Chapter Six: Mountains of Ireland

Introduction

The island of Ireland is home to many mountains, from Cuilcagh Mountain that forms the underground beginnings of the River Shannon, to Ireland’s largest mountain, Macgillycuddy Reeks. As well as forming an important visual element of the Irish landscape, mountains are also an important aspect of the landscape for economic and social reasons. Mountains have provided safe haven for the Irish during battles and wars, have formed important cultural festivals such as the Puck Fair in County Kerry, and are also important for farming, including goat farming as well as forestry, where mountains have remained an important site for timber used to build furniture and homes. Mountains are home to diverse wildlife including insects, birds, and other animals. They are also important sites for tourism, as many travellers come to Ireland to hike Irish mountains.

As we will see from the next two case studies, these many elements of mountain life intersect: farmers grapple with impacts from tourists; colonists have circumvented local knowledge of navigation of mountains by building roads within them; environmental impacts have changed the landscape for wildlife in the mountain regions; and political and social changes have had real impacts on the sustainability of mountain farming in the Irish economy.