Bennaunmore [An Beannan Mor]

About Bennaunmore [An Beannan Mor]

Rising as a prominent outlier in the eastern Shehy Mountains, this rugged Marilyn offers a sense of isolation often missing from the busier Killarney peaks. Its boggy slopes and rocky outcrops demand careful navigation, rewarding walkers with a sprawling, uninterrupted perspective across the remote Roughty River valley to the south.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish An Beannán Mór, which translates as the 'Great Small Peak'—a reference to its sharp, distinctive profile relative to the broader, rolling plateaus of the surrounding range.
• •From the summit, walkers are treated to a clear view of the massive bulk of Mangerton Mountain to the northwest and the distant, jagged skyline of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks beyond.
• •As a Marilyn, the hill possesses over 150 metres of prominence, ensuring its status as a commanding viewpoint over the wild borderlands between County Kerry and County Cork.
• •Approaches usually involve navigating the pathless blanket bog and sandstone ridges common to this region, often starting from the vicinity of Morley’s Bridge to the south.
• •Despite the name suggesting a 'small peak', the diminutive description is usually retracted by anyone currently waist-deep in the persistent peat hags that guard its northern flanks.