Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Staigue Fort
This ring fort is worth a stop on your way around the Ring (always open, drop €1 in the
little gray donation box beside the gate). While viewing the imposing pile of stone, read
“The Ring Forts of Kerry” sidebar, earlier.
Getting There: The fort is 2.5 miles (4 km) off the main N-70 road up a narrow rural
access lane (look for signs just after the hamlet of Castle Cove). Honk on blind corners to
warn oncoming traffic as you drive up the hedge-lined lane.
Derrynane House
This is the home of Daniel O'Connell, Ireland's most influential pre-independence politi-
cian, whose tireless nonviolent agitation gained equality for Catholics 185 years ago. The
coastal lands of the O'Connell estate that surround Derrynane House are now a national
historic park. A visit here is a window into the life of a man who not only liberated Ire-
land from the last oppressive anti-Catholic penal laws, but also first developed the idea of
a grassroots movement—organizing on a massive scale to achieve political ends without
bloodshed (see sidebar).
Cost and Hours: €3; May-Sept daily 10:30-18:00; April and Oct Wed-Sun
10:30-17:00, closed Mon-Tue; closed Nov-March, last entry 45 minutes before closing,
tel. 066/947-5113.
Getting There: Just outside the town of Derrynane, pick up a handy free map of the
area from the little private TI inside the brown Wave Crest market (TI open daily May-
Sept 9:00-18:00, closed Oct-April, tel. 066/947-5188; market is a great place to buy picnic
food). One mile after the market, take a left and follow the signs into Derrynane National
Historic Park.
Visiting the House: Navigate the house's quirky floor plan with the €0.50 guide avail-
able at the front desk. Ask about the next scheduled 20-minute audiovisual show, which
fleshes out the highlights of O'Connell's turbulent life and makes the contents of the house
more interesting.
In the exhibition room downstairs is a glass case containing the pistols used in
O'Connell's famous duel. Beside them are his black gloves, one of which he always wore
on his right hand when he went to Mass (out of remorse for the part it played in taking a
man's life). The drawing room upstairs is lined with family portraits and contains his or-
nately carved chair with tiny harp strings and wolfhound collars made of gold. On a wall
in the upstairs bedroom is a copy of O'Connell's celebrated speech imploring the Irish not
to riot when he was arrested.
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