the best and biggest bouldering walls in the world. Its huge, it feels more like a bouldering area than a wall. There is such variety of holds, angles and shapes with loads of marked problems and circuits to go at. Its also really tall so will suit climbers looking to get a stamina edge as well.
I hope that Gravity will turn into bouldering HQ and it will be a great place for climbers to climb and socalise.
For more information check out www.gravityclimbing.ie
31/08/11 End of Summer BBQ in Ayton's Cave
Paul Mallee on The Funk. Photo: Trish Fox.
There will be a BBQ on Wednesday the 14th of September in Ayton's Cave, Howth. Bring your own food and beer. Low tide is 7 in the evening. Spread the word.
John Howard and I are working on an updated topo of the Cave with a graded list.
10/08/11 New(ish) Area - Wicklow Coast
Over the summer I've been climbing a good bit on the cliffs south of Wicklow Town. The cliffs stretch from just south of the Town past the lighthouse to Brittas Bay. The rock is schist I think and varies from very nice smooth rock at the bottom of the coves to horrible sharp choss at the top of the cliffs.
The area is similar in style to Portrane but not as extensive. At the moment anyway.
Its tidal and prone to seepage so it can be hard to predict when it is in very dry condition.
I'm definitely not the first to climb here but the bouldering has never been documented before. The guide contains about 40 problems a lot of which haven't yet been climbed - as far as I know, this is a bit unusual, normally areas only get documented when they are climbed out. But rather than keep it secret until I had climbed everything I could - which could take years - I thought it would be better to put it out there so anyone could fill in the gaps. The summer is the season for bouldering and it's nearly over so if I left it much later it would be no good to anyone til next year.
All I ask is that people let me know if they do new stuff so I can keep the guide up to date.
Download the topo the here.
23/06/11 New problems on Achill Island, Mayo
Viktor Magnusson has climbed a half dozen nice looking problems on a boulder near Lough Acorrymore on Achill Island. Download the topo the here.
04/04/11 John Howard repeats Leviathan 8a
John Howard has done the 3rd ascent of Leviathan 8a in Portrane, Dublin.
See video below
Leviathan from chris rooney on Vimeo.
26/03/11 Two new hard (8a and 8a+) done this week
A few days ago Michael Duffy did a new hard problem in Glendo. It was found during the bouldering meet two years ago. The boulder uphill of Black Art has a very steep concave face on the uphill side. People of the Sun 8a+ tackles the crack in the middle of the face using very small edges and loads of body tension.
In The Cooley Mountains Jonny Argue climbed the project (number 6 on page 20 of the guide) to the right of The Reckonerer. John 3 16 8a was described thus on the new problem database
The steep roof just right of the reckoner problem. Start left hand on the large sidepull and right hand under the roof. Pull on and traverse along the lip with a hard throw out to the arete. Then make your way across the slopers via some tricky footwork and a shed load of body tension. Hard top out to finish. Awesome problem which climbs very well.
See video below
25/03/11 Chipping in The Scalp
I got a call yesterday from Michael Duffy to say that he went to The Scalp to check out a project he had been trying on and off for a few years. Its number 30 in the Guide. Its a very nice line, a steep slab with a few ok holds at the start and then a blank patch and a rounded scoop. Michael was shocked and disappointed to see that some of the starting holds appear to have been chipped. One is particular – the orange scar – is very obvious.
The footholds and handholds that were chipped are all much smaller than before. It's hard to believe that it wasn’t a climber that did this probably in an effort to make the problem easier.
In climbing chipping is a cardinal sin. All climbers should know this. Michael and I guess the chipping was the work of a extremely misguided climber who is new to the sport and that it was done out of ignorance rather than malice. There have also been allegations of chipping in Ground Zero in Portrane.
If the culprit was to come forward and admit their wrongdoing - do it anonymously on the message board if necessary – this would draw a line under the matter. If anyone has noticed anything in the Scalp or elsewhere post up on the message board.
No chipping!
23/03/11 Irish Bouldering Championships on Saturday 2nd April
The 2011 Irish Bouldering Championship are on Saturday 2nd of April at the Ozone in Belfast. The competition will follow a similar format to last year, with unlimited attempts on 14 qualifiying problems, followed by a final. Check out mountaineering.ie for more details.
21/03/11 New bouldering area in Doolin, Clare
Colm Shannon has climbed a half dozen new problems on some very nice looking smooth limestone just outside Doolin Village, Clare. Download the topo the here.
08/03/11 Bouldering Meet report
The bouldering meet was great, thanks to all who came. The attendance was as good as its ever been. There was nearly 30 climbers in the hut on Saturday night and over 60 bouldering in Glendalough on Saturday. Unfortunantly the weather was crap on Sunday morning. Low cloud and drizzle meant that everyone headed home after breakfast. Outside the mountains the weather was great but it the cloud never lifted from the hills... It was great to see some many boulderers on Saturday, all over the scree. Some new problems where climbed, some old ones as well. John Howard wins the price for hardest ascent with Leftisim. Forecast is looking great for the bouldering meet this weekend.
A big thanks to all who made the effort to come and a special thanks to to the MI, the IMC for the use of the hut and Wicklow National Park without all of whom the meet couldn't happen. Kudos to me for bringing popcorn.
If anyone has any photos post up the link on the message board.
28/02/11 Bouldering Meet this Weekend
Forecast is looking great for the bouldering meet this weekend.
27/02/11 Nigel Callender repeats 8b+
Nigel Callender has repeated Malcolm Smith's Monk Life Font 8b+ in Kyloe in the Woods, Northumberland. Read a bit more about it on Nigel's blog.
22/02/11 Ricky Bell slideshow this Friday in UCD
As part of the intervarsities weekend Ricky Bell is giving a slideshow in UCD this Friday. Its open to non-students and costs only a €5 It should be great. All the details are here.
28/01/11 Irish Bouldering Guidebook available
The bouldering in Ireland guidebook is now available to buy. The guidebook details all the major and minor bouldering areas across the length and breadth of the island of Ireland including Glendalough and The Wicklow Mountains, The Reeks, The Burren, Connemara, North West Donegal, Inishowen Peninsula, Fair Head, The Mournes and many more.
- Over 1700 problems in 90 areas
- From Font 3 to 8b
- Granite, gritstone, gabbro, limestone, sandstone, schist, quartzite and dolerite
- 100 maps, 140 photo-topos and detailed directions to get you to the problems
- Over 150 colour photos of the best problems
- 256 pages of full color in an A5 landscape format
- Contains areas that have never been documented before including Brimstones, Thur Mountain, Ayton’s Cave, Doagh Strand, Windy Gap, Larry The Goats and Pierce’s Castle.
28/01/11 Irish Bouldering Meet
The Eight Annual Irish Bouldering Meet will be on the weekend of Friday 4th to Sunday 6th of March based in the I.M.C Hut in Glendasan Country Wicklow.
The Hut has cooking facilities and bunks/wooden platforms (you will need a sleeping bag and something soft to lie on - bouldering mat?) for about 40 people on a first come first served basis. If the hut fills up there is plenty of room to camp in the garden (It can get a bit noisy in the hut so those looking so a quiet nights sleep might be better considering camping also). Either way the cost is €10 per night (please pay me as early as possibile on the weekend).
Usually we plan to go to Glendalough on the Saturday and Glenmacnass on the Sunday but when the weather was very changeable we would give Glenmacnass a miss, maybe Lough Dan would be worth trying this year for a change. Last year on the Sunday we climbed up in Lough Nahanagan as it is a quick drying spot.
So come along, the weekend is a great laugh and is a good chance for to meet up with your fellow climber and do some great bouldering.
- Article about bouldering in Glendalough
- 2010 report
- 2009 report
- 2008 report
- 2007 report
- 2006 report
- 2005 report
- Beardown productions video of the 2005 meet
- 2004 photos
10/01/11 Ireland's hardest problem
Just before Christmas Michael Duffy finally did the first ascent of the project in Glendalough that was know as the Big Squeeze. Michael had been working the problem for a few years now. He named it Wonderland and graded it at 8b. This makes it Ireland's hardest problem replacing Darkness Before Dawn in Glendasan. The steep roof on the front side of the Hidden Groove boulder in Glendo is very much in the modern style. Horizontal compression moves and a very dynamic finish. While not highball the landing is rocky below the start and slopes away awkwardly for the finish.
Michael plans to get back soon and repeat it for the camera so keep an eye out for a short film...
Archive
Bouldering in Sweden b by Michael O'Dwyer
Voices in the Forest by John Watson
Essential Fontainebleau Review by Dave Flanagan
First Ascents by Dave Flanagan
Stone Play: review and interview by Dave Flanagan
Friction by Dave Flanagan
8a in 9 simple steps by Dave Flanagan
DVD review by Dave Flanagan
Introduction to bouldering in Glendalough by Dave Flanagan
Michael Reardon's second visit to Ireland By Michael Reardon
Blackrock bouldering by PeterTom McMahon
At Glendalough by Mick Ward
Introduction to bouldering in Ireland by Dave Flanagan
Le French Glendo - Targassonne by Pierre Fuentes
Bouldering with Goats by Chris Redmond
Gap Of Dunloe by Nigel Callender
Injury prevention - Shoulder by Nigel Callender
A cheaters guide to Glendalough By Dave Flanagan
First visit to Ireland By Michael Reardon
Dawros Head By John Watson
Working Class By Pete Kirton
Stone Country - bouldering in Scotland Review
Bouldering in Fairhead By Ricky Bell and Ali Wilson.
A beginners guide to bouldering
Information about Bouldering in Fontainebleau
How Bouldering Turned Me Blind by John Watson.
The Medium by Niall Grimes.
Bouldering for real climbers by Stephen McMullan.
Common Ground by Niall Grimes.
Understanding Movement and The Bear of Little Brain by Si O'Conor.
Interview with bouldering legend John Gill
Review of the North Wales bouldering guide
...more Archives