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Walks
Muckross House, Gardens and Traditional Farms
A splendid Victorian mansion and leading stately home. The rooms
are elegantly furnished reflecting the lifestyle of the period.
The gardens portray unblemished beauty. There are three separate
working farms with a selection of poultry, Kerry cattle and traditional
farm machinery. The farms are in working use and one can observe
the daily routine of the many craftsmen and their specialised
trade.
Muckross House
Muckross House is one of the most beautifully situated stately
homes in Ireland. It was built in 1843 and is a magnificent Victorian
mansion and one of Irelands stately homes. It is set amidst the
spectacular scenery of Killarney National Park. The fine, elegantly
furnished rooms portray the lifestyles of the landed gentry,
while below the stairs reveal the working conditions of the servants.
In 1910 William Bourn a wealthy Californian mine owner bought
the houses and gardens for his daughter as a wedding present.
Maud Vincent died in 1929 and her husband Arthur Vincent gave
the house and surrounding 11,000 acres to the Irish nation as
its first National Park.
Muckross Traditional Farms
In the grounds of Muckross is an exciting outdoor representation
of the lifestyle and farming conditions of a rural community
of the 1930's. Three separate working farms, complete with animals,
poultry and traditional farm machinery vividly recreate the past.
Muckross Traditional Farms take the visitor down memory lane
to a time before electricity. This is not a museum but a real
life community of artisans carrying out their daily tasks all
year round.
Killarney National Park
This 10,000 hectare park of mountains and woodlands surrounds
the famous Lakes of Killarney. The main attraction is Muckross
House but there are many other things to do and see. There is
Muckross Abbey, Torc Waterfall, the only native herd of deer
in Ireland, nature trails, walking routes,craft workshops and
an audio visual show.
Killarney National Park is
a unique and special place. It was Ireland's first National Park
and came into being in 1932 when the Muckross Estate (the core
of the present day National Park) was presented to the Nation
by Senator Arthur Vincent and his parents-in-law Mr. and Mrs.
William Bowers Bourn, in memory of his late wife Maud. The National
Park covers over 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) of mountain,
moorland, woodland, waterways, parks and gardens. A major geological
boundary occurs within the park, and this, in combination with
the climatic influence of the gulf stream and the wide range
of altitudes in the park, gives rise to an unusual and varied
ecology.
The mountainous red sandstone
uplands support large areas of blanket bog, and the remoteness
and relative inaccessibility of some of these areas aids the
continued survival of Ireland's only remaining wild herd of native
Red Deer. In addition to this, the largest area of old-growth
Oakwoods left in the country can be found on some of the lower
mountain slopes, a remnant of the woodland that once covered
much of Ireland.
Torc Waterfall
7km from Killarney town, this waterfall is 60 ft high and surrounded
by trees, with beautiful views of the Lake area on the way up
to the waterfall.
The Blue Pool
As you journey from Muckross House to Killarney turn right just
before Molly Darcy's pub - here you will find one of the Killarney's
best kept secrets - the Blue Pool Nature Reserve - here the local
wildlife has made its home - see Kingfishers feasting on trout
- Badger trails - and much more. The reserve has special trails
for the visually impaired.
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