Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It's no wonder that, since Victorian times, visitors have been attracted to this dramatic
chunk of Ireland. Mysterious ancient ring forts stand sentinel on mossy hillsides. A be-
loved Irish statesman maintained his ancestral estate here, far from 19th-century power
politics. And early Christian hermit-monks left a lonely imprint of their devotion, in the
form of simple stone dwellings atop an isolated rock crag far from shore...a holy retreat
on the edge of the then-known world.
Today, it seems like every tour bus in Ireland makes the ritual loop around the scenic
Ring of Kerry, using the bustling and famous tourist town of Killarney as a springboard.
Killarney National Park is gorgeous and well worth driving through. But I prefer to skip
Killarneytown(usefulonlyforitstransportationconnections).Instead,makethetidytown
of Kenmare your home base, and use my suggestions to cleverly circle the much-loved
peninsula—entirely missing the convoy of tour buses.
Cradled in a lush valley, this charming little town (known as Neidín, or “Little Nest,” in
Gaelic) hooks you right away with its rows of vividly colored shop fronts and go-for-a-
