Mountains of the Dingle Peninsula

Mountains of the Dingle Peninsula
Brandon sub-range
Highest point
Peak	Mount Brandon
Elevation	925 m (3,035 ft)
Dimensions
Length	20 km (12 mi) E/W
Width	11 km (6.8 mi) N/S
Geography
Country	Republic of Ireland
Provinces of Ireland	Munster

The Mountains of the Dingle Peninsula are grouped into two major unnamed mountain ranges, one running along the centre of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, in Ireland and the other found at its extreme western tip. The mountains dealt with here include all those west of the Slieve Mish Mountains, which extend from the mainland south of Tralee to the narrow neck of the peninsula and are separated from the mountains of the Dingle Peninsula by a series of low foothills and deep river valleys.

The eastern mountains on the Dingle peninsula run along the centre of the peninsula in an east-west line for a distance of approximately 20 kilometres, except at the western end where they extend northwards to the sea for a distance of 11 km, resulting in a series of high sea cliffs. These mountains for the most part form a relatively steep, narrow spine along the centre of the peninsula in the shape of an L when viewed on a map, but in some areas this spine widens out into a wide, flat, boggy plateau, dotted with many small lakes. There is evidence of many features of glaciation, such as corries, U-shaped valleys, and paternoster lakes, evidence of the effects of the last ice age. There are dozens of mountain peaks, many of them unnamed, and because the Irish language is still strong in the area, many peaks are known only (or primarily) by their Irish name. Where a peak does possess an anglicised name, it often bears no relation to its present Irish name, possibly because the anglicised names reflect older Irish names that have now been discarded. Some of the more notable peaks include, from east to west: Stradbally Mountain (Cnoc na tSráidbhaile), 798m; Beenoskee (Binn os Gaoith), 826m; Cnoc Mhaoilionáin, 593m; An Cnapán Mór, 649m; Sliabh Mhacha Ré, 620m; Ballysitteragh or Cnoc Bhaile Uí Shé, 623m; Brandon Peak or Barr an Ghéaráin, 840m; Mount Brandon (Cnoc Bhreandáin), 952m;Piaras Mór, 748m; and Más an Tiompáin, 763m.