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Shehy mountains
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The '''Shehy Mountains''' (''Cnoic na Síofra'' in
Irish language Irish) are a range of low mountains situated on the border between
Cork County Cork and
Kerry County Kerry, in the
Ireland Republic of Ireland.
Geography and Geology
The highest peak, Knockboy (''Cnoc Buí'', "yellow hill"), lies 706
metres above sea level, although most of the other peaks in the range are between 500 and 600 metres high. The
River Lee (Ireland) River Lee rises in Coomroe, a small valley at the eastern end of the range, before flowing eastwards towards
Cork Harbour, where it enters the sea. The peaks mostly consist of
Old Red Sandstone laid down in the
Devonian era. During the
Ice Age, the Shehies took their present form, as
glaciers carved out the many deep valleys in the area and also eroded the mountains down to their present height. When the icecaps retreated, they left behind hundreds of lakes in the valleys and on the mountain tops.
Flora
The Shehy mountains are mostly covered with peat bogs and coarse grassland, but there are also some small
conifer plantations scattered around the area. Plants typically found here include
Butterwort Butterworts,
Sundew Sundews,
Heather, and
Bilberry, among many others.
Fauna
The animal species found in the shehies are mostly the same as those found throughout the lowlands, but some are more often seen in the mountains than elsewhere, including:
'''Mammals''':
*
Mountain Hare Irish Hare
'''Birds''':
*
Stonechat
*
Common Raven Raven
History
The area has a very long history of human habitation, going back at least 5000 years. Numerous
Neolithic Megaliths megalithic monuments are found in the foothills and valleys, as well as
Ringfort ringforts,
Fulacht fiadh fulachta fia and later antiquities.
One of the most historic sites in the Shehy mountains is
Gougane Barra in the Coomroe valley, at the head of the
River Lee (Ireland) River Lee, where
Saint Finbarr establised a hermitage in the 6th century.
During the
Irish War of Independence, the mountains were an
Irish Republican Army IRA stronghold, and continued to be so for the anti-treaty forces during the
Irish Civil War.
{{Ireland-geo-stub}}
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