County Cork Topography
South of the valley of the Blackwater the limestone remains only in a few narrow valley bottoms, and we find ourselves in almost continuously broken country, which gets more and more mountainous as we go west- ward. The first portion of the hilly country which we meet is the upland which lies between the Blackwater and Lee valleys in Co. Cork. Through a transverse through valley near its eastern end the main line of railway finds its way southward to Cork.
The Lee and the Bandon Rivers reproduce on a smaller scale, the features seen in the ease of the Blackwater, save that their courses no longer lie to so great an extent on limestone. The Lee flows from the romantic mountain - lake of Gouganebarra, only 9 miles 
north of the head of Bantry Bay, and runs eastward past Macroom to Cork, where it reaches sea-level; there, like the Blackwater, it turns south and cuts through ridges of slate to the ocean; its complicated tidal portion, which forms Cork Harbour. The Bandon river has a somewhat similar but more irregular course ; it likewise flows eventually southward into the Atlantic between bold headlands, forming Kinsale Harbour. While the most famous lake in Munster is at Killarney, the largest is Lough Derg, which lies within the province, save that the northern part of its western shore belongs to Galway. The features of this large expanse of water have already been sketched in the description of the River Shannon. A few additional particulars may be added here. In the limestone portion of the lake-that is, the whole save the southern end-the shores and bottom are very irregular, as is usual in lakes due to solution, and the depth not great. Islands and reefs abound, and the shores are low and rocky. The greatest width-nine miles, measured east and west from Scarriff Bay and Youghal Bay-corresponds with the southern edge of the limestone. The east-and-west shore-line south of this expansion marks the incoming of the non-soluble slates, and the lake immediately contracts into a deep narrow gut, about I mile across and l00 ft. in depth, with high banks. The excessive deepening here is probably due to glacial action.
A third great mountain promontory now intervenes between Kenmare river and Bantry Bay, filled with high hills, and presenting a magnificent coast-line. It terminates in Dursey Island. Half-way down its northern shore we pass from Kerry into Cork. On its southern shore, in Bantry Bay, sheltered behind Bere Island, is Bere Haven, an important naval base. At the head of Bantry Bay is Glengarriff, one of the loveliest spots in Ireland, with wooded islands studding the calm, deep water. The south shore of Bantry Bay runs far out as a narrow mountainous promontory, with the deep, narrow inlet of Dunmanus Bay on its Cork Harbour-diagrammatic Dotted areas = limestone troughs; shaded areas = sandstone ridges other side. Beyond that the land runs out again to Mizen Head, the most southern point of the Irish main- land. Thence an exceedingly broken coast runs east- ward past Cape Clear (on Clear Island) away to Cork Harbour. Bold headlands alternate with sheltered inlets with little fishing towns nestling on their banks. The most conspicuous of the projections of the coast are Toe Head, Galley Head, Seven Heads, and the Old Head 
of Kinsale. The most important port is Kinsale, which has a large fishing industry. It lies near the mouth of the Bandon river, and was formerly a forti- fied harbour of importance : but the increased size of Cork Harbour-actual modern ships has led to a transfer of much of its trade to Cork and Queenstown (Cobh). Cork Harbour, which is now reached, has already been described as to its mode of origin on p. 8, and is further referred to on p. 46. The main harbour, inside the mile-wide entrance, is a considerable expanse of water, with a deep channel through it. Queenstown (Cobh) is boldly situated facing the entrance. Two channels cut through the ridge, in which it stands, the left-hand one running up towards Midleton, the deeper right-hand one continuing past Passage to a second expansion known as Lough Mahon, which has muddy arms spreading far to east and west. Thence ships pass in a north-westerly direction up the narrow River Lee to Cork. Cork Harbour and Queenstown (Cobh) derive much of their importance from being a port of call for American mail steamers. But the huge increase in size of modern liners is beginning to tell against even this spacious port, which is now considered by some captains as not safe for the handling of their gigantic ships.