(by John Duignan, September 2012)
"Two years ago, halfway up Royal Arches, a climb in Yosemite that I wanted for years, I found myself daydreaming of Luggala! This beautiful crag is at its best now and in Spring. It dries quickly after a few good days and gives ample reward for the effort of visiting it. Just do it!"

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Climbing this time of year is spectacular but two days I’ll treasure. Early September Christy Rice visits the crag with me. I try and keep silent and just listen to the flow of memories flood back for Christy. 40 years ago, he was amongst a climbing elite, although he is too modest to mention it. He recalls bivvying at the base of the crag and shows me the logbook he found there recently – still legible after all this time. We start on Taktix, a Dónal Ó Murchú / Jim Butler route that he enjoys. (Heresy here – but it is far more exciting than its three-star neighbour Pine Tree Buttress – especially with the final pitch added by Gerry Galligan last year.)

The third pitch, the ramp, is laced with abandoned gear that heads off into Pine Tree Buttress route …

Christy changes to Pine Tree to get back the gear. The route veers right below a crack (see photo) and is a place where climbers can get lost. This is the second time in a year I have found gear where a party abbed abandoning the climb.

It’s great to share time with Christy. He looks to the future and sees new lines everwhere. I am fascinated by his tales of the past. I tell him my favourite climb and ask him does he know it. He grins at me boyishly and recalls that he put it up. Pope John Paul, Reinhold Messner, make room on my mantelshelf for a new hero.

Back again this weekend with my niece Anne Marie. It’s been raining a lot this week and a bitter cold day at the car as we start the boggy tramp across the hill to the crag. The Luggala magic holds up as we descend to the crag, the wind drops and the sun warms us for the rest of the day.

Moving across Pine Tree Terrace, Anne Marie looks up at the roof – a breathtaking sight when first seen. I equally am in wonder at the billy goat with his mates at the start of the climb – I last saw him years ago at this exact place. He is ancient with magnificent horns and a fine goatee. The first pitch of Clingon / Claideamh Solais is easy and leads to a hanging belay with a stunning view of the pitch above and the manicured Guinness estate and Lough Tay below. The only sounds we will hear are the raven or peregrine. The pitch above is a mixture of rockovers, face climbing and laybacks on pristine granite.

The final pitch wends its way through a crack in the roof. To our right is Spearhead where Deacon and Richardson first found a way through the roof in the 1950s. This rock holds many personal memories of outstanding trips – great companions, near-epics; but never a bad ending.

To stay in the evening sunshine, we head over to H Buttress and enjoy a short multi-pitch route of the early explorers Perrott and Kenny, Boulder Wall. Chockstones and thread protection are beautiful reminders of the past. Nearby, Bearcats looks a fantastic line for our next visit.

I realised how smitten I was two years ago. Halfway up Royal Arches, a climb in Yosemite that I wanted for years, I found myself daydreaming of Luggala!

I am indebted to Gerry Moss, who has introduced so many climbers over the years to Luggala. The guidebook alone can be confusing, yet a few visits will quickly orientate you. This beautiful crag is at its best now and in Spring. It dries quickly after a few good days and gives ample reward for the effort of visiting it. Just do it!

(by John Duignan, August 2012)
Autumn is here – a great time to visit this majestic crag on days there is a breeze to help with the midgies.

Jason shared my interest in Dance of the Tumblers – a three-star E1 in Luggala’s less-visited North Buttress. Steve Young, now living in Canada, a veteran IMC climber with his names on climbs all over Ireland including much-loved Dalkey Quarry outings, has goaded me on to do this climb; I point out to no avail that it is above my grade. His enthusiasm is catching and I will lead the easier HVS pitch.

Despite yesterday’s rains, the south-facing granite ramp is bone dry and an easy start. Before long the rock steepens, the holds lessen and the crux entails getting into balance and swinging out on a hold on the arête to gain the platform above. Jason does it effortlessly, slinging the spike as he does the crux move. The move looks familiar as it is on the cover of the present Wicklow Guidebook and was also in the previous guide.

A delicate traverse leads to a hanging belay in a crack below the next pitch. I follow and find the moves at times delicate or strenuous – but on beautiful clean granite.

The pitch above has fine layaway moves to start. A wet traverse into a chimney which surprisingly has beautiful exit moves onto wall holds and a spike above – and I come out into the sunshine. Exiting the climbs in this part of the North Buttress is challenging as seepage, wet grass and moss compound the difficulty. I sling a mossy granite protruding hold that is covered with damp lichen. As I step up the hold breaks and I join the other tumblers on the route. The main damage is to my pride. I finish the route with extra care.

A long free-hanging abseil brings us down to the gully, well satisfied. The climb well deserves its stars. Other areas in Luggala do not have this same difficult exit problem and early Autumn or late Spring is the best time to visit this superb crag. At VS level, I know no finer mountain crag in Ireland – a quick trawl through Gerry Moss’s write-ups will give plenty of inspiration and information.