Page 165 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

C ORK AND KERR Y  163

Jaunting cars waiting to take visitors to
sights around Killarney
7 Killarney
9 Kilmalkedar (Cill Maolchéadair)
View from Clogher Head Once a pagan centre of worship, Road map B5. Co Kerry. * 15,000.
Kilmalkedar is home to a ruined Irish £ @ n Beech Rd (064 663 1633).
Romanesque church with stone carvings. ( Fri. ∑ killarney.ie
The graveyard still contains primitive
pagan stones, a cross and a sundial. Killarney is often derided as
“a tourist town” but this has
8 Gallarus Oratory not dented its cheerful atmos-
(Séipéilín Ghallrois) phere. The infectious Kerry
This tiny, dry-stone church humour is personified by the
(see p161) is a relic of early wise-cracking jarveys whose
Irish Christianity. families have run jaunting cars
(pony and trap rides) here for
generations. The town gets
busy in summer but still has
much to offer then, with
shops open until 10pm,
1 Dingle (An Daingean)
Dingle, famous for local resident several excellent restaurants,
Fungi the dolphin, is a good place to and a few prestigious hotels
R559
eat, drink or stay the night (see p161). around the lakes. From the
town visitors can explore the
sights around the Lakes of
Killarney (see pp166–7) and
Ventry
( Ceann Trá) the surround ing heather-
Dingle Tralee covered hills.
Harbour
N86 Environs
Overlooking the lakes and a
short drive from Killarney is
Muckross House, an imposing
Ventr y Harbour
mansion built in 1843 in
Elizabethan style. Inside, the
elegant rooms are decorated
D I N G L E B AY with period furnishings. The
mansion is also home to the
Museum of Kerry Folklife. Next
to the house is the Walled
Garden Centre; the landscaped
gardens are parti cu larly beauti-
Tips for Drivers ful in spring when the rhodo-
dendrons and azaleas are in
Length: 40 km (25 miles). bloom. The nearby Muckross
Stopping-off points: Most Traditional Farms portray rural
villages on the route, such as life in the 1930s and 1940s.
Dunquin and Ballyferriter, have
friendly bars offering pub meals. P Muckross House
2 Dunbeg Fort (An Dún Beag) There are also many opportunities
Dating from the Iron Age, this is one to stop for a picnic. On the Footer 6 km (3.5 miles), The National
of the best-preserved promontory winding coast road around Slea Park, S of Killarney. Tel 064 667 0144.
forts in Ireland. Just beyond are the Head stop only at the safe and Open Jul–Aug: 9am– 7pm daily;
Fahan bee hive huts, early Christian clearly marked coastal viewing Sep–Jun: 9am–5:30pm daily.
huts thought to have been built for points (see also pp365–7). Closed 26 Dec–2 Jan.
& 0 7 8 =
pilgrims visiting the area.
∑ muckross-house.ie
Stunning view of the Sneem River on the Ring of Kerry
IR_162-163_C&K_tour.indd 163 25/04/16 11:02 am