Devil’s Punchbowl

Devil’s Punchbowl is a high corrie lake on Mangerton Mountain’s north-west flank, about 660 m above sea level. Its dark water sits in a steep, open basin, and the climb gives you wide views back toward the Lakes of Killarney and MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. Go for a proper mountain walk and a striking change of scene; skip it if you’re looking for a roadside stop. The lake comes before the summit, so it’s a natural turn-around if you don’t want the full mountain circuit.

A worn, stony path climbs to the north-west shore. One route starts at the small Gortagullane parking area; another loop begins by the concrete bridge layby near Molly Darcy’s. Those are different approaches, so follow one route’s directions all the way rather than mixing their start points. The full Mangerton circuit takes about five hours; that includes the summit and other lakes, not just a visit to the Punchbowl. The upper ground is steep, rough and often boggy, with exposed sections and some low scrambling beyond the lake. Fog and wind can erase the view or make the descent harder, so treat this as a mountain walk and check the forecast and your route before setting off.

The lake lies in a glacial corrie, a rounded hollow carved into the mountainside by ice. Arthur Young described it as an extinct-volcano crater in the 1780s, but the steep-sided basin is a product of the Ice Age, not volcanic activity. Walking guides put the north-west tip around 660 m; another estimates the lake at about 670 m, so think of that as a rough elevation rather than an exact figure.

Nobody has settled where the name came from. One local tale says the Devil hurled a rock into nearby Muckross Lake as O’Donoghue escaped; another links the bowl to a serpent associated with Poll an Ifrinn, or Hell’s Pool. These are folklore, not documented events. The Punchbowl was already drawing visitors by 1840, when a travel account described cold water beneath steep rock walls. The lake also once helped supply Killarney with water.

From the north-west shore, frame the dark water against the steep sides of the bowl so the lake and its setting read together. On the climb, turn around for the broader view over Killarney’s lakes and the Reeks. Clear conditions make those distant views; wind can make a long lakeside pause uncomfortable.