Beara Peninsula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beara Peninsula (Irish: Béara) in Ireland is the southernmost of the main peninsulas on the south-west coast, bounded between the Kenmare "river" (actually a bay) to the north side and Bantry Bay to the south. It has two mountain ranges running down its centre; the Caha Mountains and the Slieve Miskish Mountains. The northern part of the peninsula from Kenmare to near Ardgroom is in County Kerry, while the rest lies in County Cork. The main tourist attractions are the ruins of Dunboy Castle Puxley Mansion, (Now being restored), The Copper Mines Museum in Allihies, Illnacullen Island in Glengarriff (maintained by the OPW) and Derreen Gardens (Privately owned but open to the public).
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."
The Ring of Beara is a tourist trail of about 195 kilometres (121 mi) 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.
