Killarney
Killarney in the summer months is a hive of
activity. The town thrives on tourism, but manages to retain all of
its charm in spite of the hustle and bustle. Flowers are everywhere
- private gardens, neatly kept displays of bedding plants along the
streets, and tubs and hanging baskets outside shops and businesses. |
Killarney |
There is always something to do in Killarney, from visiting
places of historical interest such as Ross Castle by the lake, or
Muckross House, with its Gardens and
Traditional Farms, to browsing through the shops or exploring the
lanes and alley-ways of the town - not to mention the choice of
entertainment available in the evening.
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As well as its own attractions, the town is
ideally situated to be used as a base when touring the rest of the
county. The nearby lakes and mountains, the
Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara can each
be visited on a day-trip from Killarney, and even Cork and Blarney
are not too far away.
The best
way to tour round the Ring of Kerry is to start from Killarney town.
Take the road to Kilorglin and follow the signposts for 'Ring' -
this will lead you round the coast road in an anti-clockwise
direction. Not only does this route provide the best views of the
scenery, but since the big tour buses always go this way, you also
avoid meeting one of them on an awkward corner! |
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Kilorglin
The route from Killarney to
Kilorglin is along a good main road. Landmarks along the way
include the famous Gap of Dunloe and the highest mountain in
Ireland, Carrauntuohill, (which can both be seen from the main
road). A little further on, the road passes the Kerry Bog Village.
This is a collection of restored cottages, moved from other parts
of the county and displayed as a museum of life in former times. |
Kilorglin |
Kilorglin is
situated near the mouth of the River Laune, which flows from Lough
Leane into Dingle Bay. The town is most famous for the Puck Fair,
held during a weekend each August. During this traditional festival,
a goat is paraded through the streets and crowned as King Puck. |
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This
ritual is supposed to be in commemoration of an incident in
the seventeenth century when Cromwell's troops were surrounding the
town, intending to ambush the unsuspecting inhabitants at dead of
night. The alarm was raised by a flock of wild goats that ran
through the streets and wakened the townspeople, so the Cromwellian
army lost the element of surprise and failed to capture the town. |
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Caherciveen
The next stage of the journey is
via a fairly straight road along the north coast of the peninsula.
On a clear day, there are some lovely views of the Dingle
mountains across the bay.
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Carhan House
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Caherciveen is a lovely little
town, with several interesting features for the tourist. Just
before entering the town, look to the left of the road to see
the ruins of Carhan House, the old homestead where Daniel
O'Connell (The Liberator) was born in 1775. |
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The O'Connell
Memorial Church in the centre of Caherciveen was built in 1875
and dedicated to his memory. |
Statue of Daniel O'Connell on the
river bank opposite Carhan House
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Take a detour to the right in the centre of
the town to visit a reconstructed 19th century police barracks,
which is open to the public.
On past the barracks and across the
bridge, follow the road past the ruins of the 15th century Ballycarbery Castle, to reach two spectacular stone forts from the
early Christian period, Cahergeal and Leacanabuaile. Leacanabuaile has been excavated and is
believed to date from the 9th-10th century AD. There are three stone
beehive huts inside the fort and also a souterrain passage
leading out under the massive walls to provide both an escape route
and a cool storage area. |
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Valentia Island
Back on the main Ring once
more, travel towards Waterville, the next town on the route. If
there is time for another detour, it is worth while visiting
Valentia Island (signposted to the right as the road to Portmagee,
where there is a causeway across to the island).
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Fern garden at Glanleam |
Due to the effect of the Gulf Stream, the
island is a haven for many kinds of sub-tropical plants.
Glanleam Gardens (open to the public) is
well worth visiting to see exotic specimens of plants from
all over the world. |
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The first transatlantic telegraph cable was
laid from
the USA to Valentia in 1858, and it is said that the very
first message to be sent across the Atlantic read "Peace on earth,
good will to all men."
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The Skelligs |
Ballinskelligs
Another detour from the main route will take you to
Ballinskelligs. During the Middle Ages, this little harbour was
the departure point for pilgrims to the monastery of Scéilig
Mhíchíl, perched precariously on top of a bare rocky island, one
of the Skellig Rocks.
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Waterville
Waterville is a picturesque seaside town with a fine sandy beach.
The town was one of film star Charlie
Chaplin's favourite holiday destinations, and there is a statue of
him in the main street, opposite the Waterville Arms Hotel where he often stayed. |
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Caherdaniel
Daniel O'Connell, known as the Liberator, spent his later years at
Derrynane House near the little village of Caherdaniel, a few miles
round the coast from Waterville. The house
is open to the public and is well worth a visit. It contains some
lovely examples of early 19th century carved furniture, as well as
some of O'Connell's personal belongings. |
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Derrynane House
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The pistol with which he
killed an opponent in a duel is among the exhibits. This event
had such a profound effect on O'Connell that afterwards he vowed
to use only peaceful means of attaining political objectives.
The respect he earned by this stance helped him achieve success
in the struggle for democracy in Ireland in the early 19th
century.
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The beach at Derrynane
found fame for a different reason - according to legend, it saw
the first military invasion of Ireland (on Tuesday, 14 May 2680
BC). The invaders were led by Parthalon, lately come from
Greece, where he had killed both his parents!
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Staigue Fort |
Past Derrynane and
now heading for Sneem, there is a narrow road signposted to the
left, leading to Staigue Fort. This is a well preserved stone fort
dating from about 1,000 BC and is well worth a visit. Inside the
fort, stone staircases lead up to the top of the walls, where there
is a fine view of the surrounding countryside. |
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Sneem
Sneem is a colourful little town on the
north coast of Kenmare Bay, notable for its two main squares.
The first is a green area containing some interesting modern
sculptures, while at one side of the other can be found Dan
Murphy's pub, made famous in song.
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"The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door" |
"Those days in
our hearts we will cherish,
Contented although we were poor,
And the songs that were sung
In the days we were young,
On the stone outside Dan Murphy's door." |
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The stone is still there too, and is a favourite
place for tourists to take photos of each other!
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Kenmare
Kenmare is another colourful town, and
an interesting place for visitors to do some shopping.
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Kenmare Town |
There is a branch of Quill's in
the main square, with all kinds of knitwear, sportswear and
household linens, including modern lace articles. |
Knitwear, linen and lace on sale in
Quill's of Kenmare |
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Kenmare Lace
Kenmare was a centre of
the lace industry in the past, and the museum has a collection
of exquisite examples of old needlepoint lace designed and made
locally during the 19th century.
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Old Kenmare Lace |
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Ladies' View
The road between Kenmare and Killarney
crosses the mountains amid some beautiful and rugged scenery as
far as Moll's Gap. On the approach to Killarney from here, the
road leads down through the woods along the shores of the Upper
and Lower Lakes and passes one of the most photographed scenes
in the area, Ladies' View. This beauty spot, overlooking the
Killarney valley, was was named in honour of Queen Victoria's
ladies-in-waiting, who visited it during the royal visit to
Muckross House, Killarney in 1861.
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Ladies' View, Killarney |
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