The Fearsome Beauty Of The Kerry CoastThe Kerry coast has been hacked and torn by wind and sea in a sustained battle which has produced such features as The Cliffs Of Doneen and the jagged, ocean moulded rocks, coves and golden sands of its peninsulas. I never cease to wonder at the beauty and the fearsome power of the Atlantic Ocean around The Kerry Coast. The deep rivers of County Kerry have allowed her main cities to be sited far enough inland to be sheltered from exposure to the wild Atlantic, but with sufficient access to the ocean to allow development of rich sea-borne trade.
Beaches on the Kerry side of the Shannon stretch south from Beale Strand to Doneen point, where the cliffs start once more and continue onto Ballybunion and Kerry Head.
After Kerry Head the county is carved into two great rias, or drowned valleys flanked by the rugged peninsulas whose mountains and headlands claw the moody sea like fingers of a crippled hand. The only features anything like these long narrow inlets to be found in the rest of Europe are the fjords of Norway. The two inlets are respectively known as Dingle Bay and the Kenmare river. These rugged, isolated places, have contributed to most of Irelands Traditions, that of the early Christian hermit seeking perfect solitude and communion with God. The wilder Islands off the Kerry coast contrast strongly with the gentle sloping fields and grazing cattle that have been protected by the fury of the devastating Atlantic storms. Skellig Michael one of these hermit enclaves, the largest of an island group, which was formed by the drowning of 3 mountains and can be reached from Portmagee and Cahirciveen. The Blasket Islands is another famous straddle of islands off the Dingle Peninsula The coastline around County Kerry offers more than just scenery, there is an immense choice for everyone. |
