Beara Peninsula
Geographical location
The Beara Peninsula ( Irish: Bearra, also called Caha Peninsula ), located in the southwest of Ireland south of the Iveragh peninsula ( with the Ring of Kerry ) and belongs to a small extent to County Kerry, while the greater part of County Cork. It is located west of the pass road that connects the towns of Kenmare in County Kerry and Glengariff in County Cork.
The peninsula is mountainous with only a few forests, about 50 km long and 15 km wide at the top. You tapering wedge-shaped. At its end is Dursey Iceland. South before the Beara Peninsula in Castletownbere, the largest town on the peninsula, lies Bere Iceland. Due to the offshore island of the port of the city is protected seaward. Castletownberehaven is the second largest natural harbor in the world (after Sydney in Australia). He has long been of great strategic importance. On Bere - Iceland there are numerous military fortifications from historical times.
In their tourist attractiveness of the Beara Peninsula falls over the northern peninsulas from very little. The coastal ring road, the Ring of Beara, however t because of the narrow and winding road for coaches over 2.8 and prohibited mobile homes, so it is much less developed.
The peninsula is named after the old Irish fertility goddess Beara ( caillech Bhéarra ) and has out of the rock of Kilcatherine on the north coast, which is dedicated to the goddess, a collection of prehistoric monuments. The Christianization of Beara was carried out by the " Nun of Beara ". There are also sources that say the name of Beara came from the Spanish princess Bera, who was the wife of the first king of Munster.
Cork and Kerry offer a concentration of:
- Over 600 standing stones
- 200 short stone rows of two to six stones
- 87 Boulder Burials ( tumuli )
- 18 wedge tombs ( wedge tombs )
- Many stone circles.
The number of stone circles is obvious. Among them stand out from the Ardgroom Derrintaggart West, Dromroe, Kenmare and Uragh. Wedge tombs ( Killough East, Kilmacowen ) and Boulder tombs are representative of the megalithic building types. Here a selection of Bullaun and Oghamsteinen and the type of ring forts ( Teernahillane ) is represented. Last but not least the mandatory for Ireland saints sources are numerous. The copper and the associated Malachitabbau between Allihies and Castletownbere has a several thousand- year tradition.
The Square - The center of Castletownbere