A Bit About the Beara Way

The Beara Peninsula is one of the three largest peninsulas in the southwest of Ireland. The northern part of the peninsula is county Kerry and the southern and western parts are in county Cork - the end of the Beara Peninsula is the westernmost point of Cork.  This mountainous coastal region of southwest Ireland was split into several peninsulas as the sea level rose between 4000 - 7000 years ago. To the south of Beara is Bantry Bay, and to the north Kenmare Bay, from which you will see the Iveragh Peninsula and the highest mountains in Ireland.

Beara includes the Slieve Miskish and Caha mountain ranges, the highest point being Hungry Hill (685m).  According to legend, Owen More, King of the province of Munster in the 2nd century A.D., spent nine years in Spain and married the daughter of the King of Spain, who was called Beara. On his return to Ireland he landed on the north side of Bantry Bay and called the place Beara, in honour of his wife. The area is littered with standing stones, megalithic tombs and pagan sites of worship or burial.

The Beara Waymarked Walking route for the most part follows the perimeter of the peninsula, with a short foray into the foothills for the Caha Mountains above Castletownbere, the principal town of the area. Additional walks are available – the ascent of Hungry Hill is a worthwhile experience, as is a trip on the cable car that crosses Dursey Sound to walk on the sheep inhabited Dursey Island!

Castletownbere is a major whitefish port, and grew as a trading port in the early 19^th century as a result of the copper mining industry further west at Allihies. The harbour is naturally protected by Bere Island, where the British had a naval base for some time. The deep and safe anchorage of the harbour has through the years assisted the infiltration of the local population with other nationalities. It will not be strange to hear Russian, German or Spanish being spoken locally!

Otherwise the peninsula is populated by villages and small outposts, amongst them Glengarriff, Allihies, Eyeries and Ardgroom. The mountains allow only two access roads across the peninsula, one from Castletown to Ardgroom and one from Adrigole to Lauragh. All other roads are coastal or local access only.

The Beara Way was set up in the early 1990's and follows old roads, open moorland or traditional access routes to turf cutting areas. By Allihies, the route follows roads made to accommodate the 19^th century copper mines. Part of the Way follows the old butter road when horse and carts carried butter to Kenmare or Cork. There are few forested areas; the hills tend to be blanket bogland with limestone outcrops. 

(Courtesy of Deirdre O'Sullivan at Tailor-Made Tours)