Slieve Beagh

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title: "Slieve Beagh" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountains-and-hills-of-county-fermanagh", "mountains-and-hills-of-county-tyrone", "mountains-and-hills-of-county-monaghan", "special-areas-of-conservation-in-ireland", "ramsar-sites-in-northern-ireland", "highest-points-of-irish-counties", "mass-rocks"] description: "Mountain on the border of country of Ireland and Northern Ireland" topic_path: "geography/ireland" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slieve_Beagh" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountain on the border of country of Ireland and Northern Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Slieve Beagh
photo	Bragan Townland - geograph.org.uk - 782344.jpg
photo_caption	Bragan Townland Looking northwards
elevation_m	380
elevation_ref
prominence_m	285
prominence_ref
translation	mountain of birch
language	Irish
coordinates
map	Northern Ireland
map_relief	yes
map_caption	Location in Ulster
listing	County Top (Monaghan), Marilyn
location	County Monaghan, County Fermanagh, County Tyrone
range	Fermanagh/Tyrone Mountains
grid_ref_Ireland	H523436
embedded	{{Designation list
embed	yes
designation1	Ramsar
designation1_offname	Slieve Beagh
designation1_date	28 July 2000
designation1_number	1035}}
::

| name = Slieve Beagh | other_name = | photo = Bragan Townland - geograph.org.uk - 782344.jpg | photo_caption = Bragan Townland Looking northwards | elevation_m = 380 | elevation_ref = | prominence_m = 285 | prominence_ref = | translation = mountain of birch | language = Irish | coordinates = | map = Northern Ireland | map_relief = yes | map_caption =Location in Ulster | listing = County Top (Monaghan), Marilyn | location = County Monaghan, County Fermanagh, County Tyrone | range = Fermanagh/Tyrone Mountains | grid_ref_Ireland = H523436 | embedded = {{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = Ramsar | designation1_offname = Slieve Beagh | designation1_date = 28 July 2000 | designation1_number = 1035}} Slieve Beagh () is a mountainous area straddling the border between County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland and County Fermanagh and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. A point just east of its summit is the highest point in Monaghan; however the true summit is on the Fermanagh-Tyrone border. The point where the three counties meet, is referred to as the "Three County Hollow".

Name

The original Irish name for the area is Sliabh Beatha, which has been anglicised to Slieve Beagh, but sometimes the two languages are combined to form Sliabh Beagh. According to Irish mythology, the name refers to the mythological figure Bith, who was buried in a cairn on top of the mountain. Although the summit is in fact marked by a cairn, called Doocarn, it is likely that the name's original meaning is "mountain of birch". In County Monaghan, the locals typically refer to the Slieve Beagh as the "Bragan Mountains", taking the name from a townland within the Slieve Beagh.

Geography

Slieve Beagh has many low, smooth summits. The highest is at 380 m and lies just inside County Fermanagh. The area is mainly blanket bog, with many small lakes and streams throughout. In Northern Ireland, much of Slieve Beagh has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation. The Finn River rises on the slopes of Slieve Beagh.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Bragan_Penal_Cross_-geograph.org.uk-_782382.jpg" caption="Bragan Penal Cross, alias ''Leacht a 'tSagairt''."] ::

A large Celtic cross now tops a Mass rock known as Leacht a 'tSagairt ("The Priest's Flagstone") is said in the local oral tradition to mark where a priest hunter shot a Fr. McKenna while saying Mass there on Christmas Day, c.1754. The priest hunter was assassinated soon afterwards near Emyvale by local rapparee leader and folk hero Shane Bernagh. Another oral tradition version of the same events credits the killing to an Yeomanry unit from Clogher and gives the slain priest's name as Father Milligan. The same source also alleges that Shane Bernagh, after learning almost immediately afterwards of the priest's murder while in hiding nearby, "swore that he would have a Yeoman's life for this". Bernagh and his band of rapparees are then alleged to have ambushed the Yeomanry during their return to barracks, killed one of them, and thrown the body into Lough More.

Ramsar site

The Slieve Beagh Ramsar site (wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention), is 1884.68 hectares in area, at latitude 54 20 53 N and longitude 07 11 38 W. It was designated a Ramsar site on 14 December 1999. The Ramsar site boundary coincides entirely with that of the Slieve Beagh Area of Special Scientific Interest and the Slieve Beagh Special Area of Conservation.

Vegetation is characterized by sphagnum mosses and ericoid dwarf-shrubs.

References

References

1. "Slieve Beagh". [[Ordnance Survey Ireland]].
2. "Slieve Beagh".
3. "Placenames Database of Ireland: Slieve Beagh/Sliabh Beatha".
4. "Sliabh Beagh Way". Sliabh Beagh Adventures.
5. Tempan, Paul. [http://mountainviews.ie/features/names/List2010/MVHillList09.pdf Irish Hill and Mountain Names] {{Webarchive. link. (2 August 2019 . MountainViews.ie.)
6. Tony Nugent (2013), ''Were You at the Rock? The History of Mass Rocks in Ireland'', [[The Liffey Press]]. Pages 200-201.
7. Edited by [[Henry Glassie]] (1985), ''Irish Folktales'', [[Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library]]. pp. 218-220.
8. "Designated and Proposed Ramsar sites in Northern Ireland". Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
9. "Slieve Beagh Ramsar site". NI Environment Agency.

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