Achadh na bhFiach – The Field of the Raven

Achadh na bhFiach – The Field of the Raven

Today, I hiked Camloch Mountain and saw a flock of Ravens

On a frosty and cold day, I ventured up Camloch Mountain, also called Sliabh gCuircín. I was on the hunt for a certain species of liverwort called Bazzania trilobata, last recorded somewhere near Camloch Mt in 1967.

For context, the grid reference was 10km, so it was not precise at all and alas I didn’t find it. I imagine that over the decades, habitat for certain bryophyte species has disappeared, mostly due to intensive forestry activity. B. trilobata likes wooded ravines where it’s constantly humid, but can thrive in the open in very wet districts. Camloch Mt is a very rounded hill, there are no major streams or waterfalls, and forestry works have physically altered the hydrology of the hill I believe. Additionally, I don’t know how well the liverwort would live under dense plantations.

On the summit of the hill, just over 400m above sea level, I had the privilege of seeing around thirty ravens soaring above the hill. I have seen them here before but not in these quantities. Ravens have a lovely repertoire of sounds and calls and they were calling from all directions. What is most beautiful to me is that to the east of the hill toward Newry, is the townland of Achadh na bhFiach, the field or domain of the raven. Townlands are amazing sources of history in Ireland and many townlands are of very ancient calibre. The fact that people have been hearing these fine birds and seeing them soar and dive off Camloch mountain for centuries, if not millennia, is amazing.

So, not a successful bryophyte day, but a success day for reconnecting to the earth and sky and the creatures that bring them together, and have done in this area, for a very long time.

Image: a raven flying just above the brow of Camloch Mountain