Ring of Kerry Tour

We are taking an anti-clockwise route around the ring. Tour buses always go clockwise around the Ring of Kerry. This is because on the narrow roads, it wouldn’t be easy for them to pass each other if they were going in opposite directions.

If you do the same, you’ll spend a lot of your day stuck behind a slow-moving line of coaches.

Also, by going this way, the coastline will be on the passenger side. Since the driver is watching the road, they don’t need these views so much!

Kenmare  is a small and attractive town, set on a deep bay between the Macgillcuddy Reeks to the north and the Caha Mountains to the east, a situation that gives it its Irish name, Neidín, which means “little nest”.

It is one of Ireland’s few planned towns, originally built by the first Marquis of Lansdowne, which gives it a slightly English appearance, with limestone buildings and decorative plasterwork a feature of the townscape.

As with many towns and villages in South East Ireland, Kenmare has colourfully painted houses and shops, several selling goods made by the many local craftspeople and different to the usual gift shop fare.

One of the most beautiful and poignant songs about emigration, easily mistaken for a song about leaving a lover, is about the hearbreak of leaving Kenmare, or Neidín.

Most people, having visited the town and its surrounds, will understand the sadness at leaving such a place behind, probably forever.

The pretty village of Sneem and its surrounding area is a haven for artists and craftspeople and is a lovely place for a leisurely stroll.

Crusher Casey

Be sure to take a walk across the bridge over the Sneem River where water cascades over rocks as it makes its way to Kenmare Bay.

Look out for the statue of Steve Crusher Casey, a local hero who reigned as Heavyweight Wrestling Champion of the World from 1938 until he retired, undefeated, in 1947.

He the eldest of a family of seven sons and three daughters, all of whom had glorious careers in rowing, wrestling, tug-of-war and boxing, and that includes the girls!

This is also the starting point for the Sneem Sculpture Trail, a short and enjoyable walk past sculptures celebrating Sneem’s sporting heroes, political history, folklore, faith, and international friendships.

A short detour to the right a couple of kilometers before you reach Castlecove takes you to Staigue Fort, one of the best examples in Ireland of a Ring Fort, dating back at least 2500 years. The fort was not a military structure but a protective enclosure for the houses and animals of an important local family.

Inside the five metre thick walls, steps climb to the top, where you’ll be rewarded with stunning views. Look out for the crypts set into the wall, used both for protection and to act as a cool place for food storage.

If the farmer whose cattle graze the surrounding land is about (he often is) seek him out for a chat – he is very engaging and a mine of information about Lady Brodrick and other local characters and places of interest.

Castlecove is a popular vacation spot for Irish families, with a number of good beaches in the area and many holiday homes and caravan parks.

O’Carroll’s Cove Beach Bar and Restaurant is a good lunch stop, with excellent food which you can eat outside while looking over the bay towards the Caha Mountains.

Castlecove Beach

As you drive away from Castlecove keep an eye out on your left for a series of derelict buildings, all that remains of a failed attempt by the redoubtable Victorian Lady Albinia Brodrick (or Gobnait Ní Bhruadair, the Irish name she adopted) to establish a hospital for the treatment of TB, of childhood disease and for the lying in of women.

Although her vision, on which she spent her entire fortune, met one obstacle after another and was never realised, her work on teaching the impoverished local population about proper nursing and health care probably saved countless lives.

She died in her mid-nineties in 1958, is remembered fondly in the locality and buried in the churchyard at Sneem.

Caherdaniel was home to one of Ireland’s foremost historic figures, Daniel O’Connell, a lawyer and politician who was responsible for Irish Catholics getting a vote in elections to the British parliament in the early eighteen hundreds.

He is also known as the ‘Irish abolitionist’ and was a prominent voice in the British anti-slavery movement.

He was a proponent of the complete and immediate ending of slavery, repeatedly describing black slaves as the equals of free white men – an unpopular and radical view at the time, even among abolitionists.

His home, Derrynane House, is well worth visiting to learn about his remarkable story and also to enjoy the truly magnificent gardens. Part of the house and his private chapel have been restored and are full of his belongings, including some of the many gifts he received in appreciation of his achievements.

Don’t miss taking a look at the carriage which, drawn by six grey horses, carried him in triumph through Dublin following a spell in an English jail. It is magnificent in itself and illustrates the great esteem in which he was held.

Triumphal Carriage

As you approach the entrance to Derrynane House look out for the Ogham stone on your left, you can let yourself in though the small gate for a closer look.

There is a particularly good cafe in the house and the beach nearby is a great place for a walk or swim, if you are feeling the need for some fresh air after so much driving.

Leaving Caherdaniel the road climbs towards Coomakista Pass, one of the highest points you’ll reach today and probably has the magnificent views on the whole Ring of Kerry, particularly towards the Skellig Islands. Waterville is a popular holiday destination for Irish people – it was also a long-time favourite of Charlie Chaplin – with lovely beaches, great angling and a world famous links golf course. However there is not much to see, so drive on.

From the roads around Ballinskelligs you will get various views of the islands, the largest of which is Skellig Micheal, the site of a monastic settlement and a wild bird conservation area. It may be more familiar to Star Wars fans as Luke Skywalker’s island sanctuary.

It’s well worth calling in to the visitor centre to learn more about the fascinating history and habitat of the Skelligs.

Boat trips are available but are a whole day undertaking and need to be booked well in advance, so come back for that experience another time.

The small beach at Ballinskelligs is a mecca for surfers, with decent waves even when the sea is calm and enormous ones when there is a good wind. Great place for blowing away any driver fatigue that’s setting in!

Skelligs Chocolate

Make whatever excuse you need to stop at the Skelligs Chocolate Factory – it’s not quite Willie Wonka but not far off either! There are free tastings and a great cafe, especially for lovers of cake, pie, cookies and puddings which are made on the premises using their own chocolate.

Portmagee is a pretty and colourful village, named for a notorious 18th century smuggler Captain Theobald Magee who plied his trade in the many inlets and small harbours along this coast. You can cross the sound from Portmagee to Valentia Island via a bridge, and while not strictly part of the Ring of Kerry, it’s a detour well worth making if you have time.

As you drive down the island look out for Valentia Ice Cream, a farm producing delicious ice cream and sorbets using fresh milk from their own cows.

Valentia Island was the landing point of the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858 and until the 1960s and the arrival of satellites remained a key point of communication between Europe and America. It’s certainly a wild and remote place to have had such an important role in international communications.

Look for signs for the Tetrapod Trackway, where in 1993 a geology student discovered 350 million year old fossilised tetrapod footprints preserved in rocks. Tetrapods were the first creatures to emerge from the sea and here you’ve a unique opportunity to literally walk in the footprints of these prehistoric creatures.

Tetrapod footprints

Knightstown is the only town on the Island and from there you can take the car ferry back to the mainland.

Cahersiveen is the main local market town and will be busy with both locals and tourists all year round. It is also the home town of CNN correspondent Donie O’Sullivan.

A feature of Cahersiveen is its long main street with many traditional shop fronts. There is also an excellent Marina in the harbour.

An unusual 19th century building which looks like a German Schloss has been nicely restored and houses a heritage centre which has excellent displays and information about the locality. Previously a barracks, it was build primarly to guard the landing point of the first transatlantic cable as it made it to mainland from Valentia Island.

A small park runs alongside and it’s worth strolling down to see the old railway bridge, a remnant of a line that used to run from Farrenfore (north of Killarney) to Caherciveen but was sadly closed in the late 1950s.

Close to the town Cahergal Stone Fort dates back  to about 600 BC and with walls between 6 and 13 feet high and over 15 feet thick, it’s not much wonder that its standing still today.

Cahergal Stone Fort

Like Staigue Fort, this was a domestic fort, enclosing and protecting a number of dwellings as well as livestock. Though no fort can protect against some adversaries, according to legend cows kept at the fort were milked in the night by fairy hares.

Near Kells village look out for Kells Sheepdogs where Tom O’Sullivan, a champion sheepdog handler, holds several demonstrations daily showcasing his amazing dogs and the work they do together. While the Ring of Kerry has quite a few ‘experiences’ of varying quality, this one is great and it’s really worth dropping in to see if there is a demonstration scheduled as you arrive.

The drive from Kells to Glenbeigh hugs the coast for much of its length and you’ll pass some of the most lovely coastal views of the day.

Behind the Red Fox pub just outside Glenbeigh is the Kerry Bog Village where traditional cottage dwellings and an old forge can be toured and give an excellent view of rural life in the early 18th century.

Farming machinery and traditional tools used on the bog are on display and of course the pub is right there – a perfect opportunity to sample the house speciality, Irish Coffee. Normal coffee is available for your driver!

Maybe the most interesting aspect of a visit here is a chance to see some Kerry Bog Ponies.This rare breed of small sturdy ponies, with characteristically thick and long manes and tails, were used to carry turf, an essential fuel at the time, from the bog. Fewer than twenty of the breed remained at the start of the 1990s.

Kerry Bog Ponies

It is largely due to the remarkable effort and dedication of the owner of the Red Fox, Johnny Mulvihill, that they survive and now number in the thousands.