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above the level of the sea, Mangerton itself rising to the
height of 2550. The mountain is barren and of great
extent; but from its summit, which is easily ascended, is
obtained a magnificent and extensive prospect, embracing
the whole of the lakes and the surrounding moun-
tains. On its eastern side is Glaun-na-coppul, the “Glen
of the Horse,” enclosed on every side by rugged and
precipitous rocks. The picturesque and interesting ruins
of Muckross abbey are situated on a gentle acclivity at
the eastern extremity of the peninsula. This abbey,
formerly called Irrelagh, was founded by Donald, son of
Thady McCarthy, in 1440, and has since continued to be
the favourite place of sepulture of that family; it was
rebuilt in 1626, but was soon afterwards suffered to
fall into decay; it consisted of a nave, choir, transept
and cloisters, which last are still nearly entire. The
entrance is through a pointed doorway, of which the
arch is deeply moulded; and a narrow pointed archway
leads into the choir, in which are the tombs of the
McCarthy Mores and the O’Donoghues of the Glens:
there is also a large mural monument to the wife of
Christopher Galway, Esq., beautifully executed in Italian
marble. The Upper Lake is about three miles to the east
of Tore, or the Middle Lake, with which it communicates
by a circuitous channel of difficult navigation; the cur-
rent is in many parts very rapid, and the passage
against the stream laborious and difficult. Not far
from the old weir bridge is an eddy, called O’Sullivan’s
Punchbowl, where the visiters are obliged to disembark,
while the boat is drawn through one of the arches of
the bridge. Pursuing the winding course of the stream,
various interesting objects successively present them-
selves; among these are several islands and rocks, of
which latter, one, from its resemblance to a ship, is
called “the Man-of-war;” on its summit is a very large
yew-tree, of which the stem and branches are supposed
to aid the similitude. The Eagles’ Nest is a lofty rock
of pyramidal form, rising abruptly from the river, which
makes a sudden sweep round its base, and from which
it has a very grand and picturesque appearance, though
in a distant view it is lost in the superior height of the
adjacent mountains; the base is covered with wood, and
the face of the rock to its summit is interspersed with
shrubs; the nest of the eagle is distinguished by a black
mark near the vertex, and that bird is frequently seen
soaring at a considerable elevation above the river.
From a hillock on the opposite side of the river, usually
called the “Station for audience,” an echo is produced
by a single bugle equal in effect to a full band of in-
struments; the discharge of a cannon produces a crash
as if the rocks were rent asunder, and the succeeding
echoes resemble the reverberations of thunder. In the
passage to the Upper Lake many superb mountain
views and much sublime scenery are exhibited; the
view is bounded on the north-west by Glena and the
Long Range mountains; on the south-east, by Cromig-
laun, and the base of Torc. The entrance is contracted
into a very narrow passage, usually called Coleman’s
Leap, from a tradition that a pex-son of that name
leaped across the chasm. This lake is about two miles
and a half in length, and, from its numerous inden-
tations, of very irregular breadth; it is thickly studded
with islands, and from its being almost entirely sur-
rounded by mountains, the scenery differs greatly from
that of the two other lakes. To the south, the Cro-
miglaun mountain rises from its very margin, and im-
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mediately behind is the Esknamucky, from which a
considerable stream, falling into the lake, forms a
picturesque cascade; to the west of Cromiglaun is
Derrycunnihy, from which also falls the beautiful cas-
cade of that name; and in a small glen, between it and
the lake, is the pretty cottage of the late Rev. Mr. Hyde,
occupying a highly romantic and secluded situation,
and commanding a view of Derrycunnihy cascade, and
its rocky and richly wooded glen. To the west of Der-
rycunnihy, and separated by the river Kavoge, is
Derrydimnagh mountain, covered on one of its sides by
a dense wood; and in the distance, towards the south-
west, are seen the Coombui mountains, and those of
Barnasna more to the west, and to the north-west
Bawn and Mac Gillycuddy’s Reeks. The nearest of the
latter to the lake is Gheramine, at the base of which is
the entrance to the sequestered valley of Cameduff,
watered by a river navigable to the late Lord Brandon’s
boat-house, whence a pathway leads to Gheramine Cot-
tage, embosomed in woods. On an eminence in the
grounds is a tower, 40 feet high, erected by his lord-
ship in imitation of the ancient round towers of Ireland,
from whose summit, ascended by a ladder in the in-
terior, an extensive view is commanded of the valley
and lakes of Cameduff, the mountains that enclose
them, the islands of the Upper Lake, and Tore moun-
tain in the distance. To the north of the lake are
Gheramine and the Purple Mountain, so called from the
colour of the strata of shivered slate on its surface;
and to the north-east is the “Long Range,” backed by
the mountains of Glena and Tomies. The most pro-
minent of the islands in this lake is Rossburkie, or Oak
island, rising from a rocky base, and crowned with
wood; from its shores is a splendid view of the
mountains, finely grouped. The others are Eagles’
island, Ronayne’s island, McCarthy’s, Duck, and Arbutus
islands, the channels between which open to new and
varied scenery, combining splendid panoramic views of
rocks, woods, and mountains, with numerous picturesque
cascades, and forming an assemblage of the sublimest
and most romantic features of nature. The northern
shore of the lake commands prospects of equal magni-
ficence; the rocks and islands, the resort of numerous
birds of prey, are of a dark green colour, harmonis-
ing finely with the sombre sublimity of the surround-
ing mountains, which tower in wild and varied magnifi-
cence; while those of the lower lakes are chiefly of
limestone, washed by the waves into a variety of fan-
tastic forms. The Upper and Middle lakes, previously
visited almost exclusively by aquatic parties, have been
thrown into a perfectly new and highly interesting point
of view by the construction of the new road to Kenmare,
which passes between Torc mountain and the southern
shore of the Middle Lake, and continuing its course to
the south-west, commands some fine reaches of the river,
from the old weir bridge to Coleman’s Leap, and winds
round the eastern and southern shores of the Upper
Lake. About five miles from Killarney the road is con-
ducted through a tunnel, called “the Heading,”. 45 feet
in length, cut through the solid rock: from this point
the Upper Lake is seen in beautiful perspective, with its
widest expanse of water, its wood-crowned islands and
picturesque bays, in some parts fringed with foliage of
every shade, and in others marked with features of
sublime and rugged grandeur, till it disappears in the
distance between the majestic mountains that form its