Lakes of Killarney

Lakes of Killarney
Lakes of Killarney
	The Lakes of Killarney from nearby Torc Mountain
	Lakes of Killarney
Location	Killarney, County Kerry
Coordinates	52°2′30″N9°33′0″W / 52.04167°N 9.55000°W
Type	Lake
Basin countries	Ireland
Average depth	13.4 m (44 ft)
Max. depth	75 m (246 ft)
Surface elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Islands	Innisfallen

Last updated April 17, 2024

The Lakes of Killarney are a scenic attraction located in Killarney National Park near Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland. They consist of three lakes: Lough Leane, Muckross Lake (also called Middle Lake) and Upper Lake.^[1]

Surroundings

The lakes sit in a low valley some 20 m (66 ft) above sea level.^[1] They are surrounded by the rugged slopes of MacGillycuddy's Reeks. Notable mountains in the range include Carrauntoohil, which, at 1,038 metres (3,406 ft) is Ireland's highest mountain, Purple Mountain, at 832 metres (2,730 ft), Mangerton Mountain, at 843 metres (2,766 ft), and Torc Mountain, at 535 metres (1,755 ft).^{[ citation needed ]}

The N71 road from Killarney to Kenmare passes a viewpoint called Ladies View which offers a view of the lakes and valleys. On the occasion of Queen Victoria's visit in 1861, the point was apparently chosen by the queen's ladies-in-waiting as the finest in the land; hence the name.^[2]

Lough Leane

Lough Leane (from Irish Loch Léin 'lake of learning')^[3] is the largest and northernmost of the three lakes, approximately 19 square kilometres (4,700 acres) in size.^[4] It is also the largest body of fresh water in the region.^[5] The River Laune drains Lough Leane to the north-west towards Killorglin and into Dingle Bay.

Leane is dotted with small forested islands, including Innisfallen, which holds the remains of the ruined Innisfallen Abbey.^[1] On the eastern edge of the lake, Ross Island, more properly a peninsula, was the site of some of the earliest Copper Age metalwork in prehistoric Ireland.^[6] Ross Castle, a 15th-century keep, sits on the eastern shore of the lake, north of the Ross Island peninsula.

Muckross Lake

Also known as Middle Lake or Torc Lake, Muckross is just south of Lough Leane.^[7] The two are separated by a small peninsula, crossed by a stone arched bridge called Brickeen Bridge.^[1] It is Ireland's deepest lake, reaching to 75 metres (246 ft) in parts.^[8] A paved hiking trail of approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) circles the lake.^[2]

Upper Lake

The Upper Lake is the smallest of the three lakes, and the southernmost. It is separated from the others by a winding channel some 4 km (2.5 mi) long.^[1]

Folklore

According to folklore, the lakes were the haunt of Kate Kearney, who is said to have sought there O'Donaghue, an enchanted chieftain, and to have died in madness. Kearney is the subject of Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration to a view of The Upper Lake of Killarney . by William Henry Bartlett,^[9] and in a further Landon poem, Kate is Craz'd ., which accompanies a picture by Joseph John Jenkins.^[10] This Kate Kearney should not be confused with the lady who provided refreshment at what is now Kate Kearney's Cottage at the Gap of Dunloe.

Gallery

Ross Castle visible across Lough Leane
Brickeen Bridge, where Lough Leane and Muckross Lake meet
The lakes as viewed from Ladies View
Hand-drawn map of the Lakes by French artist Alphonse Dousseau, between 1830 and 1869
Photograph of Upper Lake published by Fergus O'Connor circa 1920 with commotion in bottom right

Related Research Articles

Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Purple Mountain, Mangerton Mountain, Paps Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Waterfall. Its natural heritage, history and location on the Ring of Kerry make Killarney a popular tourist destination.

Glengarriff is a village of approximately 140 people on the N71 national secondary road in the Beara Peninsula of County Cork, Ireland. Known internationally as a tourism venue, it has a number of natural attractions. It sits at the northern head of Glengarriff Bay, a smaller enclave of Bantry Bay.

The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometre-long (111-mile) circular tourist route in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. Clockwise from Killarney it follows the N71 to Kenmare, then the N70 around the Iveragh Peninsula to Killorglin – passing through Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen, and Glenbeigh – before returning to Killarney via the N72.

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Killarney National Park, near the town of Killarney, County Kerry, was the first national park in Ireland, created when the Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish Free State in 1932. The park has since been substantially expanded and encompasses over 102.89 km² of diverse ecology, including the Lakes of Killarney, oak and yew woodlands of international importance, and mountain peaks. It has the only red deer herd on mainland Ireland and the most extensive covering of native forest remaining in Ireland. The park is of high ecological value because of the quality, diversity, and extensiveness of many of its habitats and the wide variety of species that they accommodate, some of which are rare. The park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981. The park forms part of a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area.

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The Kerry Way is a long-distance trail in County Kerry, Ireland. It is a 214-kilometre (133-mile) long circular trail that begins and ends in Killarney and is typically broken into nine stages. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Kerry County Council, South Kerry Development Partnership and the Kerry Way Committee. The Way circles the Iveragh Peninsula and forms a walkers' version of the Ring of Kerry road tour. It is the longest of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails.

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Muckross Lake, also called Middle Lake or The Torc, is a lake in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. It is one of the three famous Lakes of Killarney, along with Lough Leane and Upper Lake. It is Ireland's deepest lake, reaching to 75 metres (246 ft) in parts.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. pp. 204–205. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
1 2 Guides, Rough (9 June 2015). The Rough Guide to Ireland. Penguin. ISBN 9780241236222.
↑ Dúchas. "The Lakes". Archived from the original on 15 June 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
↑ "Official Killarney National Park Website". 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
↑ The Department of the Environment and Local Government. "Living with Nature: The Designation of Nature Conservation Sites in Ireland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
↑ p142-146, Richard Bradley The prehistory of Britain and Ireland, Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 0-521-84811-3
↑ Ballantyne, Robert Michael (1 January 1865). The Lakes of Killarney. T. Nelson.
↑ Enterprise, Foran. "Killarney Lakes". www.gleannfia.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
↑ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1831). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1831). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832. Fisher, Son & Co.
↑ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1839). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1840. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1839). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1840. Fisher, Son & Co.

External links

Killarney National Park
National Library of Ireland archives for the lakes
Ross Island Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine

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[readersnatural-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. pp. 204–205. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.

[:0-2] 1 2 Guides, Rough (9 June 2015). The Rough Guide to Ireland. Penguin. ISBN 9780241236222.

[Lakes-3] Dúchas. "The Lakes". Archived from the original on 15 June 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.

[4] "Official Killarney National Park Website". 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[Living-5] The Department of the Environment and Local Government. "Living with Nature: The Designation of Nature Conservation Sites in Ireland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.

[Brad146-6] 142-146, Richard Bradley The prehistory of Britain and Ireland, Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 0-521-84811-3

[7] Ballantyne, Robert Michael (1 January 1865). The Lakes of Killarney. T. Nelson.

[8] Enterprise, Foran. "Killarney Lakes". www.gleannfia.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.

[9] Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1831). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1831). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832. Fisher, Son & Co.

[10] Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1839). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1840. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1839). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1840. Fisher, Son & Co.

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