Moll's Gap, Mountain pass in County Kerry, Ireland
Moll's Gap is a mountain pass on the N71 road between Kenmare and Killarney in County Kerry. The road crosses high ground where Old Red Sandstone rocks, laid down over 350 million years ago, are stained green by chlorite rather than the usual red of iron oxide.
The N71 road was constructed through this mountain pass in the 1820s. The location takes its name from Moll Kissane, who ran an unlicensed tavern at this site.
The pass is named after Moll Kissane, who ran a shebeen, an unlicensed public house, here in the 1820s while the road was being built. Its Irish name, Céim an Daimh, means Gap of the Ox. The pass lies on the Ring of Kerry and is a customary stopping point on the N71 between Kenmare and Killarney.
The pass is easily accessible via the N71 road with multiple pull-off areas for stopping and taking in views. Travel is best during clear weather, as the road is narrow and winding.
The pass is a glacial breach: about 25,000 years ago, during Ireland's last ice age, a glacier some 500 metres deep in the Black Valley cut through the ridge here, as happened at the nearby Gap of Dunloe.
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