KILLARNEY

Irish Cill Airne market town of County Kerry, Ireland, near the Killarney lakes, famed for their beauty. Industries include the making of ornamental ironwork, cranes, lace, woollen goods, cutting tools, hosiery, and shoes. Mineral water is bottled. The three main lakes are Lough (lake) Leane or Lower Lake; Muckross (Middle) Lake; and Upper Lake. Rising steeply to the west are the Tomies and Purple Mountain (2,739 ft ); while beyond the Gap of Dunloe are Macgillycuddy's Reeks, the highest range in Ireland. Lower Lake, the northernmost and, at 5,001 ac (2,024 ha), the largest, is separated from Muckross Lake by the Muckross peninsula. Its 30 islands include Innisfallen, with a 9th-century abbey. The lakes and the remains of Muckross abbey are inside Killarney National Park. Connecting Muckross Lake (680 ac, with four islands) with Upper Lake (430 ac, with eight islands) is the Long Range, a broad, wooded channel. The woods around the lakes are mostly of arbutus, with oak, birch, holly, and mountain ash. The limestone of the eastern shores has been eroded into curiously shaped caves and indentations. The lakes are drained to the Atlantic Ocean by the River Laune. Pop. (1981) 7,693.