The Slieve Miskish Mountains are a small range of low sandstone mountains found at the extreme south-western tip of the Beara Peninsula

Beara Peninsula

The Beara Peninsula is a peninsula on the south-west coast of Ireland, bounded between the Kenmare "river" to the north side and Bantry Bay to the south. It has two mountain ranges running down its centre: the Caha Mountains and the Slieve Miskish Mountains...

 of County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

 in Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. Unlike the Caha Mountains

Caha Mountains

The Caha Mountains are a range of low sandstone mountains situated on the Beara peninsula in south-west County Cork, in the Ireland. The highest peak is Hungry Hill, 685m tall.-See also:*List of mountains in Ireland...

, which lie further north on the peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

, the Slieve Miskish Mountains lie entirely on the Cork side of the peninsula, part of which belongs to County Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

. There are only four named mountain peaks in the range: Knocknagallaun, 376 m; Knockgour, 481 m; Knockoura

Knockoura

Knockgour is a mountain in County Cork, Ireland. Approx 480 metres high and one of the Irish Hangliding & Paragliding Sites as well as being a site for 4 communications masts for telephone, TV, VHF, coastguard and WiMax antennas...

, 490 m; and Miskish Mountain, 386 m. They overshadow the main town on the peninsula, Castletownbere

Castletownbere

Castletownbere is a small town in County Cork in Ireland. It is located on the southwest coast of Ireland, in West Cork, on Berehaven harbour near the entrance to Bantry Bay. It is also known as Castletown Berehaven. The name of the town comes from the no longer extant MacCarty Castle, and not...

, as well as the village of Allihies

Allihies

Allihies is a coastal parish in the west of County Cork, Ireland. The largest village in the parish is Cluin, but is often mistakenly referred to by the name of the surrounding parish...

 on their western slope, which was once the centre of a thriving copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 mining industry in the 19th century. The now-abandoned mines and surrounding buildings can still be seen on the mountain slopes above Allihies.

See also

• List of mountains in Ireland