Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kenmare has no train station (the nearest is in Killarney, 20 miles away) and only a few
bus connections (
www.buseireann.ie
). Most buses transfer in Killarney.
From Kenmare by Bus to: Killarney
(4/day, 45 minutes),
Tralee
(3/day, 2 hours),
Dingle
(3/day, 3 hours, change in Killarney),
Kinsale
(3/day, 3.5-4.25 hours, 2 changes),
Dublin
(4/day, 6.75-7.75 hours, change in Killarney and Limerick).
These attractions are near Kenmare, at the eastern (inland) end of the Ring of Kerry. If
you're approaching the region from Kinsale and Cobh, drive through Killarney and hop
on the Ring to visit Muckross House and Muckross Traditional Farms (near the lakes),
Killarney National Park,andKissaneSheepFarm(inthemountains) enroutetoKenmare.
By taking a bite out of the Ring the day before you sleep in Kenmare, you'll be better situ-
ated to drive most of the remainder of Ring of Kerry loop the next day. Get an early start
from Kenmare and you should be able to avoid the worst of the bus traffic on the Ring.
Killarney
Killarney is a household word among American tourists, and it seems to be on every big-
bus tour itinerary. Springing from the bus and train station of this thriving regional center
are afewcolorful streets lined with tourist-friendly shopsandrestaurants. Killarney'ssub-
urbs sprawl with vast hotels that, except for the weather, feel more like Nebraska than Ire-
land. Killarney's elegant Neo-Gothic church stands tall, as if to say the town existed and
mattered long before tourism. But then you realize it dates from 1880...just about when
Romantic Age tourism here peaked. For non-shoppers, Killarney's value is its location at
the doorstep of lush Killarney National Park. And for most tour organizers, it's the logical
jumping-off point for excursions around the famous Ring of Kerry peninsula.
If you're traveling in the region without a car, you'll have to stop here. The Killarney
bus and train stations flank the big, modern Killarney Outlet Centre mall. (In some touristy
parts of Ireland, like this one, every other shopping center is called an “outlet”—implying
factory-direct values.) If you have a layover between connections, walk five minutes
straight out from the front of the mall, and check out Killarney's shop-lined High Street
and New Street. The
TI
is a 15-minute walk from the train station, on Beech Street.
