Caherconree#Caherconree Fort

In Irish academic Paul Tempan's Irish Hills and Mountain Names, the name derives from Cú Roí mac Daire, the legendary king of Munster who features in many Irish folklore tales including those concerning Cú Chulainn and Bláthnat.

Caherconree is the 2nd-highest mountain of the Slieve Mish range, which is situated at the eastern-end of the Dingle Peninsula, in County Kerry. Caherconree is part of a "horseshoe" of the largest peaks in the Slieve Mish range that bound the deep glaciated valley of the Derrymore Glen, that include the mountains of Gerahane {{convert|792|m|ft}} ({{irish place name|An Géarán|the fang}}), and Baurtregaum {{convert|851|m|ft}}, the highest peak in the range.{{cite book | last1 = Fairbairn | first1 = Helen | title = Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide | publisher = Collins Press | isbn = 978-1848892118 | year = 2014 | quote=Route 41: Slieve Mish Circuit}}

Caherconree's prominence of {{convert|129|m|ft}} does not qualify it as a Marilyn, however, it ranks it as the 11th-highest mountain in Ireland on the MountainViews Online Database, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, where the minimum prominence threshold is 100 metres.{{cite web|url=https://mountainviews.ie/lists/highest/|title=Irish Highest 100: The highest 100 Irish mountains with a prominence of +100m|publisher=MountainViews Online Database|date=September 2018}}Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Collins Books, Cork, {{ISBN|978-1-84889-164-7}}

The easiest route is the 4-kilometre 2-hour return trip from the Bóthar na gCloch road (a north-south road between the N86 and the R561 roads); from where an easterly Caherconree Fort Trail goes from the car-park to the ancient promontory fort, from which the summit of Caherconree can be easily accessed.

A popular method of climbing Caherconree is via is the Derrymore Glen Horseshoe, a 11-kilometre 5-hour loop that starts from the base of the Derrymore Glen and ascends to the first summit of Gearhane, and then around the "horseshoe" to Caherconree and the summit of Baurtregaum. Options for the descent use either the Baurtregaum NW Top spur or the Baurtregaum NE Top Spur (and the Scragg) to get back to the base of the Glen. The route is recommended for its views of the Glen as well as incorporating most of the main peaks of the Slieve Mish range, and is also called The Slieve Mish Circuit in some guidebooks.{{cite book | last1 = Dillion | first1 = Paddy | title = The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits | publisher = Cicerone | isbn = 978-1852841102 | year = 1993 | quote=Walk 44 Caherconree, Baurtregaum}}

Caherconree is named after an Iron Age stone promontory fort, Caherconree Promontory Fort at {{convert|683|m|ft}}, that sits two-thirds of the way up its southwestern shoulder, overlooking the north-south running mountain road called Bóthar na gCloch ("road of the stones").{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/high-life-on-dingle-peninsula-1.8216|newspaper=Irish Times|first=Tony|last=Doherty|date=5 November 2011|accessdate=20 July 2019|title=High life on Dingle Peninsula}} The fort is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs. In Irish mythology this is the fort of Cú Roí mac Dáire, who was able to make it spin around at night to stop attackers finding the entrance.

In the story of Aided Con Roí, a king's daughter called Bláthnat is taken against her will to the fort by Cú Roí. She is rescued by her lover, Cú Chulainn, to whom she signals that the time will be right to attack when she pours milk into a nearby stream; Bláthnat created the opportunity by taunting Cú Roí that his fort was too

small for such a magnificent chieftain thus compelling him to take down the walls to build a bigger fort. This stream is now called the Finglas (from an Fhionnghlaise meaning "the white stream") and its source is close to the remains of the ringfort.

Between the summits of Caherconree and Gearhane, is a rock feature called Fin MacCool's Chair, named after the mythical figure Fionn mac Cumhaill.

File:Caherconree Promontory Fort.jpg | Peak of the hill fort

File:Caherconree Promontory Fort Ruins.jpg | Hill fort ruins

File:Caherconree, Sliabh Mish, Kerry, Ireland.jpg | View south from summit

File:Caherconree Fort.JPG | Hill fort from summit

{{commons category|Caherconree}}

• List of mountains in Ireland
• Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles
• List of Hewitt mountains in England, Wales and Ireland

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• [https://mountainviews.ie/summit/26/ MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website], Caherconree
• [https://mountainviews.ie/mv/irl150setup.htm MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database]
• [http://www.hills-database.co.uk/downloads.html The Database of British and Irish Hills ], the largest database of British Isles mountains ("DoBIH")
• [http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/ Hill Bagging UK & Ireland], the searchable interface for the DoBIH

{{Mountains of Great Britain and Ireland}}

{{Mountains and hills of Munster}}

{{IrishTrails}}

Category:Hewitts of Ireland

Category:Mountains and hills of County Kerry

Category:Forts in the Republic of Ireland

Category:Mountains under 1000 metres

Category:National monuments in County Kerry