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KERRY

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 759 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KERRY , a See also:

county of See also:Ireland in the See also:province of See also:Munster, bounded W. by the See also:Atlantic Ocean, N. by the See also:estuary of the See also:Shannon, which separates it from See also:Clare, E. by See also:Limerick and See also:Cork, and S.E. by Cork. The See also:area is 1,159,356 acres, or 1811 sq. m., the county being the fifth of the Irish counties in extent. Kerry, with its See also:combination of See also:mountain, See also:sea and See also:plain, possesses some of the finest scenery of the See also:British Islands. The portion of the county See also:south of See also:Dingle See also:Bay consists of mountain masses intersected by narrow valleys. Formerly the mountains were covered by a See also:great See also:forest of See also:fir, See also:birch and See also:yew, which was nearly all cut down to be used in smelting See also:iron, and the See also:constant pasturage of See also:cattle prevents the growth of See also:young trees. In the See also:north-See also:east towards See also:Killarney the hills rise abruptly into the ragged range of Macgillicuddy's Reeks, the highest See also:summit of which, Carntual (Carrantuohill), has a height of 3414 ft. The next highest summit is See also:Caper (3200 ft.), and several others are over 2500 ft. Lying between the precipitous sides of the Tomies, the See also:Purple Mountains and the Reeks is the famous See also:Gap of Dunloe. In the Dingle promontory See also:Brandon Mountain attains a height of 3127 ft. The sea-See also:coast, for the most See also:part See also:wild and mountainous, is much indented by inlets, the largest of which, See also:Tralee Bay, Dingle Bay and Kenmare See also:River, See also:lie in synclinal troughs, the anticlinal folds of the rocks forming extensive promontories. Between Kenmare River and Dingle Bay the See also:land is separated by mountain ridges into three valleys. The extremity of the See also:peninsula between Dingle Bay and Tralee Bay is very precipitous, and See also:Mount Brandon, rising abruptly from the ocean, is skirted at its See also:base (in part) by a road from which magnificent views are obtained.

From near the See also:

village of Ballybunion to Kilconey Point near the Shannon there is a remarkable See also:succession of caves, excavated by the sea. One of these caves inspired See also:Tennyson with some lines in " See also:Merlin and Vivien," which he wrote on the spot. The See also:principal islands are the picturesque Skelligs, See also:Valencia See also:Island and the Blasquet Islands. The principal See also:rivers are the See also:Blackwater, which, rising in the Dunkerran Mountains, forms for a few See also:miles the boundary See also:line between Kerry and Cork, and then passes into the latter county; the Ruaughty, which with a course resembling the arc of a circle falls into the See also:head of the Kenmare River; the Inny and Ferta, which flow westward, the one into Ballinskellig Bay and the other into Valencia See also:harbour; the Flesk, which flows northward through the See also:lower See also:Lake of Killarney, after which it takes the name of Laune, and flows north-westward to Dingle Bay; the Caragh, which rises in the mountains of Dunkerran, after forming several lakes falls into See also:Castlemaine harbour; the See also:Maine, which flows from See also:Castle Island and south-westward to the sea at Castlemaine harbour, receiving the See also:northern Flesk, which rises in the mountains that See also:divide Cork from Kerry; and the Feale, See also:Gale and See also:Brick, the junction of which forms the Cashin, a See also:short tidal river which flows into the estuary of the Shannon. The lakes of Kerry are not numerous, and none is of great See also:size, but those of Killarney (q.v.) See also:form one of the most important features in the striking and picturesque mountain scenery amidst which they are situated. The other principal lakes are Lough Currane (See also:Waterville Lake) near Ballinskellig, and Lough Caragh near Castlemaine harbour. See also:Salmon and See also:trout fishing with the See also:rod is extensively prosecuted in all these See also:waters. Near the summit of Mangerton Mountain an See also:accumulation of See also:water in a deep hollow forms what is known as the See also:Devil's Punchbowl, the surplus water, after making a succession of cataracts, flowing into Muckross Lake at the See also:foot of the mountain. There are chalybeate See also:mineral springs near Killarney, near Valencia Island, and near the mouth of the Inny; sulphurous chalybeate springs near Dingle, Castlemaine and Tralee; and a saline See also:spring at Magherybeg in Corkaguiney, which bursts out of clear See also:white See also:sand a little below high-water See also:mark. Killarney is an inland centre widely celebrated and much visited on See also:account of its scenic attractions; there are also several well-known coast resorts, among them Derrynane, at the mouth of Kenmare Bay, the See also:residence of See also:Daniel O'Connell the " liberator "; Glenbeigh on Dingle Bay, Parknasilla on Kenmare Bay, Waterville (an Atlantic See also:telegraph station) between Ballinskellig Bay and Lough Currane, and See also:Tarbert, a small coast See also:town on the Shannon estuary. Others of the smaller villages have grown into watering-places, such as Ballybunion, Castlegregory and Portmagee. See also:Geology.—Kerry includes on the north and east a considerable area of Carboniferous shales and sandstones, reaching the See also:coal-See also:measures, with unproductive coals, east of Listowel and on the Glanruddery Mountains.

The Carboniferous See also:

Limestone forms a fringe to these beds, and is cut off by the sea at Knockaneen Bay, Tralee and Castlemaine. In all the great promontories, Old Red See also:Sandstone, including See also:Jukes's "Glengariff Grits," forms the mountains, while synclinal hollows of Carboniferous Limestone have become submerged to form marine inlets between them. The Upper Lake of Killarney lies in a hollow of the Old Red Sandstqne, which here rises to its greatest height in Macgillicuddy's Reeks; Lough Leane however, with its See also:low shores, rests on Carboniferous Limestone. In the Dingle promontory the Old Red Sandstone is strikingly unconformable on the Dingle beds and the Upper See also:Silurian See also:series; the latter include volcanic rocks of See also:Wenlock See also:age. The evidences of See also:local glaciation in this county, especially on the wild slopes of the mountains, are as striking as in North See also:Wales. A See also:copper-mine was formerly worked at Muckross, near Killarney, in which See also:cobalt ores also occurred. See also:Slate is quarried in Valencia Island. See also:Fauna.—Foxes are numerous, and otters and badgers are not uncommon. The alpine See also:hare is very abundant. The red See also:deer inhabits the mountains See also:round Killarney. The See also:golden See also:eagle, once frequently seen in the higher mountain regions, is now rarely met. The sea eagle haunts the lofty marine cliffs, the mountains and the rocky islets.

The See also:

osprey is occasionally seen, and also the peregrine See also:falcon. The merlin is See also:common. The common See also:owl is indigenous, the See also:long-eared owl See also:resident, and the short-eared owl a See also:regular See also:winter visitor. See also:Rock pigeons breed on the sea-cliffs, and the turtle-See also:dove is an occasional visitant. The great See also:grey See also:seal is found in Brandon and Dingle bays. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—Owing to the vicinity of the sea and the height of the mountains, the climate is very moist and unsuitable for the growth of cereals, but it is so mild even in winter that arbutusand other trees indigenous to warm climates grow in the open See also:air, and several flowering See also:plants are found which are unknown in See also:England. In the northern parts the land is generally coarse and poor, except in the valleys, where a See also:rich See also:soil has been formed by rocky deposits. In the Old Red Sandstone valleys there are many very fertile regions, and several extensive districts now covered by See also:bog admit of easy reclamation so as to form very fruitful soil, but other tracts of boggy land scarcely promise a profitable return for labour expended on their reclamation. Over one-third of the See also:total area is quite barren. The See also:numbers of live stock of every See also:kind are generally increased or sustained. See also:Dairy-farming is very largely followed. The Kerry breed of cattle—small finely-shaped animals, See also:black or red in See also:colour, with small upturned horns—are famed for the quality both of their flesh and See also:milk, and are in considerable demand for the parks surrounding See also:mansion-houses.

The " See also:

Dexter," a See also:cross between the Kerry and an unknown breed, is larger but without its See also:fine qualities. Little regard is paid to the breed of See also:sheep, but those in most common use have been crossed with a See also:merino breed from See also:Spain. Goats See also:share with sheep the sweet pasturage of the higher mountain ridges, while cattle occupy the lower slopes. Other See also:Industries.—In former times there was a considerable See also:linen See also:trade in Kerry, but this is now nearly See also:extinct, the See also:chief manufacture being that of coarse woollens and linens for See also:home use. At Killarney a variety of articles are made from the See also:wood of the arbutus. A considerable trade in agricultural produce is carried on at Tralee, Dingle and Kenmare, and in slate and See also:stone at Valencia. The deep-sea and coast See also:fisheries are prosperous, and there are many small fishing settlements along the coast, but the centres of the two See also:fishery districts are Valencia and Dingle. Salmon fishing is also an See also:industry, for which the See also:district centres are Kenmare and Killarney. Communications.—The Great See also:Southern & Western railway almost monopolizes the lines in the county. The principal line traverses the centre of the county, touching Killarney, Tralee and Listowel, and passing ultimately to Limerick. Branches are from Headford to Kenmare; Farranfore to Killorglin, Cahersiveen and Valencia harbour, Tralee to Fenit and to Castlegregory; and the Listowel and Ballybunion railway. All these are lines to the coast.

The Tralee and Dingle railway connects these two towns. The only inland See also:

branch is from Tralee to Castleisland. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The population (179,136 in 1891; 165,726 in 1901) decreases to an extent about equal to the See also:average of the Irish counties, but the See also:emigration returns are among the heaviest. The chief towns are Tralee (the county town, pop. 9867); Killarney (5656), Listowel (3605) and Cahersiveen or Cahirciveen (2013), while Dingle, Kenmare, Killorglin and Castle-island are smaller towns. The county comprises 9 baronies, and contains 85 See also:civil parishes. Assizes are held at Tralee, and See also:quarter sessions at Cahersiveen, Dingle, Kenmare, Killarney, Listowel and Tralee. The headquarters of the constabulary force is at Tralee. Previous to the See also:Union the county returned eight members to the Irish See also:parliament, two for the county, and two for each of the boroughs of Tralee, Dingle and Ardfert. At the Union the number was reduced to three, two for the county and one for the See also:borough of Tralee; but the divisions now number four: north, south, east and See also:west, each returning one member. The county is in the See also:Protestant See also:diocese of Limerick and the See also:Roman See also:Catholic dioceses of Kerry and Limerick. See also:History.—The county is said to have derived its name from Ciar, who with his tribe, the Ciarraidhe, is stated to have inhabited about the beginning of the See also:Christian era the territory lying between Tralee and the Shannon.

That portion lying south of the Maine was at a later See also:

period included in the See also:kingdom of See also:Desmond (q.v.). Kerry suffered frequently from invasions of the Danes in the 9th and loth centuries, until they were finally overthrown at the See also:battle of Clontarf in 1014. In 1172 Dermot See also:MacCarthy, See also:king of Cork and Desmond, made submission to See also:Henry II. on certain conditions, but was nevertheless gradually compelled to retire within the limits of Kerry, which is one of the areas generally considered to have been made See also:shire ground by King See also:John. An See also:English adventurer, See also:Raymond le See also:Gros, received from this MacCarthy a large portion of the county round Lixnaw. In 1579–1580 attempts were made by the Spaniards to invade Ireland, landing at Limerick harbour, near Dingle, and a fortress was erected here, but was destroyed by the English in 1580. The Irish took See also:advantage of the disturbed See also:state of England at the See also:time of the Puritan revolution to See also:attempt the over; throw of the English See also:rule in Kerry, and ultimately obtained See also:possession of Tralee, but in 1652 the See also:rebellion was completely subdued, and a large number of estates were afterwards confiscated. There are remains of a round See also:tower at Aghadoe, near Killarney, and another, one of the finest and most perfect specimens in Ireland, 92 ft. high, at Rattoe, not far from Ballybunion. On See also:KERSAINT the summit of a See also:hill to the north of Kenmare River is the remark-able stone fortress known as Staigue Fort. There are several stone cells in the principal Skellig island, where See also:penance, involving the scaling of dangerous rocks, was done by pilgrims, and where there were formerly monastic remains which have been swept away by the sea. The principal See also:groups of sepulchral stones are those on the summits of the Tomie Mountains, a remarkable stone fort at Cahersiveen, a circle of stones with cromlech in the See also:parish of Tuosist, and others with See also:inscriptions near Dingle. The remote peninsula west of a line from Dingle to Smerwick harbour is full of remains of various See also:dates. The most notable monastic ruins are those of Innisfallen, founded by St Finian, a See also:disciple of St See also:Columba, and the fine remains of Muckross See also:Abbey, founded by the See also:Franciscans, but there are also monastic remains at Ardfert, Castlemaine, Derrynane, Kilcoleman and O'Dorney.

Among ruined churches of See also:

interest are those of Aghadoe, Kilcrohane, Lough Currane, Derrynane and Muckross. The See also:cathedral of Ardfert, founded probably in 1253, was partly destroyed during the Cromwellian See also:wars, but was restored in 1831. Some interesting portions remain (see TRALEE). There is a large number of feudal castles.

End of Article: KERRY

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