09/06/2026
BEAUTY OR BEAST?
The Vee Pass and Bay Lough in County Tipperary is a beautiful area to visit at any time of the year but right now, between mid-May and mid-June, you'll be treated to vast displays of colourful Rhododendron ponticum.
Get out of the car and take in the views, by all means, but please don't stray off the designated roads and trails! Even experienced hillwalkers have to be rescued here. Some years ago a married couple in their 50s lost their way on a steep hillside that swept down to Bay Lough, inside a rhododendron forest so thick and deep that they couldn’t even hear each other at times. You’re literally walking on rhododendrons inside and there are steep drops that you can’t see. They got themselves so stuck that they couldn't move and had to call for help. The rescuers located them fairly quickly but it took a further five hours to force a way through the virtually impenetrable jungle of rhododendrons to get them out.
The rhododendron is an invasive, non-native plant which is now widespread in Ireland, in locations from Donegal to southwest Cork and from Connemara to east Dublin. It was introduced into the country in the early 19th century as an ornamental garden plant and as game cover. Now it aggressively degrades native woodland biodiversity, poisons local livestock, damages soil and blocks the light, strangling native plants. In Killarney National Park, millions of euros continue to be spent on rhododendron management .
So enjoy the superb views, take pictures, but please be careful! 😬
(M) ☘️
Pic. Mark McGuire
https://www.instagram.com/mark_mcguire_photography
