Ring of Kerry Recommendations

An Overview Of The Ring Of Kerry

This wide looping road consisting of 179 kilometers extends through the gorgeous countryside and wonderful small towns of Western Ireland. The Ring of Kerry contains many historical landmarks, absolutely heart-stopping views and unique food opportunities. There are various Ring of Kerry Recommendations listed below, starting from the most popular access point of Kilarney and moving counterclockwise around the loop.

This route initially starts in Killarney. For information regarding recommendations in Kilarney, click here.

A Route Around The Ring Of Kerry

Killorglin

Embedded in the heart of Kerry, this location is known for one of Ireland’s oldest and strangest festivals; The Puck Festival. The festival celebrates the confusing reign of an ancient and noble goat.  The land is known for its arching hills and curved shorelines.

Dooks Beach

A lovely sheltered and curving beach following the shore just outside of the Killorglin town limits. It is a popular location for rest, relaxing and shoreline walks.

King Puck

During this ancient celebration, a wild male goat (known as a “puck”) is crowned king of the town for three days before being returned to his normal life in the Irish hills, his royalty all but ignored by his fellow goats.

Glenbeigh 

Shown as “Gleann Beithe” in modern Irish, this is a town and civil parish surrounded by a horseshoe arc of hills and the sloping Seefin Mountain. The village is a popular stop for water-and-mountain combination sceneries.

Rosseigh Strand

This is a lengthy sandspit with beaches on either side extending into the Irish sea. The Strand is known for its sand dunes and herbaceous vegetation. Visitors often enjoy walking along the long shoreline or swimming in the crashing waves.

Glenbeigh Fairy Houses

These are a series of hiking trails looking into an enchanting forest outside of Glenbeigh.  The entire forest is lined with unique fairy-houses crafted by local school children. Visitors can spy doors embedded in trees, tiny homes in branches and other unique lodgings for Ireland’s famed “Good Neighbors.”

Coomasaharn Scribed Stones

Located just outside of Glenbeigh, there is a wide range of 400 neolithic stones, all over 4000 years old.  The stones are inscribed with unique glyphs and symbols. The Scribed Stones reside next to a gorgeous lake

Cahersiveen

Cahersiveen is a small Irish village surrounded by old ruins and narrow streets in the countryside. The village rests at the base of Beentee Mountain, on the river Fertha and overlooks Valentia Harbour. 

Ballycarbery Castle

Ballycarbery Castle is a dramatic stone fortification placed upon a rolling grass hill.  The castle has the crumbling appearance akin to a broken and toppling crown. Entry into the structure is free.

Kells Bay House and Garden

This is a small, subtropical garden experience overlooking Dingle Bay. The gardens operate as a combination of botanical park and upscale bed-and-breakfast.

Leacanabuaile Ring Fort

This is a gorgeous, rounded and eroded series of stone walls. The old fortifications make up the remnants of this stately fort, with impressive views over the countryside. The fort is constructed in a unique “Ring” shape, making it uniquely scenic.

Skellig Monks Sculpture

This is a famous, if odd, piece of artwork within the town of Cahersiveen. The art shows the notorious Skellig Monks aboard a curving ship, levitating over a green garden space.

Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve

Though Ireland is often cloudy and rainy, clear nights make way for truly stunning skies. The darkest portion of Ireland’s legendary skies exists here in the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve. This is one of the most beautiful zones to watch the heavens within the Ring of Kerry, though visitors should check the weather for clouds and the current moon cycle so moonlight doesn’t block out starlight.

Waterville

Waterville, historically known as the village of Coirean, is small strip of a town perched on a narrow, wind-battered isthmus. Lough Currane rests on the east side of town and the shores of Ballinskelligs Bay sits on the West. The two bodies of water are connected by the Currane River.

Eightercua Stone Row

Located a few minutes outside of Waterville, these are a series of flat, grand stones standing in a strong line atop a wide green zone. This is an impressive standing stone alignment made from parts of a Megalithic tomb.

Loher Stone Fort

This ancient, recently reconstructed fort is made of dense, circular stone ruins nestled atop their old fortified grounds. Origianlly, this unique structure would have been a hard-defense point protecting 9th century farmland. The fort is in a uniquely picturesque potion of the Ring of Kerry.

Caherdaniel

Caherdaniel is a small village near a windswept bay. This area is known for it’s numerous hiking trails, beautiful sheltered gardens and serene landscapes.

Derrynane Beach

This is a protected, dune-backed beach with perfectly white sands and the ruins of a medieval church on a nearby island.

Abbey Island

Abbey Island is an island of windswept grasses riding into ocean waters with the sharp, triangular stone ruins spearing up from the low shore. The Abbey stands on some of Ireland’s most idyllic, green beaches.

Irish Fairy Tales of Derrynane House

This is a magical fairy walking trail which cuts through the woodlands behind Derrynane House. Young visitors can discover miniature houses where fairies live. This is a free attraction and open throughout the year

Vincent Hyland Art Gallery

A gallery filled with slightly outlandish multimedia artworks. The gallery is slightly to the south of Caherdaniel, near Gortnakilly Beach.

Atlantic Irish Seaweed

Atlantic Irish Seaweed is a local specialty food and health substance used through the land as a special treat and useful restorative. It can be bought as a food, balm or medicine in various shops throughout the Ring of Kerry. However, the seaweed is especially associated with shops around Derrynane, southwest of Caherdaniel.

Sneem

Sneem is an artistic, tiny village at the base of a thin river. The town of Sneem is exceptionally picturesque, since it’s filled with traditional country houses and unique artworks.

The Way the Fairies Went

Located around the town’s center, The Way the Faries Went is a series of truly strange, esoteric structures of pointed stones hidden throughout Sneem. The features are sometimes called “The Pyramids of Sneem” due to their shape.

Brushwood Studios

These studios were created by a family of talented artists. The interior murals show Ireland in vibrant colors with astounding detail, focusing especially on scenery, community and cultural components of the Isle.

Bull Rock

Bull Rock is a spectacular, sharp-cliff island jutting directly from the swells of a sea into the sky.  It is a much cheaper alternative to Skellig for those wishing to explore some of Ireland’s monastic islands. The best way to see Bull Rock is by booking a Dursey Boat Tour.

Kenmare

Kenmare is a haven of tranquility, fine food, traditional scenery and sweeping landscapes. The small city is one of the most natural, unspoilt environments found in all of Europe

Molly Gallivan’s Traditional Cottage and Farm

These farms and cottage areas exist in a 200-year-old traditional setting which offers tours and insights into Ireland’s cultural heritage.

Gleninchaquin Park

This vivid park provides breath-taking landscape views and stunning Irish scenery. It’s a sheer delight to wander around this area, crossing over streams with log bridges to visit boxed-in mountain edges.

Reenagross Woodland Park

This is part of a densely wooded peninsula set within the beautiful landscape of Kenmare Bay.

Kenmare Stone Circle

One of the easiest prehistoric monuments to visit in Ireland, this series of immense stones rests quietly in a field surrounded by rustling pines. There are sacred Hawthorne trees at this site, as well as plaques describing the mysteries of ancient stone circles.

Cromwell’s Bridge

This odd bridge isn’t actually named for Oliver Cromwell. Instead, the word “Cromwell” comes from a bastardized version of the Gaelic term “Moustache” which describes the shape of the bridge. This old, steep structure once carried pack horses over a narrow river.  Now, it arches gracefully for photos while choked with moss and ivy.

Dunkerron Castle

This is a ruined four-story tower house, half shattered by time and erosion. It’s located deep in the Irish countryside.

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