MacGillycuddy's Reeks is a mountain range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

 in County Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. Stretching slightly over 19 km (11.8 mi), it includes the highest peaks in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and the only peaks on the island that are over 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft). The highest of these is Corrán Tuathail or Carrauntoohil (1,038 m), followed by Binn Chaorach (1,010 m) and Cathair na Féinne (1,001 m). The range also includes many other Hewitts (peaks of over 2,000 ft). The mountains, part of the Armorican Highlands, are of glacial-carved sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 and are on the Iveragh Peninsula

Iveragh Peninsula

The Iveragh Peninsula is located in County Kerry in Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. A mountain range, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula...

 near the Lakes of Killarney

Lakes of Killarney

The Lakes of Killarney are a renowned scenic attraction located near Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland. They consist of three lakes - Lough Leane, Muckross Lake and Upper Lake.Lough Leane is the largest of the three lakes...

.

The name of the range dates to the 18th century. It is derived from the family or clan name Mac Giolla Mochuda (anglicised MacGillycuddy) who are a sept of the O'Sullivan's. The clan chief, McGillycuddy of the Reeks

McGillycuddy of the Reeks

The McGillycuddy of the Reeks is one of the hereditary chiefs of the name of Ireland. The current family head is Donough McGillycuddy, who lives in Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-Mythology:...

, owned land in this part of Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

 for a long time prior, and continued to do so until the end of the 20th century. The word reek is a Hiberno-English

Hiberno-English

Hiberno-English is the dialect of English written and spoken in Ireland .English was first brought to Ireland during the Norman invasion of the late 12th century. Initially it was mainly spoken in an area known as the Pale around Dublin, with Irish spoken throughout the rest of the country...

 version of the English word rick, meaning a stack.

"MacGillycuddy's Reeks" is also the name of a song on Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon

Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...

's album My Ride's Here

My Ride's Here

Mark Deming of Allmusic rated My Ride's Here two out of five stars. He stated that "the jokes tend to be a bit obvious", and that "the more introspective moments don't connect the way one might hope". However, he said that some of the tracks "are strong enough to remind listeners of just how...

. The song is set on the Iveragh Peninsula and also mentions the "Killarney

Killarney

Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...

 shore" and Innisfallen

Innisfallen

This page concerns the ships named Innisfallen.You might be seeking:*Annals of Innisfallen, a Manuscript History of Ireland*Innisfallen Island in the Lakes of Killarney----There have been five ships named Innisfallen....

. It was co-written by Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

 poet Paul Muldoon

Paul Muldoon

Paul Muldoon is an Irish poet. He has published over thirty collections and won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. He held the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry from 1999 - 2004. At Princeton University he is both the Howard G. B. Clark ’21 Professor in the Humanities and...

.

List of peaks

#	Peak	Other names	Height
1	Corrán Tuathail	Carrauntoohil	1,038m
2	Binn Chaorach	Beenkeragh, Benkeeragh	1,010m
3	Cathair na Féinne	Caher	1,001m
4	Cnoc na Péiste Cnoc na Péiste Cnoc na Péiste—often anglicised as Knocknapeasta and more rarely given as Slievenapeesta or Cummeennapeasta—is a 988 m mountain peak in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland...	Knocknapeasta	988m
5	Cathair Thiar	Caher West	975m
6	Maolán Buí
973m
7	Carrauntoohil Tooth	Knockoughter, The Bones	959m
8	Cnoc an Chuillinn
958m
9	An Gunna Mhór	The Big Gun	939m
10	Cruach Mhór
932m
11	Cnoc an Chuillinn Thoir	Cnoc an Chuillinn East	926m
12	Cnoc Broinne Thiar	Knockbrinnea West	854m
13	Stumpa Bharr na hAbhann
851m
14	Screig Mhór	Skregmore	848m
15	Cnoc Broinne Thoir	Knocnbrinnea East	847m
16	Cnoc na Toinne
845m
17	Cnoc Iochtair
747m
18	Cnoc an Bhráca
731m
19	Cnoc na dTarbh
655m
20	Stumpa an tSaimh/ Stuimpín an Daimh	Hag's Tooth, Stumpeenadaff	650m
21	Cnoc Breasail	Brassel	575m
22	Screig Bheag	Skregbeg	573m
23	Binn Bhán
461m
24	Binn Dubh
452m
25	Binn Dhearg	Beendarrig, Bendarrig	451m
26	Struicín	Strickeen	440m
27	Cnoc Breac	Knockbrack	425m

External links

• McGillycuddy of the Reeks