Brickeen Bridge, Killarney

Brickeen Bridge is a quaint 18th century bridge with a gothic arch that joins Dinis island to the mainland and separates Muckross Lake from Lough Leane. This is a very tranquil spot with nothing disturbing the silence except birdsong and the breeze in the arbutus trees. Indeed, the pool on the Lough Leane side is known as "Tír na nÓg" or Land of eternal youth. The area certainly is a place apart.

Take a look at our Brickeen Bridge panorama for a view from the bridge.

The word Brickeen is an anglicised version of an Irish word meaning "little trout". The bridge was built (not personally) by a member of the local gentry who had developed a passion for sailing boats abroad and wanted to be able to pass from one lake to the other without taking down his mast. Unfortunately it was all something of a waste of time as it is not possible to sail on the Killarney lakes due to the unpredictablity of the wind caused by the surrounding mountains and valleys. Nice bridge, though.