INTRODUCTION. xxi 
Movuntains.—The extent and elevation of its mountain 
ranges forms one of the most characteristic features in Kerry 
topography. In the 1,853 sq. miles included in the county 
area, between 250 and 300 lie above the 1,000 feet level, 
Wicklow with rather more than 200 sq. miles having the 
nearest approach to this total among the other Irish counties. 
The two highest ranges in Ireland are included within the 
Kerry boundaries, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks rising to 3,414 
feet at Carrantuohill and the Brandon range to 3,127 feet. 
Much the greater portion of this elevated ground lies in the 
south and west of the county. In the Ordnance map of 
Kerry—scale one mile to an inch—there are 190 summits 
marked as exceeding 1,500 feet in height ; of this total 150 
occur south of a line drawn across the middle of the county 
from Rathmore through Killarney to the head of Dingle Bay, 
the remaining 40 being found in the Dingle peninsula, the 
rugged western extremity of the county. Of these 190 
summits, 88 exceed 2,000 feet and 7 are given as over 3,000 
feet. Excluding the Dingle peninsula, the mountains in the 
north of the county are gathered mainly towards its eastern 
boundary and are monotonous rounded moorlands, quite 
devoid of cliffs or broken surface, and nowhere rising higher 
than 1,441 feet. 
Filling in the extreme south-east of Kerry and forming the 
county boundary for many miles, the Caha Mountains rise to 
2,251 feet at Hungry Hill and to 2,169 at Knockowen. Farther 
east this wild and inaccessible range throws off a lofty spur 
towards the Cloonee valley reaching 2,116 feet at Coomnadiha, 
and in a course of fully sixteen miles is crossed only by the 
solitary footpass of Ballaghscart ; it sinks to about 1,100 feet 
at Turner’s Mountain where it is pierced by the well known 
tunnel on the Kenmare-Glengarriff road. Some six miles 
farther east this boundary range again rises to 2,321 feet at 
Knockboy and tc 2,280 at Akinkeen, but in the remainder of 
its northward course of fully 30 miles it only once again rises 
above 2,000 feet. 
A well marked mountain barrier forms the northern limit of 
these rugged valleys and ranges ; this is clearly seen from the 
railway by visitors approaching Killarney from Mallow. First 
of the Kerry summits to catch the eye are the Paps, situated 
about two miles inside the county boundary, they rise to 
2,284 and 2,273 feet respectively. Next to them, but separated 
by the low lying Glenflesk valley, is the finely shaped Crohane 
peak of 2,162 feet, while farther west rises the long rounded 
mass of Mangerton with the Horse’s Glen and its crater-like 
