Beara Peninsula
Beara (Irish: Béarra) or the Beara Peninsula is a peninsula on the south-west coast of Ireland, bounded between the Kenmare "river" (actually a bay) to the north side and Bantry Bay to the south. It contains 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 forms the barony of Bear in County Cork.
The main features of Beara's landscape were formed during the
The peninsula contains a long and varied scenic coast, two mountain ranges and a number of passes, and forms part of the Wild Atlantic Way.
History
The peninsula was glaciated during the
In the modern period, Beara was the traditional seat of power of the
A plaque placed by the Beara Historical Society offers the following to explain the origin of the name:
- In the early centuries AD, Conn Céad Cathach (Con of the hundred battles) fought a fierce battle against Owen Mór, King of Ireland at Cloch Barraige. Owen was badly injured in the battle. Those of his followers who survived took him to Inis Greaghraighe (now known as Bere Island) as a safe place for him to recover. There, the fairy Eadaoin took him to her grianán (bower) where she nursed him back to full health. Nowadays, this place is known as Greenane.
- Owen and his followers then sailed southwards until they reached Spain. There he met and married Beara, daughter of the King of Castille.
- Later Owen, Beara and a large army sailed from Spain and landed in Greenane. Owen took his wife to the highest hill on the island and looking across the harbour he named the island and the whole peninsula 'Beara' in honour of his wife. Rossmacowen, Kilmacowen and Buaile Owen most likely are named after Owen Mór and his son. According to local tradition Owen’s wife, Princess Beara, died and was buried in Ballard Commons in the remote and peaceful valley between Maulin and Knocknagree Mountains.
The scholar Nollaig Ó Muraíle doubted this story, and instead suggested a connection to the Kerry dialect word béarach, béar[r]a which refers to "rocks on the seashore against which the sea breaks with great force".[6]
Tourism
Tourist sites on the peninsula include the ruins of Dunboy Castle and Puxley Mansion, the Copper Mines Museum in Allihies,[7] Garnish Island by Glengarriff (maintained by the OPW) and Derreen Garden (privately owned but open to the public).[citation needed]
The "Ring of Beara" follows the roads for about 148 kilometres (92 mi) circumnavigating the peninsula. It starts in Kenmare, crossing the
The Beara Way is a long distance walking route around the peninsula with several historical and archaeological sites en route. The main towns on the route are Castletownbere, Kenmare and Glengarriff. There are a number of villages in between including Allihies, Ardgroom, Adrigole, and Eyeries. Bere Island and Dursey Island can be reached by a short trip by ferry or cable car respectively. The Beara Way is part of the Beara-Breifne Way based on the march of O'Sullivan Beare in 1603. The tallest Ogham stone in Europe, the Ballycrovane Ogham Stone, is close to Eyeries.[10]
Flora and fauna
Glengarriff Forest Nature Reserve covers approximately 300 hectares (371 acres), the majority being "old oak woodland and regenerating woodland", with non-native conifers and rhododendron having been cleared from the forest in favour of native species.[11] A booklet, published by the Glengarriff Tourism and Development Association, describes the forest as "one of the best examples of oceanic sessile oak woodland in Ireland".[11] Other native flora, including recurved sandwort and Kerry lily, are found around the Caha Mountains.[11]
Glengarriff's harbour contains one of the largest colonies of harbor seals in Ireland.[12] At the other end of the peninsula, the Beara Peninsula Special Protection Area, one of several Special Protection Areas in Ireland, is home to an "internationally important population" of Chough birds. It also supports a breeding population of Fulmar.[13]
It was revealed in 2021 that a genetically unique honey bee (
Gallery
-
Glanmore Lake
-
Healy Pass - distance
-
Healy Pass - road
-
Coolcreen
See also
- The Hag of Beara
- Iveragh peninsula
- Dingle peninsula
References
- ^ a b Murphy 1997, p. 14.
- ^ Murphy 1997, p. 7.
- ^ Murphy 1997, p. 12.
- ^ Murphy 1997, p. 51.
- ^ Murphy 1997, p. 13.
- ^ "Béarra / Bear". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "The Copper Mines Museum". acmm.aie. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Castletownbere Fishery Harbour Centre". agriculture.gov.ie. Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Castletownbere port directory". castletownbereport.com. Castletownbere Port. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ "Eyeries - Historic & Archaeology". Eyeries.ie. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Glengarriff Tourism and Development Association. "50 things to do in Glengarriff" (PDF). glengarriff.ie. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. "Glengarriff Harbour and Woodland SAC - Site Synopsis" (PDF). npws.ie. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ National Parks & Wildlife Service. "Beara Peninsula SPA - Site Synopsis" (PDF). npws.ie. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- .
- ^ M. Mac Giolla Coda. "Have You Got Native Bees?" (PDF). southtippbees.com. South Tipperary Beekeepers Association. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-0907606000.
- ^ Dr. Jack Hassett (2 October 2021). "Beara Peninsula Case Study". Ulster Beekeepers Association AGM 2021 Webinar.
Sources
- Murphy, Cornelius (1997). The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork. University College Cork.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help)