Iveragh Peninsula: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Dark Sky | [[Category:Dark Sky Parks in the Republic of Ireland]] | ||
Revision as of 14:02, 27 January 2015
The Iveragh Peninsula (Irish: Uíbh Ráthach) is a large peninsula of County Kerry extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. Ireland’s highest mountain range, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, rises in the centre of the peninsula, in which Carrauntoohil is the highest mountain in Ireland.
Iveragh is separated from the Dingle Peninsula in the south by Castlemaine Harbour and Dingle Bay and from the Beara Peninsula in the south by Kenmare Bay.
Towns on the peninsula include Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Ballinskelligs, Portmagee, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare.
About the peninsula
The Ring of Kerry, a popular tourist trail, circles the coastlines as well as the Skellig Ring, beginning and ending at Killarney, just east of the peninsula.
The Killarney National Park lies at the stem of the peninsula and to the west of it are Ireland’s highest mountains, in MacGillycuddy's Reeks
Valentia Island lies off the northwestern tip of the peninsula. It is connected with the peninsula by a bridge at Portmagee village, but it can also be reached by ferry crossing between Renard Point on the mainland and Knightstown on the island.
The Skellig Islands lie about 7 or 8 miles off the west coast of the peninsula and are known for the remarkable monastic buildings on Skellig Michael and for their seabirds.
'Kerry Geopark' is a community initiative on the Iveragh Peninsula which aims to promote geotourism in this area of high geological importance. Some of the interest features are Kenmare Bay (a drowned river valley or ria), signs of past glaciation and volcanic activity and 400-million year old fossilised tetrapod tracks.
Much of the Peninisula was designated an IDA International Dark Sky Reserve on 27 January 2014.
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See also
Outside links
- Iveragh Peninsula guide from Frommer's
- The Ring of Kerry
- Iveragh Peninsula at Birdlife International
References
Books
- John Crowley and John Sheehan. The Iveragh Peninsula: A Cultural Atlas of the Ring of Kerry, 2009. Cork University Press. ISBN 978-1-85918-430-1.