# Mountains of the Central Dingle Peninsula

The Mountains of the Central Dingle Peninsula are the generic name given to the mountains that lie on the Dingle Peninsula between the Brandon Group of mountains in the west, and the Slieve Mish Mountains at the eastern end of the peninsula.

## Geology

Like many of the mountain ranges in County Kerry, such as the MacGillycuddy Reeks, the mountains of the Central Dingle peninsula are composed predominantly of Devonian period Old Red Sandstone, with a band of Ordovician period metasediments.
The rocks date from the Upper Devonian period (310–450 million years ago) when Ireland was in a hot equatorial setting. During this 60 million year period, Ireland was the site of a major basin, known as the Munster basin, and Cork and Kerry were effectively a large alluvial floodplain. Chemical oxidation stained the material with a purple–reddish colour (and green in places from chlorination), still visible today. There are virtually no fossils in Old Red Sandstone.
The composition of Old Red Sandstone is variable and includes sandstones, mudstones, siltstones, and conglomerates (boulders containing quartz pebbles are visible throughout the range). The mountains were subject to significant glaciation with corries and U-shaped valleys, however the range does not have the sharp rocky arêtes and ridges of the MacGillycuddy Reeks range.

## List of peaks

The following is a download from the MountainViews Online Database, who list 23 identifiable Central Dingle peaks with an elevation, or height, above 100 metres
Peaks of the Central Dingle Mountain range (MountainViews Online Database, July 2019) :
| Height Rank | Prom. Rank | Name | Irish Name (if different) | Translation | Height (m) | Prom. (m) | Height (ft) | Prom. (ft) | Topo Map | OSI Grid Reference |
| 1 | 1 | Beenoskee | Binn os Gaoith | Mountain above the Wind/Estuary | 826 | 491 | 2,710 | 1,611 | 70 | Q580089 |
| 2 | 20 | Stradbally Mountain | Cnoc an tSráidbhaile | Hill of Stradbally | 798 | 40 | 2,618 | 131 | 70 | Q587092 |
| 3 | 2 | Slievanea NE Top | — | — | 671 | 265 | 2,200 | 869 | 70 | Q515064 |
| 4 | 12 | An Cnapán Mór | — | The Big Lump | 649 | 81 | 2,129 | 266 | 70 | Q522045 |
| 5 | 6 | Cnoc na Bánóige | — | Hill of the Grassy Patch | 642 | 176 | 2,105 | 577 | 70 | Q548048 |
| 6 | 21 | Slievanea | Sliabh Macha Ré | Mountain of the Smooth Plain | 629 | 22 | 2,063 | 73 | 70 | Q508057 |
| 7 | 19 | Coombane | An Com Bán | The White Hollow | 610 | 42 | 2,001 | 138 | 70 | Q568092 |
| 8 | 23 | Croaghskearda | Cruach Sceirde | Stack of the Exposed Place | 608 | 13 | 1,995 | 43 | 70 | Q509039 |
| 9 | 18 | Knockmulanane | Cnoc Mhaoilionáin | Mulfinan's hill | 593 | 48 | 1,946 | 157 | 70 | Q568049 |
| 10 | 15 | Beenatoor | Binn an Tuair | Peak of the Bleaching Green | 592 | 66 | 1,942 | 217 | 70 | Q559089 |
| 11 | 22 | Knockmulanane West Top | — | — | 563 | 15 | 1,847 | 49 | 70 | Q560048 |
| 12 | 5 | Dromavally Mountain | Cnoc Dhroim an Bhaile | Hill of Dromavally | 552 | 206 | 1,811 | 676 | 71 | Q606067 |
| 13 | 9 | Sliabh na nGabhar | — | Mountain of the Goats | 486 | 120 | 1,594 | 394 | 70 | Q539072 |
| 14 | 7 | Cummeen | Sliabh an Choimín | Mountain of the Little Hollow | 477 | 162 | 1,565 | 531 | 71 | Q630077 |
| 15 | 17 | Gob an Iolair | — | Beak of the eagle | 477 | 48 | 1,564 | 158 | 70 | Q545074 |
| 16 | 14 | An Starraicín | — | The Steeple | 458 | 71 | 1,504 | 233 | 70 | Q528064 |
| 17 | 16 | Cnoc na Bánóige N Top | — | | 448 | 52 | 1,469 | 170 | 70 | Q552061 |
| 18 | 13 | Knocknakilton | (unknown) | (unknown) | 423 | 79 | 1,388 | 259 | 71 | Q638062 |
| 19 | 4 | Brickany | Breicneach | Speckled Place | 374 | 219 | 1,227 | 719 | 71 | Q632022 |
| 20 | 3 | Knocknanacree | Cnoc na nAcraí | hill of na hAcraí/Acres | 286 | 260 | 938 | 853 | 70 | V572998 |
| 21 | 8 | Cnoc an Ghleanna | — | Hill of the Glen | 252 | 136 | 827 | 446 | 70 | V502987 |
| 22 | 11 | Carrigadav | Carraig an Daimh | The Rock of the Bull | 240 | 96 | 787 | 315 | 71 | Q626097 |
| 23 | 10 | Farrandalouge | Fearann Dealúigh | The Land of the Two Hollows | 144 | 97 | 472 | 318 | 70 | Q546115 |