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LocationKENMARE
Better known now as an attractive tourist town with many fine restaurants, Irish pubs and interesting craft shops and the famous landmark Quills Woolen Market which is situated in the town centre. Kenmare retains its links to a more ancient past. Not far from Market Street is the Bronze Age Druid's Circle, consisting of 15 standing stones. Whether it was used as a burial place or for sun worship, we no longer know but its importance to the early inhabitants of Kenmare is without question. Kenmare is on the famous Ring of Kerry, a circuit along the coast of the Iveragh peninsula. The Ring offers both spectacular scenery and interesting places to visit including Staigue Fort, Derrynane House and Valentia Island, among others. The Heritage Centre in the renovated Courthouse explains the history of Kenmare using personal sound tours. There are exhibitions here on Kenmare Lace, the Nun of Kenmare and other aspects of local history. Follow the Heritage Trail from the centre. Dereen Gardens on the Beara peninsula are best visited in early summer for the glorious display of rhododendrons. However this sub-tropical garden is also famous for its grove of tender New Zealand tree ferns and its magnificent woodlands running down to the sea. Kilgarvan Motor Museum, just outside Kenmare, has an unusual collection of vintage and classic cars on display, some of which are still in use. RING OF KERRY
Valentia Island juts into the Atlantic and is one of the most westerly parts of Europe. The area is also seeped in history. Caherdaniel was home to the "Liberator" Daniel O'Connell, one of Ireland's best known patriots, while on the seemingly inaccessible Skellig Michael Island you can visit the monastic settlement of beehive cells which date back to the 6th century. KILLARNEY
The streets of Killarney are bustling throughout the year without being overcrowded and even in the centre of town you will often catch sight of nearby mountains between a gap in the buildings. To the south of the town is Killarney National Park which is home to mountains, waterfalls, lakes and ancient forests. There are three main lakes the lowest of which is Lough Leane. On the shores of this lake is the historic Muckross Abbey which was founded in 1448 by an Irish Chieftain called Donal McCarthy. Slightly more modern is Muckross House, a magnificent Victorian mansion set in its own intricate gardens which lie on the shores of the Lower and Middle Lakes. Higher up the mountains and you are into the true wilds of Ireland, although still just a few miles away from the bustle of Killarney. These mountains include MacGillycuddy's Reeks and Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland. DINGLE
Fungie, who is a bottlenose dolphin, has been swimming with the boats and tourists in Dingle Harbour since 1984. You can take a one hour boat trip in summer months to see Fungie up close. The town has recently erected a bronze statue on the Pier to its most famous aquatic visitor. Mara Beo - the Dingle Ocean World Aquarium is set overlooking the scenic Dingle Harbour and reveals the fascinating species that live in the waters around the magnificent Dingle Peninsula. This experience is also a journey through the Peninsula's ancient sea culture and its people's interface with the sea from the pre-Christian era to the present time - be sure not to miss the Tunnel Tank and Shark Tank. The town is an ideal base for exploring the Dingle Peninsula, attractions include Gallarus Oratory which is located 3 miles north west of Dingle - probably the best preserved early Christian Church in Ireland. It was built in 7th century and is a classic example of dry-stone corbelling. The structure is still watertight after more than a thousand years. The Dingle Way walk comes through the town by way of the Connor Pass. This mountain pass offers spectacular views of Brandon Bay, Tralee Bay and Dingle Bay if the weather is clear. It was from Brandon Bay that St. Brendan discover North America in the 6th century. St. Brendan was the person who inspired Christopher Columbus to rediscover the New World almost 900 years later. Just about every bar in Dingle offers traditional Irish music during July and August and the town buzzes with locals and tourists. RING OF BEARA & BEARA PENINSULA
A route much less traveled than the Ring of Kerry, Beara's secret is one that is still quite well kept. The Ring of Beara links the towns of Glengarrif in Cork with Kenmare in Kerry, in a round about fashion. Glengarriff is an attractive little village deep within Bantry Bay. Boat trips run from Glengarriff to Garinish Island famed for their wonderful Italianate garden. Between Glengarrif and Castletownbere the road is flanked by exposed banks of jagged rock with the rugged peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain and Hungry Hill in the Caha Mountains. At the hamlet of Adrigole is the turn off for the Healy Pass, a serpentine road that cuts through the mountains to the village of Lauragh with views of spectacular glaciated valleys. The road cuts through Castletownbere, a characterful town with an authentic work-a-day feel and definitely worth a stop. Boat trips run from here to Bere Island and megalithic stone circles, such as the Derreenataggart Stone Circle, punctuate the area. From Castletownbere take the road down to Dursey Island, a place of desolate beauty that is worth visiting. There is nothing on the island other than sheep, but you won't get the opportunity to travel to an island via a tiny cable car swinging 30m above the waves, that many times in your life! From this Dursey detour, you pick up the road to Allihies a quaint former copper mining town, reminiscent of St Austell in Cornwall. The road then twists and turns through the iridescent fuchsia clad hills to the brightly coloured cluster of buildings of Eyeries a village renowned for its tweeness. The road winds further up through the mountains and the hamlets of Ardgroom and Lauragh before coming out to Kenmare. The complete loop will take you back to Glengarriff via the Caha Pass, a precarious winding road literally through the mountains, tunnelled in the 19th Century. The Ring of Beara would take a day's driving though you may wish to stay longer to explore its beauty on foot. Kenmare is a good base, as there aren't many options for accommodation out on the peninsula itself. To book your stay at the WANDER INN ACCOMMODATION click here
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