Killarney Gallery 2 (Lakes of Killarney)
Direct
Flights Daily from Frankfurt Hahn to Kerry Airport.
| Central to Killarney National Park are the world famous Lakes
of Killarney, which make up almost a quarter of the Park's area. The
three lakes are known as the Upper Lake, Muckross Lake (Middle Lake)
and Lough Leane (Lower Lake), and are joined at the 'meeting of the
waters', a popular area for visitors to the Park. It is here that the
Old Weir Bridge (thought to be over 400 years old) can also be
seen. |
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From the meeting of the waters a narrow channel known as the
Long Range leads to the Upper Lake, which is the smallest of the lakes
but set in the most spectacular location, in the heart of the rugged
mountain scenery of the upper Killarney Valley/Black Valley area. The
sandstone and blanket bog of the catchments area means that the Upper
and Middle Lakes are slightly acidic and low in nutrients
(oligotrophic). A fast run-off in the mountainous catchment also means
that in heavy rain the level of the entire Upper Lake can sometimes
rise by up to a me re in a matter of a few hours. |
| There are many Brown Trout in the lakes, in addition to
an annual run of Salmon. Unusual fish species include the Arctic Char
(usually found much further north, and thought to be a relict species
left behind in Killarney after the last ice age) and the Killarney Shad
(a land locked form of the Thwaite Shad unique to the Lakes of
Killarney). |
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| The discovery of a small number of Roach a number of years
ago, a potentially explosive breeder that was presumably introduced
accidentally by visiting anglers, led to fears that the trout may be
displaced in some parts of the lake however this fear has not
materialised and Roach have not been recorded for several years.
Several different tours by boat are available for visitors to
the Park, from short trips to Inisfallen Island, to the full passage of
the lake system from Lough Leane to the top of the Upper Lake.
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