Derryclare is a toponym in County Galway, Ireland, referring to several related geographical features in the Connemara region, most notably a mountain, a lough (lake), a nature reserve, and a townland. The name derives from the Irish Doire Chláir, meaning "oak wood of the plain" or "oak wood of the plank-bridge."
Derryclare Mountain (Irish: Binn Doire Chláir) is a 677-metre (2,221 ft) peak at the southern edge of the Twelve Bens mountain range in Connemara National Park. It is the 119th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin list and the 145th-highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Its prominence of 129 metres does not qualify it as a Marilyn. The mountain is connected to its only neighbour, Bencorr (711 m), by a high northern rocky ridge. Together they form a large deep eastern corrie called Log an Choire Mhóir ("wood of the big corrie"), which contains several multi-pitch rock climbs of grades Difficult to Very Difficult, the best known being The Knave (VD, 225 m). Derryclare is frequently climbed as part of the Glencoaghan Horseshoe, a 16-kilometre (8–9 hour) circuit considered one of Ireland's finest hill-walks.
Derryclare Lough (Irish: Loch Dhoire an Chláir) is a freshwater lake at the entrance of the Inagh Valley, approximately 20 km east of Clifden on the N59 road. It has a surface area of 2.24 km² (0.86 sq mi), a maximum length of 4 km, and a maximum width of 1 km. The lake is fed by the Gleninagh River and the Tooreennacoona River, and flows into Ballynahinch Lake and eventually Bertraghboy Bay. It is a noted fly-fishing water for spring salmon, grilse, sea trout, brown trout, pike, and perch. The lake is a popular scenic and photographic location, offering views of the Twelve Bens and the Glencoaghan Valley.
Derryclare Nature Reserve (also called Derryclare Wood) is a 19-hectare Statutory Nature Reserve established in 1980 on the eastern slopes of Derryclare Mountain, bounded by Derryclare Lough and Lough Inagh. The reserve protects a mature stand of sessile oak (Quercus petraea), with rowan, downy birch, and ash forming the canopy. It is noted for its well-developed lichen and fungus flora; the fungal parasite Hemigrapha astericus, native to Australia and South America, was first recorded in the northern hemisphere here. In 2005, 19 Irish red squirrels were translocated from Portumna Forest Park to Derryclare Wood as part of a conservation programme, and the population has since become established. The reserve has a gentle 2 km walking loop trail.
Derryclare Townland is a townland in the Electoral Division of Bencorr, Civil Parish of Moyrus, Barony of Ballynahinch, County Galway. It covers an area of approximately 10.24 km² (2,529 acres) and borders the townlands of Cloonnacartan, Glencoaghan, and Gleninagh.
