The north end of Killarney National Park is distinguishable from the town of Killarney only by the wrought iron fence that surrounds it. Its open pedestrian gates and unrestricted entry give it more the feel of a town park than the sprawling 25,000-acre national park that it is. The park is comprised of two formerly privately owned 19th-century estates. The 11,000-acre Muckross estate was donated to the Free State of Ireland (the Republic, in its infancy) in 1932, creating the first national park in Ireland. A large portion of the almost-adjacent Killarney House estate was sold to the Republic in 1978 under the condition that it would be incorporated into the national park.

Today the park is dedicated to the conservation of several distinctive ecosystems: bogs, lakes, moors, mountains, rivers, woodlands, parks, and gardens. Of primary interest are the oak and yew woodlands. Two-thirds of the oak woodlands have been consumed by rhododendrons brought in from the Near East in the early 19th century to provide protective shelter for wild game. One flower can produce 3000-7000 seeds, and the branches take root wherever they touch soil. They absolutely thrive in the acid soil and mild, Gulf Stream climate of the park. The yews are being threatened by over-grazing.

The park has the most extensive covering of native (old growth) forest remaining in Ireland, and it’s home to the only red deer herd on the mainland.

Today we captured it all (minus the red deer) on one eight-mile hike around Muckross Lake, the middle of the three lakes of Killarney. Here’s a selection of what we saw.