Page 310 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

The Drive »It’s 186km to authentic charms are all
Dingle if you go via Limerick yours to savour. Many of 8 Slea Head
city, but only 142km if you go via Dingle’s pubs double as
the N68 to Killimer for the ferry shops, so you can enjoy Overlooking the mouth of
across the Shannon estuary to Guinness and a singalong Dingle Bay, Mt Eagle and
Tarbert. The views get fabulous among such items as the Blasket Islands, Slea
when you’re beyond Tralee on Head has fine beaches,
the N86, especially if you take screws and nails, wellies good walks and superbly
the 456m Connor Pass, Ireland’s and horseshoes. preserved structures
highest. from Dingle’s ancient
54 p313
past, including beehive
The Drive »It’s only 17km to
TRIP HIGHLIGHT Slea Head along the R559. The huts, forts, inscribed
7 Dingle Town views – of the mountains to stones and church sites.
Dunmore Head is the
In summer, Dingle’s hilly the north and the wild ocean to westernmost point on
the south and west – are a big
streets can be clogged chunk of the reason you came to the Irish mainland and
with visitors, there’s Ireland in the first place. the site of the wreckage
just no way around it; in 1588 of two Spanish
in other seasons, its Armada ships.
The Iron Age Dun-
beg Fort is a dramatic
IRELAND 22 ICONIC IRELAND
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: example of a promontory
ENNIS’ BEST TRAD fortification, perched atop
SESSION PUBS a sheer sea cliff about 7km
southwest of Ventry on
Cíaran’s Bar (1 Francis St; h10.30am-11.30pm Mon-Thu, the road to Slea Head. The
to 12.30am Fri & Sat, 12.30-11pm Sun) Slip into this fort has four outer walls
small place by day and you can be just another of stone. Inside are the
geezer pondering a pint. At night there’s usually remains of a house and a
trad music. Bet you wish you had a copy of the beehive hut, as well as an
Guinness mural out front! underground passage.
Brogan’s (24 O’Connell St; h10.30am-11.30pm Mon-Thu, The Drive »The 88km to
to 12.30am Fri & Sat, 12.30-11pm Sun) On the corner Killarney will take you through
of Cooke’s Lane, Brogan’s sees a fine bunch of Annascaul (home to a pub once
musicians rattling even the stone floors from owned by Antarctic explorer Tom
about 9pm Monday to Thursday, plus even more Crean) and Inch (whose beach
nights in summer. is seen in Ryan’s Daughter). At
Castlemaine, turn south towards
Cruise’s Pub (Abbey St; hnoon-2am) There are trad Miltown then take the R563 to
music sessions most nights from 9.30pm. Killarney.
Poet’s Corner Bar (Old Ground Hotel, O’Connell St;
h 11am-11.30pm Mon-Thu, 11-12.30am Fri & Sat, noon-11pm 9 Killarney
Sun) This old pub often has massive trad sessions Beyond its proximity to
on Fridays. lakes, waterfalls, wood-
O’Dea’s (66 O’Connell St; h 10.30am-11.30pm Mon-Thu, land and moors dwarfed
to 12.30am Fri & Sat, 12.30-11pm Sun) Unchanged since by 1000m-plus peaks,
at least the 1950s, this plain-tile-fronted pub is Killarney has many
a hideout for local musicians serious about their charms of its own as well
trad sessions. Gets some of Clare’s best. as being the gateway
to the Ring of Kerry,

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