KILLARNEY
THE LIGHT CHANGES THE MOOD ON THE LAKES HOUR BY HOUR.
Renowned
the world over as a tourist destination and with just reason. Here close
to the wooded shores of the tranquil Lough Leane and nestling below
the mighty Macgillycuddy’s Reeks is an ideal base for exploring
Kerry. In Ireland most of the mountains are rounded (Muckish in Co.
Donegal the exception), eroded into submission by the glaciers of the
Ice Age, but here in Killarney (Cill Airne) they aspire more
to gothic pinnacles pointing upwards and emphasising their presence
as they rise steeply from Lough Leane (also known as the ‘Lower
Lake’).
The mountains are most considerately staggered in height – Purple
Mountain (come here in the autumn and see the heathers bloom) and Tomie
Mountain (the taller) providing majestic backdrops to the lake, whilst
the larger mountains loom behind them. From the shores of the lake the
light will subtly change the colours of the mountains each hour, stepping
back in different hues to the more distant ones, all soothingly reflected
on the waters.
There are in fact three main lakes comprising the Lakes of Killarney
– the largest is Lough Leane or Lower Lake; the Muckross or Middle
Lake and the Upper Lake. The latter is a long narrow lake along which
runs the main road to Kenmare in its steep and twisty ascent from Killarney
up to Moll’s Gap where it nips through the gap at the top
of the mountains and then descends all the way to Kenmare. On the way
is Ladies View, from here you look out across the lakes, down
to the valley and across to the steep mountains of Macgillycuddy's Reeks.
Below to the left is the Black Valley, so named for its fortune
in the Irish Famine (1845-48) when the population of the valley was
lost. Muckross or the Middle Lake can be accessed from
Muckross House Estate, in Killarney National Park, where the
attractive Meeting of the Waters is located. The estate also
houses workshops (in the basement of the estate mansion) that emulate
the past life of the region and at popular times potters and weavers
demonstrate the old crafts. Set in beautiful gardens that in summer
are ablaze with the colours of azaleas and rhododendrons is Muckross
House (1843) – a neoclassical Elizabethan mansion overlooking
the lake. The house has seen many famous visitors over the years including
Queen Victoria of England in 1861. Tours of the house are self-guided
and you are free to explore the treasures of this notable building by
yourself. The Walled Garden Craft Centre has a relaxing conservatory
styled restaurant. Outside are traditional farms where the rural life
of yesteryear is re-enacted as part of the daily running of the farm.
Open daily – admission charge. Tel: 064 31440.
Close by is Muckross Abbey (1448) founded by Franciscans and
one of the best preserved in Ireland, it has recently been renovated.
Further south from the estate, on the other side of the road (signposted)
is the Torc Waterfall where, after an energetic walk/climb you
can view the waterfall in its sixty foot drop off Torc Mountain (1760
ft.) as well as getting a good view of the mountains across the lakes.
