Killarney National Park
Killarney National Park holds the distinction of being Ireland's first national park, designated in 1932 when Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish state, and it remains one of the country's most visited and most beautiful natural areas. The park covers approximately 10,000 hectares of mountain, lake, ancient woodland and bogland in the heart of County Kerry, protected by a ring of dramatic MacGillycuddy's Reeks peaks to the west and centred on the famous Lakes of Killarney: Lough Leane, Muckross Lake and the Upper Lake. The park holds some of the most significant ancient oak woodland in Ireland, remnants of the forest that once blanketed much of the island. The Reenadinna Yew Wood on the shores of Muckross Lake is one of the largest yew woodlands in western Europe and has an almost primeval atmosphere, its gnarled trees growing from limestone pavement in dense, cathedral-like shade. The mild, wet climate created by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean allows the woodland to support an extraordinary density of mosses, liverworts and ferns, and the park's plant communities include rare species found only here and in similar Atlantic fringe habitats in western Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula. Wildlife in the park is exceptional. Killarney supports the only native herd of red deer in Ireland, descended from populations that have lived here continuously since the last Ice Age. The park is also home to the white-tailed eagle, reintroduced after an absence of a century and now breeding successfully in the area. The lakes and rivers hold brown trout and the Atlantic salmon that gives the local fishing such a strong reputation, while sika deer, introduced in the nineteenth century, are now common throughout the woodland. Muckross House, a Victorian mansion completed in 1843, stands on the shore of Muckross Lake and provides the park's main built heritage attraction. The house was famously visited by Queen Victoria in 1861 and its richly furnished rooms reflect the lifestyle of the wealthy Anglo-Irish landowning class. Traditional working farms on the estate recreate agricultural practices from the 1930s and 1940s and are particularly popular with families. Nearby, the ruins of Muckross Abbey, a fifteenth-century Franciscan friary, stand within an ancient yew grove in a setting of exceptional beauty. The Gap of Dunloe, a narrow glacial valley south of Killarney town, provides one of the most dramatic excursions in the park. The traditional way to experience it is by jaunting car, the horse-drawn carriages unique to Killarney, though it can also be walked or cycled. The boat trips across the lakes connecting the Gap with Ross Castle provide a perfect day out in any weather.