Beara Peninsula

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Location map of the Beara Peninsula

The Beara Peninsula / Béara in Ireland is the southernmost of the main peninsulas on the south-west coast, with two mountain ranges running down its centre, the Caha Mountains and the Slieve Miskish Mountains. The northern part of the peninsula, except near the tip of it, is in County Kerry, while the rest lies in County Cork. The main tourist attractions are the ruins of Puxley Mansion, Dunboy Castle and Derreen Gardens. It was the traditional seat of power of the O'Sullivan Bere Clan and was one of the last points of Gaelic resistance after the Battle of Kinsale. It later became a major copper extraction point and became immortalised in the Daphne du Maurier novel "Hungry Hill."

View from the Healy Pass in North direction with the heights of the Iveragh peninsula at the horizon

The Ring of Beara is a tourist trail of about 195 kilometres (120 miles) circumnavigating the peninsula. It starts in Kenmare, crossing the Healy Pass through Adrigole, passing Castletownbere, Allihies, the fork to Dursey Island, Eyeries and Ardgroom, ending in Glengarriff. The area has had a long connection with the sea, Castletownbere is one of Ireland's largest fishing ports and has excellent sailing and boating facilities.