simon3 on Caherconree

You can select from various ways to reach Caherconree depending on circumstance and weather. For long interesting Kerry views of far off mountains over shimmering seas go high level via Gearhane or Baurtregaum. For a fabulous enclosed glacial valley as mentioned by ssmith, walk upstream beside the Derrymore river. For history and the quickest route go up from Beheenagh D (Q713 063) past the promontory fort.

The summit has a small cairn, nothing much, but great views on a good day.

Much of the rock here is red sandstone, however there are a couple of variations of this. Immediately to the north of the top is sandstone with bits of various heat changed rocks. However around 500m north of the summit, there's a band of sandstone with roundish white quartzite stones, a bit like golfballs. As this erodes, these hard golfballs freed from millions of years being incarcerated in sand, start to roll around, no doubt to be washed down to the sea where, yes, they get stuck in mud or sand for another half billion years. Interestingly also, there is a huge fault line passing the summit and the north of Derrymore Lough which can be found extending 20km SW. The geological layers to the south of the summit are far lower than those to the north.

The photo shows the route NE towards Baurtregaum. As Seán Ó Súilleabháin says perhaps best not to visit in mist, though I would be more concerned about high winds. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/26/comment/2048/

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views on a clear morning

Having been up Caherconree a few times over the last 12 months(i'm relatively new to this walking) and its 50/50 for clear views.

for me, the easiest ascent is coming up via the fort, starting at A (Q71597 05585)
You can set your target for the fort, then depending on the weather and how you're feeling you can push onto the summit.

Up through the Derrymore valley is spectacular, but the pull out the back of the valley is tough going as i am not the fittest by any stretch of the imagination.

Attached panorama has Gearhane, Caherconree and 3 of the Baurtregaums. It was a beautiful clear, calm morning.
(1st post, hope its ok) Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/26/comment/23611/

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In the Snowy Footsteps of Cú Chulainn

During the Big Freeze on 2 January 2010, I slid to a halt by the traditional starting point on Bóthar na gCloch E (Q716 056) at around 12.35, perhaps a little late to be starting given the short days. Following the line of poles, tramping upwards in snow was much more pleasant than the usual boggy slog, although the snow was nearly a metre deep in places. Eventually I gained the summit in weak mid-winter sunshine in Siberian temperatures. The batteries of the camera had to be warmed after every 10 seconds or so and removing gloves to do so was well-nigh impossible. The sacred mountains of the Kingdom were visible in their snowcapped majesty, from the Breasts of the Goddess Dana (Dá Chích Danann aka The Paps) to the south east, Drung Hill and Cnoc na dTobar to the south west, and Brandon to the far west. I sometimes wonder whether the visibility of these aforementioned summits, themselves the focus of prehistoric religious cults, may have influenced those who built the awesome promontory fort on the flanks of this mountain. I returned in fading light, the snow covered fort of Cú Roí an eerie sight as the sunset reflected in icy-calm Dingle Bay. I went for a more southerly line of descent towards the starting point, the deep snow facilitating what would otherwise have been too steep under normal circumstances. I arrived back at the car at 15.30, two attempts being required to get the car up the hill to on the return route to the south! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/26/comment/6595/

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View from Knockbrack

Snapped the accompanying pic from the slopes of Knockbrack - unfortunately the wider view is spoiled by the presence of a small quarry and a large ugly, building with corrugated iron roof in the valley to the north of Knockbrack. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/26/comment/17752/

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Jeremiah King's Capital of West Munster

Jeremiah King, that eccentric encyclopaedist of Kerry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was obsessed with Caherconree fort and its supposed links to the 'Tuatha Sen Erann', or the indigenous people of the southwest. Some excerpts from his extremely lengthy entry for Caherconree in his tome 'Kerry Past & Present' (written in the British Library ) are as follows:
'Caher Conroi, Caherconree, on Sliab Mis, is two acres in extent, on a triangular spur of the mountain, 2050 feet above the sea level, with two cliffs 200 feet deep. The rampart is 350 feet by 14. It is one of the three old forts of Erin, with Dun Sobairche and Dun Cearnmna. In the tale of Cath Fintraga it is called cathair na Claenraithe, because of its sloping garth...Below the fort is the ogham stone marked Conuneatt moqi Conuri and Fect Cununi...Cathair Conraoi was built by Ciagdorn, who was the cashel builder to Curoi Mac Daire...Caherconree is built of uncemented stones. Curi Mac Dara lived in the first century AD and is one of the chief characters in several ancient tales of the Red Branch knights....The tuath sen Erann, or people of old Erin, made temair Erann on cathair Conroi, their headquarters in West Munster...Conroi and Lugaid mac Conroi were kings of West Munster, a line from Cork to Limerick cities...Lugaid Mac Conroi, the sun hero, slew Cuchulainn, who killed his father Curoi by treachery at Cathair Conroi....'
The fort which lies some 700 feet below the summit is more than reason enough to climb this mountain. The labour involved in its construction at this height suggests that this must have been an extremely important site in preChristian Ireland, and this importance is reflected in its place in the old Gaelic sagas. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/26/comment/6639/

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