Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Ireland / County Kerry
 |  | Destination Guide : County Kerry |
|
| | | Bustling capital |  | Why go on holiday to County Kerry?
With its bustling capital, Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle and the Iveragh peninsulas, as well as the usual quota of pubs, lively music and small historic towns, it's no wonder Kerry is such a popular holiday destination.
How much does it cost?
Accommodation in Killarney ranges from £10 for a dorm bed to £80 for a good quality hotel room, with B&B starting about £20 a night. Cottages can be rented from £100 a week (low season). Expect to pay from £250 in high season.
Scheduled flights to Killarney in high season cost around £250 but you have to change at Dublin.
Rail and air fares can vary greatly and you should always check with the operator for exact prices.
When should I go?
July and August, the best months for weather, also bring the crowds, making costs high and accommodation harder to come by, so go off peak for a bargain.
In the winter the weather can be miserable and tourist facilities shut down. June and September are probably the best times for a visit. Summer temperatures range from 15-20C (58-68F), winter 2-10C (35-50F)
Why go on holiday to County Kerry?
With its bustling capital, Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle and the Iveragh peninsulas, as well as the usual quota of pubs, lively music and small historic towns, it's no wonder Kerry is such a popular holiday destination.
How much does it cost?
Accommodation in Killarney ranges from £10 for a dorm bed to £80 for a good quality hotel room, with B&B starting about £20 a night. Cottages can be rented from £100 a week (low season). Expect to pay from £250 in high season.
Scheduled flights to Killarney in high season cost around £250 but you have to change at Dublin.
Rail and air fares can vary greatly and you should always check with the operator for exact prices.
When should I go?
July and August, the best months for weather, also bring the crowds, making costs high and accommodation harder to come by, so go off peak for a bargain.
In the winter the weather can be miserable and tourist facilities shut down. June and September are probably the best times for a visit. Summer temperatures range from 15-20C (58-68F), winter 2-10C (35-50F)
|
|
|
|
|
| | | Archangel's rock | | What should I do when I'm there?
Walk or cycle in Killarney National Park, with its three lakes and stunning coastline. Take a boat trip or swim with Fungie the dolphin in Dingle Bay.
Visit Ross Castle, Lord Brandon's cottage, the Gallarus Oratory and the seventh century monastery perched on top of Skellig Michael castle. Eat hearty Irish food and drink stout in the pub while listening to great live music.
What's Killarney like?
It's the number one tourist town in Ireland. Though leprechaun-adorned tourist shops abound, Killarney is a fun place to visit and right next to the National Park. Take a horse-drawn car around the centre of town to Pugin's St Mary's Cathedral.
Fishermen will love the trout and salmon fishing in the lakes and the Rivers Fles and Laune. In the National Park see 14th century Ross Castle, the ruins on Inisfallen Island, Muckross Abbey and Muckross House, with its gardens and traditional farms.
What should I see next?
Drive the Ring of Kerry, a 179-kilometre road circuit around the scenic Iveragh Peninsula. Be warned, it gets incredibly crowded with traffic in summer.
Killorglin village holds its annual Puck Fair Festival on the second weekend in August, when local pubs stay open till 3am. For a glimpse of the past, visit the Kerry Bog Village Museum, Staigue Fort, and Derrynane National Historic Park.
To get away from the crowds, head for the equally lovely Dingle Peninsula, making sure to stop in Tralee and the quaint Dingle Village en route. Then go swimming with Fungie, the famous Dingle Bay dolphin.
Where can I go to get away from it all?
A boat trip to the Skellig Islands, 12 kilometres out in the Atlantic, might be just the thing. Small Skellig is a bird sanctuary and you cannot land on it. Bring your binoculars for great birdwatching from the boat.
The larger of the two is Skellig Michael (Archangel Michael's Rock), a 217-metre jagged rock with the remains of monastic buildings built by the early Christians. Limits are put on visits to Skellig Michael of 250 per day - so book ahead in high season.
What should I do when I'm there?
Walk or cycle in Killarney National Park, with its three lakes and stunning coastline. Take a boat trip or swim with Fungie the dolphin in Dingle Bay.
Visit Ross Castle, Lord Brandon's cottage, the Gallarus Oratory and the seventh century monastery perched on top of Skellig Michael castle. Eat hearty Irish food and drink stout in the pub while listening to great live music.
What's Killarney like?
It's the number one tourist town in Ireland. Though leprechaun-adorned tourist shops abound, Killarney is a fun place to visit and right next to the National Park. Take a horse-drawn car around the centre of town to Pugin's St Mary's Cathedral.
Fishermen will love the trout and salmon fishing in the lakes and the Rivers Fles and Laune. In the National Park see 14th century Ross Castle, the ruins on Inisfallen Island, Muckross Abbey and Muckross House, with its gardens and traditional farms.
What should I see next?
Drive the Ring of Kerry, a 179-kilometre road circuit around the scenic Iveragh Peninsula. Be warned, it gets incredibly crowded with traffic in summer.
Killorglin village holds its annual Puck Fair Festival on the second weekend in August, when local pubs stay open till 3am. For a glimpse of the past, visit the Kerry Bog Village Museum, Staigue Fort, and Derrynane National Historic Park.
To get away from the crowds, head for the equally lovely Dingle Peninsula, making sure to stop in Tralee and the quaint Dingle Village en route. Then go swimming with Fungie, the famous Dingle Bay dolphin.
Where can I go to get away from it all?
A boat trip to the Skellig Islands, 12 kilometres out in the Atlantic, might be just the thing. Small Skellig is a bird sanctuary and you cannot land on it. Bring your binoculars for great birdwatching from the boat.
The larger of the two is Skellig Michael (Archangel Michael's Rock), a 217-metre jagged rock with the remains of monastic buildings built by the early Christians. Limits are put on visits to Skellig Michael of 250 per day - so book ahead in high season.
|
|
|
|
|
| | | Irish music | | Where's good for nightlife?
Most Killarney pubs have live music. Some, such as The Laurels, on Main Street, specialise in catering to the tourist crowd. Try O'Connor's, Courtney's, Charlie Foleys or McSorley's for a more authentic crowd.
Tralee's Castle Street is thick with pubs - Kirby's Brogue Inn, Greyhound Bar and Fiddler Bar have entertainment most nights. Betty's is recommended for traditional Irish music at the weekend.
Siamsa Tire, also in Tralee, is the venue for the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, with performances from May to September. In all the villages you stop in you'll find pubs (often in surprising quantities for such small settlements) and music.
What's the food like?
Irish meals are usually based around meat - especially beef, lamb, pork chops and boiled hams. Traditional Irish breads and scones are delicious for tea.
Other typical dishes include bacon and cabbage; mashed potatoes with butter, cream and green onions; a cake-like bread called barm brack; and a filled pancake called a boxty. The main meal of the day tends to be lunch.
Irish whiskey and a Murphys or a Guinness are the drinks of choice; Irish spring water for the abstemious.
What should I buy?
Irish music CDs and tapes are sold at Music Kingdom, Killarney.
You can buy quality craft goods from around Ireland in Killarney stores, including Aran sweaters, tweeds from Donegal, lace, Irish whiskey, handmade cheeses, Claddagh rings from Galway, enamel work, willow or rush basketwork and Connemara marble.
What is there for children to do?
Organised horseriding trips are available from the Killarney Riding Stables in Ballydowney. Kids will love the Tralee and Dingle Steam Railway, which runs between Tralee and Blennerville, and the Blennerville Windmill, restored to full working order.
In Tralee, take the kids to the Aqua dome, complete with water slides and wave pools. Nearby Fenit's Seaworld has pirate stories woven around the fish in the aquaria. Dingle also has an aquarium specialising in local sea-life.
Kerry has many good beaches but check tides and currents before swimming, as they can be strong.
Tourist office
Tourism Ireland, 103 Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QS. Tel 0800 039 7000.
Where's good for nightlife?
Most Killarney pubs have live music. Some, such as The Laurels, on Main Street, specialise in catering to the tourist crowd. Try O'Connor's, Courtney's, Charlie Foleys or McSorley's for a more authentic crowd.
Tralee's Castle Street is thick with pubs - Kirby's Brogue Inn, Greyhound Bar and Fiddler Bar have entertainment most nights. Betty's is recommended for traditional Irish music at the weekend.
Siamsa Tire, also in Tralee, is the venue for the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, with performances from May to September. In all the villages you stop in you'll find pubs (often in surprising quantities for such small settlements) and music.
What's the food like?
Irish meals are usually based around meat - especially beef, lamb, pork chops and boiled hams. Traditional Irish breads and scones are delicious for tea.
Other typical dishes include bacon and cabbage; mashed potatoes with butter, cream and green onions; a cake-like bread called barm brack; and a filled pancake called a boxty. The main meal of the day tends to be lunch.
Irish whiskey and a Murphys or a Guinness are the drinks of choice; Irish spring water for the abstemious.
What should I buy?
Irish music CDs and tapes are sold at Music Kingdom, Killarney.
You can buy quality craft goods from around Ireland in Killarney stores, including Aran sweaters, tweeds from Donegal, lace, Irish whiskey, handmade cheeses, Claddagh rings from Galway, enamel work, willow or rush basketwork and Connemara marble.
What is there for children to do?
Organised horseriding trips are available from the Killarney Riding Stables in Ballydowney. Kids will love the Tralee and Dingle Steam Railway, which runs between Tralee and Blennerville, and the Blennerville Windmill, restored to full working order.
In Tralee, take the kids to the Aqua dome, complete with water slides and wave pools. Nearby Fenit's Seaworld has pirate stories woven around the fish in the aquaria. Dingle also has an aquarium specialising in local sea-life.
Kerry has many good beaches but check tides and currents before swimming, as they can be strong.
Tourist office
Tourism Ireland, 103 Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QS. Tel 0800 039 7000.
|
|
|
|
|
| | Available rental properties in County Kerry |
|
| |  | | Littor Cottage
This charming seaside cottage makes an ideal touring base for the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry and the Burren National Park in Co. Clare.
|  | | 1, Kerford Cottage
Cottage with spectacular view over Kenmare Bay and Mountains
|  | | 2, Kerford Cottage
One of Kenmare's cosiest cottages with outstanding views over The Bay and Mountains
|  | | Ardmullen 3 bed ( O )
Ardmullen is just out side Kenmare, it is ideally located on the Rings of Kerry & Beara. One can enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery Ireland has
|  | | Ardmullen 3 bed ( W)
Ardmullen is just out side Kenmare, it is ideally located on the Rings of Kerry & Beara. One can enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery Ireland has
| | Click here for more properties... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
