The Lakes of Killarney are a scenic attraction located in

Killarney National Park Killarney National Park ( ga, Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne), near the town of Killarney, County Kerry, was the first national park in Ireland, created when the Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish Free State in 1932. The park has sinc ...

near

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...

, County Kerry, in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. They consist of three lakes - Lough Leane,

Muckross Lake Muckross Lake (), also called Middle Lake or The Torc, is a lake in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of the three famous Lakes of Killarney, along with Lough Leane and Upper Lake, Killarney, Upper La ...

(also called Middle Lake) and Upper Lake.

Surroundings

The lakes sit in a low valley some above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. They are surrounded by the rugged slopes of

MacGillycuddy's Reeks , photo=MacGuillycuddy's Reeks.jpg , photo_caption= , country=Ireland , country1= , location = County Kerry , region = Munster , region_type = Provinces of Ireland , parent= , border= , length_km=19 , length_orientation=East–West ...

. Notable mountains in the range include

Carrauntoohil Carrauntoohil or Carrauntoohill ( ; ga, Corrán Tuathail , meaning "Tuathal's sickle") is the highest mountain in Ireland at . It is on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, close to the centre of Ireland's highest mountain range, MacGillycu ...

, which, at is Ireland's highest mountain, Purple Mountain, at , Mangerton Mountain, at , and Torc Mountain, at . The N71 road from

Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. Location Kenmare is located at the head of Kenmare Ba ...

passes a viewpoint called Ladies View which offers a view of the lakes and valleys. On the occasion of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's visit in 1861, the point was apparently chosen by the queen's

ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

as the finest in the land; hence the name.

Lough Leane

Lough Leane () is the largest and northernmost of the three lakes, approximately in size. It is also the largest body of fresh water in the region. The River Laune drains Lough Leane to the north-west towards

Killorglin Killorglin () is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2016 CSO census, the town's population was 2,199. Killorglin is on the Ring of Kerry tourist route, and annual events include the August Puck Fair festival, which starts with the crow ...

and into Dingle Bay. Leane is dotted with small forested islands, including

Innisfallen Innisfallen ( ) or Inishfallen (from ga, Inis Faithlinn , meaning 'Faithlinn's island') is an island in Lough Leane; one of the three Lakes of Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland. Innisfallen is home to the ruins of Innisfallen Abbey. Geog ...

, which holds the remains of the ruined Innisfallen Abbey. On the eastern edge of the lake, Ross Island, more properly a peninsula, was the site of some of the earliest Copper Age metalwork in

prehistoric Ireland The prehistory of Ireland has been pieced together from archaeological evidence, which has grown at an increasing rate over the last decades. It begins with the first evidence of permanent human residence in Ireland around 10,500 BC (although ...

.p142-146, Richard Bradley ''The prehistory of Britain and Ireland,'' Cambridge University Press, 2007, Ross Castle, a 15th-century keep, sits on the eastern shore of the lake, north of the Ross Island peninsula.

Muckross Lake

Also known as Middle Lake or Torc Lake, Muckross is just south of Lough Leane. The two are separated by a small peninsula, crossed by a stone arched bridge called Brickeen Bridge. It is Ireland's deepest lake, reaching to in parts. A paved

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trail of approximately circles the lake.

Upper Lake

The Upper Lake is the smallest of the three lakes, and the southernmost. It is separated from the others by a winding channel some long.

Folklore

According to folklore, the lakes were the haunt of Kate Kearney, who is said to have sought there O'Donaghue, an enchanted chieftain, and to have died in madness. She is the subject of

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...

's poetical illustration to a view of by

William Henry Bartlett William Henry Bartlett (March 26, 1809 – September 13, 1854) was a British artist, best known for his numerous drawings rendered into steel engravings. Biography Bartlett was born in Kentish Town, London in 1809. He was apprenticed to John Bri ...

. This Kate Kearney should not be confused with the lady who provided refreshment at what is now Kate Kearney's cottage at the

Gap of Dunloe The Gap of Dunloe (), also recorded as ''Bearna an Choimín'' (meaning "gap of the commonage" or "gap of the little hollow"), is a narrow mountain pass running north-south in County Kerry, Ireland, that separates the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mounta ...

Gallery

File:Ross Castle across the Lakes of Killarney.JPG, Ross Castle visible across Lough Leane File:Killarney lake.jpg, Brickeen Bridge, where Lough Leane and Muckross Lake meet File:Lakes of Killarney.JPG, The lakes as viewed from Ladies View File:DV405 no.243 Map of the Lakes of Killarney.png, Hand-drawn map of the Lakes by French artist Alphonse Dousseau, between 1830-1869 File:"Lake surrounded by mountains in an unknown location" (is lakes of Killarney) (26040083492).jpg, Photograph of Upper Lake published by Fergus O'Connor circa 1920 with commotion in bottom right

References

External links

Killarney National Park

National Library of Ireland archives for the lakes

{{authority control Killarney

Ruins in the Republic of Ireland