The Slieve Mish Mountains

The Slieve Mish Mountains form the rugged spine that anchors the eastern end of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. Rising sharply from the shores of Tralee Bay and Castlemaine Harbour, the range stretches westward from Tralee toward Camp and is dominated by the twin summits of Baurtregaum and Caherconree, the latter capped by the remains of a dramatic Iron Age promontory fort.

The mountains are steeped in Irish legend. They are named in the Lebor Gabála Érenn as the site of one of the great mythological battles between the Milesians and the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Caherconree is traditionally linked with the warrior king Cú Roí mac Dáire. Walkers reach the stone ramparts of the fort by a well-trodden path from the Bóthar na gCloch road, with sweeping views over the Dingle Peninsula and the Iveragh mountains to the south.

For visitors, the Slieve Mish offer superb hill walking, ridge traverses and quiet glens such as Derrymore and Curraheen, alongside waterfalls and tumbling streams. The N86 road from Tralee to Dingle skirts their northern flank, giving easy access by bus to some of the finest mountain landscapes in the south west of Ireland.