Ballyhoura Mountains


The Ballyhoura Mountains are located in south-east County Limerick and north-east County Cork in central Munster, running east and west for about 6 miles on the borders of both counties.

Features

The southern part of the hills is largely afforested with conifers, on the northern side there is extensive heathland and blanket bog. The mountains include Seefin, near Seefin on the northwest is Black Rock and 3 miles to the west is Carron Mountain on the boundary of Cork and Limerick. Immediately east of Seefin is Knockea, east of which again is the detached mountain of Knockeennamroanta. Between these is the pass of Barnaderg, now called Redchair, leading from the plain of Limerick to the plain of Cork. At the north side of the valley is the peak of Barnageeha.
The Ballyhoura Mountains have been listed as a Special Area of Conservation. The blanket bog occurs in most of the flatter areas and features such species as heather, with deergrass, hare’s-tail cottongrass, common cottongrass, bilberry and crowberry. The wet heath is dominated by heather, cross-leaved heath and bilberry accompanied by a range of mosses and liverworts. The dry heath is more species-rich, with bell heather, green-ribbed sedge, tormentil, bent grasses and mosses such as Hypnum jutlandicum.
The Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Park situated near under Seefin and Blackrock is the largest Trail network of its kind in Ireland. The trails range from the moderate 6 kilometre Greenwood loop to the demanding 50 kilometre Castlepook loop. The nearest towns and villages to the Trailhead are Ardpatrick, Glenosheen, Ballyorgan and Kilfinnane.