Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cahergall Ringfort, Interior
(photo credit: Theboykenny via Wikimedia Commons)
Though set several miles back from the highway,
Ireland's tallest mountain
is visible
from the road for much of the eastern portion of the Ring of Kerry. There are several trails
on the mountain, but it's best to go with a guide if you plan to make an attempt on the sum-
mit. At 3,406 feet, it's hardly daunting for an experienced mountaineer, but remember that
every one of those feet is rising almost directly from sea level! The ridges are extremely
steep and sharp-sided, and can be treacherous for the inexperienced mountaineer.
Prehistoric Sites
Because of the sparse population and lack of large cities, this region has some of the best-
preserved prehistoric sites in all of Ireland. The Ring of Kerry is thick with standing stones,
ringforts, and other Stone Age constructions, many of which are easily accessible from the
highway. Perhaps the most striking is
Cahergall Ringfort
on the western edge of the pen-
insula. This fort, thought to be about 2,000 years old, has been carefully reconstructed by
archaeologists, so visitors can see what it would have looked like when it was new. For
those more interested in the romance of untouched ruins, the slightly younger
Staigue Fort
is unreconstructed and can be seen in its natural state.
The Skelligs
Off the edge of Iveragh Peninsula are the tiny sea-battered rocks known as
Little Skellig
and
Skellig Michael
. Centuries ago, Skellig Michael housed a small monastery where early
Irish Christians sought utter isolation from the material world. Their dwellings, still pre-
