KILLARNEY, a market-town and post-town, and a
parish, in the barony of MAGONIHY, county of KERRY,
and province of MUNSTER, 16 miles (S. E.) from Tralee
and 167 (S. W.) from Dublin, on the road from Tralee
to Kenmare, and on the present mail-coach road to
Cork; containing 11,333 inhabitants, of which number,
7910 are in the town. This town, of which a portion,
containing 1191 inhabitants, extends into the parish of
Aghadoe, derived its origin from the iron smeltingworks
in the neighbourhood (for which its ample forests
afforded abundant fuel), and from the copper mines of
Ross and Muckross; and is chiefly indebted for its
present prosperity to its vicinity to the celebrated lakes
to which it gives name. It consists of two principal
streets, from which branch several smaller; the former
have been well paved and flagged, at the expense of the
Earl of Kenmare, its proprietor, whose seat and extensive
demesne immediately adjoin the town. The total
number of houses is 1028, for the most part neatly
built. At the south end of the town is Kenmare-place
a handsome range of dwellings: and in the principal
street are two commodious and spacious inns, for the
reception of the numerous visitors to the lakes, for
whose accommodation also there are several lodginghouses.
There are two subscription reading-rooms, to
one of which is attached a billiard-room. Races, which
were formerly held here, are about to be revived; a
regatta on the lake has been recently established; and
a stag-hunt occasionally takes place in the mountains
of Glena, which abound with the native red deer. On
the east bank of the Dinagh is the Mall, a favourite
promenade of considerable extent: near it is a mineral
spring, and at Tullig, two miles north-east of the town, is
another. The approach to the town from the Kenmare
road is through an avenue of stately lime trees, forming
a delightful promenade, from which branches off the
road to Ross, commanding a magnificent view of mountain
scenery. The projected rail-road from Dublin to
Valencia, if carried into effect, will pass to the northeast
of the town. Tanning, for which the oak woods
in the immediate vicinity are favourable, is still carried
on, but not to its former extent. Bandle linen,
made in the neighbourhood, is brought into the market
for sale; and on the river Flesk is a bleach-green with
a fulling-mill. A variety of useful and ornamental
articles are made from the arbutus tree, and sold to
strangers visiting the lakes; and there are two breweries,
two small snuff and tobacco manufactories, and
some extensive flour-mills, of which those belonging
to Messrs. Galway and Leahy, are worked by the river
Dinagh, which flows through the West Demesne into
the Lower Lake. A branch of the Agricultural, and an
agency office for the National, banks have been established
in the town. The market, which is held on
Saturday, is supplied with an abundance of cheap and
excellent provisions of every description; and fairs are
held on July 4th, Aug. 8th, Oct. 7th, Nov. 1lth and
28th, and Dec. 28th, on Fair Hill, at the eastern extremity
of the town. A chief constabulary police force
is stationed here; and there is also a station at Derricunnihy,
near the Upper Lake, the barrack for which,
recently erected, is a neat square building, with an
octagonal turret at each of the two opposite angles, forming
an ornamental feature among the beautiful scenery
around it. The quarter sessions of the peace for the
county are held at Killarney, by adjournment from
Tralee, four times in the year; petty sessions are also
held every Tuesday; and a court is held monthly by
the seneschal of the manor of Ross, at which small
debts are recoverable. The court-house is a handsome
building of hewn stone; and connected with it is the
bridewell, containing two day-rooms, two airing-yards,
and six cells, with every requisite appendage. The
old court-house has been lately converted into a theatre,
which is occasionally opened by the Cork company.
The market-house is an old building, the upper part
occasionally used as a ball-room, and the lower part,
formerly the meat-market, now chiefly appropriated to
the sale of bandle linen. Shambles for butchers' meat
and fish have been erected at the back of High-street.
The parish comprises 32,300 statute acres, as applotted
under the tithe act, a very considerable portion
of which is in demesne and occupied by extensive plantations.
The soil is generally fertile, except in those
parts which consist of rocky mountain, and even these
are in many places embellished with trees of various
kinds that have taken root in the fissures of the rock.
There are some large tracts of bog, affording an abundant
supply of fuel. Quarries of limestone and slate
are worked to a considerable extent; the former for
building and agricultural purposes, and the latter for
roofing and for various other uses. The ancient ironworks
have been long since discontinued, but some
vestiges of their existence may still be traced, and
the extent to which they were carried on is evident
from the vast consumption of timber in the neighbourhood.
Lead and copper ores have been obtained in
abundance, and the mines appear to have been worked
at a very early period. Some of the rude implements
used in breaking the ore, and called by the country
people "Danes' hammers," are still occasionally found;
they consist of smooth oval stones much chipped at
the edges, with grooves in the centre by which they were
fastened to the handles. A very valuable copper-mine
was for several years worked on Ross Island; and both
copper and cobalt were formerly obtained at Muckross:
the works on Ross Island have been discontinued, and
the ground has been planted and highly embellished,
under the directions of the Countess of Kenmare. The
river Laune, the only outlet from the lakes, is susceptible
of great improvement, and at a moderate expense
might be rendered navigable from the Lower Lake to
the harbour of Castlemaine. Kenmare House, the
residence of the Earl of Kenmare, is a spacious mansion,
externally plain, but containing several noble
apartments elegantly fitted up, with a ball-room of
large dimensions, an excellent library, and a domestic
chapel. The demesne, which is very extensive, has been
greatly improved, and commands from the rear of the
house a beautiful but distant view of the Lower Lake
and the mountains on its shores. In the deer park,
situated to the north-east of the town, is a beautiful and
romantic glen, through which the Dinagh takes its
course and is crossed by a rustic foot bridge. Muckross,
the seat of H. A. Herbert, Esq., is situated in a
demesne of enchanting beauty. The old mansion has
been taken down, and is about to be rebuilt in a style
according more with the beauty of the grounds, and
the numerous interesting objects in the immediate vieinity:
the road through the peninsula of Muckross
and across Brickeen bridge to the island of that name,
will be so improved as to form a delightful drive
through the whole of this romantic demesne. Torc
Cottage, the seat of Capt. Herbert, at the southeastern
extremity of the lake of that name, is a handsome
building in the early English style, commanding,
from its peculiar situation, some grand and majestic
mountain scenery, the beauty of which is heightened by
reflection from the smooth surface of the lake, of which
it has an uninterrupted view; the pleasure grounds are
laid out with great taste and kept in excellent order.
The Park, the seat of D. Cronin, Esq., is a handsome
mansion, situated in an extensive and richly wooded
demesne, and commanding a beautiful, though distant
view of the Lower Lake. Flesk Castle, the seat of J.
Coltsman, Esq., a spacious modern castellated mansion,
combining various styles, occupies the summit of
Droumhumper Hill, rising gently from the river Flesk,
which encircles its base, and richly clothed with plantations
and shrubs, presenting a remarkably picturesque
object as seen from the Cork road. From the castle
terrace is an extensive panoramic view of the Middle
and Lower lakes, with the surrounding scenery; and
at a moderate elevation above the river is a beautiful
round tower with projecting battlements, resembling an
ancient water tower, which forms an interesting feature
in the scenery of the demesne. Cahirnane, the seat of
H. Herbert, Esq., is situated in a richly wooded demesne,
which is much admired for its noble avenue of trees.
Castle Lough, the seat of D. S. Lawlor, Esq., formerly
a strong fortress in connection with the abbey of Muckross,
was besieged by the parliamentarian army under
Ludlow, and finally demolished; it became afterwards
the site of a residence of a younger branch of the family
of Mac Carthy More, by patent of Jas. II. in 1683, and
it now an inconsiderable ruin in the demesne of the
present proprietor, and nearly adjoining the present
mansion; it is situated on a rocky promontory in the
bay of the same name in the Lower Lake, and the
grounds command some of the finest scenery on its
shores. Flesk Priory, the seat of J. S. Coxon, Esq., is an
elegant modern residence in the cottage style, in tastefully
disposed grounds, and commanding some pleasing
views. Danesfort, the seat of Capt. Coulthurst, takes
its name from an ancient fort near the house; it is
pleasingly situated on a gentle eminence, commanding
some interesting views of the Middle and Lower lakes.
The other seats are Woodlawn, of the Hon. W. Browne;
Flesk Cottage, of Capt. Godfrey; South Hill, of J.
Leahy, Esq.; Courtayne Castle, of the Courtayne
family; and Gheramine, of the Rev. - Hutchinson.
There are several other seats in the vicinity, which are
described in the parishes of Aghadoe and Knockane, in
which they are situated.
The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert
and Aghadoe, united from time immemorial to the
vicarage of Kilcummin, and in the patronage of the
Crown during the legal incapacity of the Earl of Kenmare;
the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of
Donoughmore. The tithes amount to £475, of which
£235 is payable to the impropriator, and £240 to the
vicar; five townlands pay tithes, amounting to £65.1. 6½.,
to the archdeacon of Aghadoe; and the tithes of the
whole union amount to £461. 10. 9¼. The church, to
the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits
contributed a loan of £700, was built in 1812, and has
been recently repaired by a grant of £282 from the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners: it is a neat but irregular
structure, with a tower surmounted by a slated spire,
and contains several mural tablets, among which are
two to the Earls of Kenmare, whose family vault is
beneath; the east window is embellished with a painting
of Christ and the two disciples at Emmaus, in
stained glass. Near it is the glebe-house, a large and
substantial building, on a small glebe; and there
is a glebe of 45a. 3r. 21p. in the parish of Kileummin.
Mr. Herbert, of Muckross, has it in contemplation to
build a church near Cloghereen, in this parish, and
endow it with £100 per annum for the support of a
curate. In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in
the union or district of Glenflesk, but chiefly forms the
head of a district, comprising also the greater portion of
Aghadoe; the chapel, a spacious edifice of plain exterior
but handsomely fitted up, is in the town; and the
chapel belonging to the nunnery is open to the public
on Sunday mornings: there is also a chapel of ease at
Fossa, in the parish of Aghadoe. A place of worship for
Wesleyan Methodists has been lately erected in the town.
About 50 children are taught in the parochial school,
which was built and is supported by subscription; 400
boys in the school under the superintendence of the R.
C. Clergyman, for which a spacious building was erected
at an expense of £400, by the late Dr. Sughrue, R. C.
bishop; and more than 300 girls in the school annexed
to the nunnery: the two last are liberally aided by the
Earl and Countess of Kenmare, by whom also the
children are partially clothed and apprenticed. The
college school, formerly founded by Dr. Sughrue for the
education of young men for the R. C. priesthood, is now
a private classical school; and the rent, £50 per ann.,
is appropriated to charitable purposes: there is also
another private school of about 50 children in the
parish, A fever hospital and a dispensary are supported
for the relief of the poor, the former is adapted
to the reception of 50 patients, and has a ward attached
to it for surgical cases; and an almshouse for aged
women has been established and is supported by the
Countess of Kenmare. At Lissavigeen, about 2½ miles
east of the town, is an ancient fort, or rath, called the
Druids' Circle, consisting of a circular embankment
about 35 feet in diameter, within which is a circle of
seven upright stones, about 4 feet high; and about the
distance of 36 feet from the embankment are two
upright stones of much larger dimensions, about seven
feet apart. A very curious relic of antiquity, in form
resembling a kettle-drum, was found some years since
in a bog near Muckross; it is of bronze, about two
feet in diameter, and on being struck emits a deep-toned,
hollow sound, resembling that of the Indian gong; it
is deposited in the library of Charlemont House, Dublin.
A smaller one, which was found near it, was
broken in attempting to raise it. The wild, romantic,
and rocky mountain pass called the Gap of Dunloe,
together with the castle of that name, is described in
the article on Knockane; and the ruins of the ancient
cathedral, the ancient round tower, and the Bishop's
chair, are noticed in the article on Aghadoe. Several
of the O'Donoghues, ancient Irish chieftains or princes,
were interred in Muckross abbey, of whom the most
powerful were the O'Donoghues of Ross, and the
O'Donoghues of the Glens.
Of the numerous lakes in the county of Kerry, the
largest as well the most interesting are those of Killarney,
situated about a mile and a half from the town,
on the confines of a chain of lofty mountains, between
which and the Atlantic are others of still greater magnitude
and elevation, among which are the majestic
CurranTual, rising to the height of 3410 feet above the
level of the sea, and forming the principal of the range
called Mac Gillycuddy's Reeks, and the most elevated
point in Ireland. The Lakes of Killarney may be regarded
as an immense reservoir for the waters of the
surrounding country, descending from the mountain
lakes, and supplied by tributary rivers; and their surplus
waters are conveyed through the harbour of Castlemaine
into the Atlantic by the river Laune, which is
the only outlet. They consist of the Lower, Middle,
and Upper lakes; the two former, which are nearly on
the same level, are bounded on one side only by mountains,
and on the other open to a richly cultivated
country, the surface of which is diversified with hills;
the latter is surrounded by mountains on every side,
and has a higher elevation than the others. The Lower
Lake is about six miles in length and three miles in
breadth, and is bounded on the west by the mountain
of Glena, rising abruptly from the water at that
part, called Glena bay; and farther to the north by
the Tomies mountain, which is of more gradual elevation,
and has at its base a considerable tract of
fertile and richly cultivated land, sloping to the margin
of the lake. Of the numerous islands in this lake, the
largest is that called Ross Island, containing about 80
plantation acres, which, being separated from the main
land only by an artificial channel, crossed by a bridge,
forms a peninsula projecting considerably into the lake.
Here are the picturesque ruins of Ross castle, founded
by the O'Donoghues; it was defended by Lord Muskerry
against the parliamentarians in 1652, and surrendered
to Ludlow. It gives the inferior titles of Viscount
and Baron of Castlerosse to the Earl of Kenmare.
The shores of Ross are deeply indented, and the rocks
along its borders are worn into every variety of fanciful
forms: it is richly ornamented with thriving plantations
of great variety, and the arbutus, and other evergreens,
here flourish in the richest luxuriance. Near the castle
is a small pier, this being the general point of embarkation
for visiters to the lakes. At a short distance from
the pier, the sound of a bugle is returned, successively
from the castle, the ruined church of Aghadoe, and
Mangerton, and afterwards innumerable reverberations
are heard, becoming gradually fainter till they are lost
in the distance. To the north is O'Donoghue's Prison,
a rock rising about thirty feet above the surface of the
lake, from the fissures of which on the summit rise the
arbutus, ash, and holly in the greatest luxuriance; and
which, according to tradition, was used by a chieftain of
that name, of prodigious strength, as a place of confinement.
To the north of it are Heron and Lamb islands,
and to the west are Brown and Rabbit islands, the last
remarkable for its quarries of limestone, which is burnt
for manure. To the west of Ross island is that of
Innisfallen, the most beautiful and interesting of all in
the Lower Lake; it is extremely fertile and richly
clothed with wood to the water's edge; among various
trees of stately growth is a holly, of which the
stem is fourteen feet in girth. Its name, originally
Innis Nessan, from the father of the founder of its
venerable abbey, was subsequently changed to Innisfallen,
as more descriptive of its natural beauty: it
forms the subject of Moore's beautiful melody, commencing-"
Sweet Innisfallen, fare thee well." The
abbey was founded by St. Finian Lobhar, or the Leper,
at the close of the 6th century, and by some of the
brethren were compiled the celebrated "Annals of Innisfallen,"
an ancient manuscript, containing a general
history of the world, from the creation to the year 430
of the Christian era, but thenceforward confined to the
history of Ireland. The ruins are inconsiderable and
of rude character. On a projecting cliff near the abbey
is an ancient oratory, with a richly embellished Norman
doorway; it is now used as a place of refreshment, but
a banqueting-house is about to be erected for the use of
visiters in another part of the island, which is now undergoing
considerable improvement. Between the mountains
of Glena and Tomies, on the western shore of the
lake, is O'Sullivan's Cascade, consisting of three falls in
a descent of about 70 feet, the noise of which is heard at
a great distance: beneath a projecting rock overhanging
the lowest fall is a grotto; and beneath the base of the
mount, and where the torrent enters the lake, is a small
bay, in which a quay of rude workmanship has been
constructed. At this place is the greatest and most
uninterrupted expanse of the lake, the navigation of
which, from the extreme precariousness of the weather,
is frequently attended with inconvenience from want of
immediate shelter. The bay of Glena presents a combination
of sublime and beautiful scenery. Glena
mountain, which forms its boundary, though bare on
its summit, is towards the base clothed with a rich unbroken
series of woods, sloping down to the water's
edge; in this bay also a remarkably fine echo is produced
by a bugle. On a gently swelling lawn, near the
shore, is the elegant cottage ornee of Lady Kenmare, at
a short distance from which a banqueting-house, for the
accommodation of visiters, has been erected by Lord
Kenmare. From a small mount furnished with rustic
seats is obtained a fine view of the bay, the southern
shore of Ross, and the island of Innisfallen. The
northern shore of the peninsula of Muckross is bold
and rocky, and fretted by the action of the waves into
a variety of caves and fantastic forms: between this and
the southern shore of Ross, the lake is studded with
numerous islands, to the east of which it expands into
Castle-Lough bay. The Middle, or Tore, Lake, so
called from the mountain which bounds it on the south,
is separated from the Lower Lake by the islands cf
Dinis and Brickeen, and the peninsula of Muckross, the
two latter connected by an antique bridge of one pointed
arch, built by the late Col. Herbert; and is generally
entered on the Glena side of Dinis island, through a
passage of great natural beauty, both banks of the inlet
being clothed with luxuriant groves to the margin of
the water. The island of Dinis is richly wooded, and
contains a cottage for the refreshment of visiters, looking
towards Tore Cottage, the elegant residence of Capt.
Herbert, and the mountain of Mangerton; the banqueting-
room commands a fine view of the lake from
one extremity to the other. This lake is about two
English miles in length, and about one in breadth.
On the north side are "Devil's island" and "bay," the
former, a rock of considerable elevation, with some
shrubs on its summit, appears to have been thrown off
from the mainland by some convulsion of nature.
The peninsula of Muckross, which forms the northern
boundary of the lake, is occupied by the demesne of H.
A. Herbert, Esq., and has but little elevation above the
surface; it is thickly covered with wood, and forms a
striking contrast with the southern shore, the lofty and
magnificent features of which are deeply reflected from
the surface of the lake, which is not, like that of the
Lower Lake, interrupted by islands. On the south side,
Tore Mountain, the precipitous front of which is wooded
to a considerable height, appears in majestic grandeur,
its apparent elevation being undiminished by that of
Mangerton, which recedes from the view, and a picturesque
cascade, chiefly supplied from a lake near the
summit of Mangerton, called the "Devil's Punchbowl,"
has a strikingly beautiful effect. The latter lake, which
is remarkable for its great depth, the coldness of its
water, and a peculiarly tremulous echo produced from
its shores, is situated at an elevation of nearly 1700 feet
S
above the level of the sea, Mangerton itself rising to the
height of 2550. The mountain is barren and of great
extent; but from its summit, which is easily ascended, is
obtained a magnificent and extensive prospect, embracing
the whole of the lakes and the surrounding mountains.
On its eastern side is Glaun-na-coppul, the "Glen
of the Horse," enclosed on every side by rugged and
precipitous rocks. The picturesque and interesting ruins
of Muckross abbey are situated on a gentle acclivity at
the eastern extremity of the peninsula. This abbey,
formerly called Irrelagh, was founded by Donald, son of
Thady McCarthy, in 1440, and has since continued to be
the favourite place of sepulture of that family; it was
rebuilt in 1626, but was soon afterwards suffered to
fall into decay; it consisted of a nave, choir, transept
and cloisters, which last are still nearly entire. The
entrance is through a pointed doorway, of which the
arch is deeply moulded; and a narrow pointed archway
leads into the choir, in which are the tombs of the
McCarthy Mores and the O'Donoghues of the Glens:
there is also a large mural monument to the wife of
Christopher Galway, Esq., beautifully executed in Italian
marble. The Upper Lake is about three miles to the east
of Tore, or the Middle Lake, with which it communicates
by a circuitous channel of difficult navigation; the current
is in many parts very rapid, and the passage
against the stream laborious and difficult. Not far
from the old weir bridge is an eddy, called O'Sullivan's
Punchbowl, where the visiters are obliged to disembark,
while the boat is drawn through one of the arches of
the bridge. Pursuing the winding course of the stream,
various interesting objects successively present themselves;
among these are several islands and rocks, of
which latter, one, from its resemblance to a ship, is
called "the Man-of-war;" on its summit is a very large
yew-tree, of which the stem and branches are supposed
to aid the similitude. The Eagles' Nest is a lofty rock
of pyramidal form, rising abruptly from the river, which
makes a sudden sweep round its base, and from which
it has a very grand and picturesque appearance, though
in a distant view it is lost in the superior height of the
adjacent mountains; the base is covered with wood, and
the face of the rock to its summit is interspersed with
shrubs; the nest of the eagle is distinguished by a black
mark near the vertex, and that bird is frequently seen
soaring at a considerable elevation above the river.
From a hillock on the opposite side of the river, usually
called the "Station for audience," an echo is produced
by a single bugle equal in effect to a full band of instruments;
the discharge of a cannon produces a crash
as if the rocks were rent asunder, and the succeeding
echoes resemble the reverberations of thunder. In the
passage to the Upper Lake many superb mountain
views and much sublime scenery are exhibited; the
view is bounded on the north-west by Glena and the
Long Range mountains; on the south-east, by Cromiglaun,
and the base of Torc. The entrance is contracted
into a very narrow passage, usually called Coleman's
Leap, from a tradition that a pex-son of that name
leaped across the chasm. This lake is about two miles
and a half in length, and, from its numerous indentations,
of very irregular breadth; it is thickly studded
with islands, and from its being almost entirely surrounded
by mountains, the scenery differs greatly from
that of the two other lakes. To the south, the Cromiglaun
mountain rises from its very margin, and im-
mediately behind is the Esknamucky, from which a
considerable stream, falling into the lake, forms a
picturesque cascade; to the west of Cromiglaun is
Derrycunnihy, from which also falls the beautiful cascade
of that name; and in a small glen, between it and
the lake, is the pretty cottage of the late Rev. Mr. Hyde,
occupying a highly romantic and secluded situation,
and commanding a view of Derrycunnihy cascade, and
its rocky and richly wooded glen. To the west of Derrycunnihy,
and separated by the river Kavoge, is
Derrydimnagh mountain, covered on one of its sides by
a dense wood; and in the distance, towards the southwest,
are seen the Coombui mountains, and those of
Barnasna more to the west, and to the north-west
Bawn and Mac Gillycuddy's Reeks. The nearest of the
latter to the lake is Gheramine, at the base of which is
the entrance to the sequestered valley of Cameduff,
watered by a river navigable to the late Lord Brandon's
boat-house, whence a pathway leads to Gheramine Cottage,
embosomed in woods. On an eminence in the
grounds is a tower, 40 feet high, erected by his lordship
in imitation of the ancient round towers of Ireland,
from whose summit, ascended by a ladder in the interior,
an extensive view is commanded of the valley
and lakes of Cameduff, the mountains that enclose
them, the islands of the Upper Lake, and Tore mountain
in the distance. To the north of the lake are
Gheramine and the Purple Mountain, so called from the
colour of the strata of shivered slate on its surface;
and to the north-east is the "Long Range," backed by
the mountains of Glena and Tomies. The most prominent
of the islands in this lake is Rossburkie, or Oak
island, rising from a rocky base, and crowned with
wood; from its shores is a splendid view of the
mountains, finely grouped. The others are Eagles'
island, Ronayne's island, McCarthy's, Duck, and Arbutus
islands, the channels between which open to new and
varied scenery, combining splendid panoramic views of
rocks, woods, and mountains, with numerous picturesque
cascades, and forming an assemblage of the sublimest
and most romantic features of nature. The northern
shore of the lake commands prospects of equal magnificence;
the rocks and islands, the resort of numerous
birds of prey, are of a dark green colour, harmonising
finely with the sombre sublimity of the surrounding
mountains, which tower in wild and varied magnificence;
while those of the lower lakes are chiefly of
limestone, washed by the waves into a variety of fantastic
forms. The Upper and Middle lakes, previously
visited almost exclusively by aquatic parties, have been
thrown into a perfectly new and highly interesting point
of view by the construction of the new road to Kenmare,
which passes between Torc mountain and the southern
shore of the Middle Lake, and continuing its course to
the south-west, commands some fine reaches of the river,
from the old weir bridge to Coleman's Leap, and winds
round the eastern and southern shores of the Upper
Lake. About five miles from Killarney the road is conducted
through a tunnel, called "the Heading,". 45 feet
in length, cut through the solid rock: from this point
the Upper Lake is seen in beautiful perspective, with its
widest expanse of water, its wood-crowned islands and
picturesque bays, in some parts fringed with foliage of
every shade, and in others marked with features of
sublime and rugged grandeur, till it disappears in the
distance between the majestic mountains that form its
remoter boundaries. On the approach from Kenmare the
lakes, with their beautiful winding river, appear in a great
vista between mountains wild and rocky towards their
summits, but clothed at their base with luxuriant foliage
to the water's edge. Here the Upper Lake displays
its chief beauties, presenting at a single glance one
of the grandest combinations of the sublime and beautiful
in the works of nature. About halfway between
Killarney and Kenmare the road descends towards the
former between the base of the mountains and the
southern shore of the lake, through the thick woods
with which the mountains are clothed; the arbutus and
the "London pride" nourish here in the greatest luxuriance.
In its progress towards Killarney, the road affords
some fine views of the Middle Lake and the interesting
scenery in the neighbourhood of Muckross. Of the
three lakes, the scenery of the Lower is considered the
most beautiful, that of Torc the most picturesque, and
that of the Upper Lake the most sublime; taken altogether
they are perhaps unrivalled by any of equal
extent in Europe. See AGHADOE, CLOGHEREEN, and
KNOCKANE.