Ireland/Irish > Black's guide to Killarney and the south of Ireland

74
THE LAKES OP KILLARNEY.
streams. At the western extremity of the valley gloomily
reposes, amid silence and shadows, one of the lakes, or rather
circular basins of dark still water, Loch-an-bric-dearg, ‘ the
lake of the char or red trout.’ Other lesser lakes dot the
surface of the moor, and uniting, form at the side opposite the
termination of the Gap a waterfall of considerable height,
enjoying the advantage, not common to other falls in Ireland, I
of being plentifully supplied with water at every season of the
year.” When we catch the first view of the valley on a hot,
hazy day, the effect is truly magical, reminding us of some of
the dioramic representations of the blasted heath in Macbeth.
The whole valley is a black scarcely defined prison, and the
water throws back the light which it receives by reflection
from the clouds, giving the idea of being lighted from below.
“ Had there been at the bottom,” writes Kohl, “ among the
rugged masses of black rock, some smoke and flame instead of
water, we might have imagined we were looking into the
entrance to the infernal regions.”
THE LAKES OF KILLARNEY.
From the over-strained laudation, and the multitude of
paintings and engravings that have been produced of these
justly celebrated lakes, the tourist is apt to form too high an
estimate of their beauty. There can be no doubt, however,
that the rocks that bound the shores of Muckross and the j
Lower Lake, with their harmonious tints and luxuriant decora¬
tion of foliage, stand unrivalled, both in form and colouring;
and the character of the mountains is as grand and varied as
the lakes in which they reflect their rugged summits. Of less !
extent and without so much of that sublimity that distinguishes
the lochs of Scotland, the Lakes of Killamey possess some \
remarkable features, among which may be noted the dense
woods that surround them, the elegant and imposing contours
of the mountains, the numerous islands and luxuriant vegeta- |
tion, especially of the arbutus, whose fresh green tints contrast !
so well with the grey rocks among which it grows.
Derrycunihy Waterfall occurs on a stream which meets
the river from the Black Valley. The name is supposed to be j
derived from a remarkable personage who leapt over the '4
stream, and left his footmarks printed in a stone. These j
marked stones are common all over Ireland, and have had