| County Kerry |
| Killarney |
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Killarney - Ross Castle
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Killarney - Lough Leane
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Accommodation_Kerry
The main town of the county is a busy one as its picturesque lakes attract
tourism all year round. With the national park to its south and its
many souvenir shops and registered accommodation, Killarney is an ideal
base to explore the wonders of the surroundings.
Useful Information For emergencies, call the Killarney
District Hospital on 31076.
The bus station has a left luggage office (call 37509 for
information).
Killarney Post |
Office is located on New St and is open
9am-5.30pm Mon to Sat and 9.30am-5.30pm Sun.
The busy Tourist Office (call 31633 for information or
visit www.corkkerry.ie) is open at the following times: 9am to 6pm
Monday to Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sundays from June to September
9.15am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday the rest of the year
Sightseeing and Visiting 19th-century St Mary’s Cathedral (call 31014
for information) was built in neo-Gothic revival style. It has been
used as a hospital in the 1840s and as a refuge during the Famine. The
Museum of Irish Transport (call 32638 for information) is a fun place
to see. The collection of old cars, bicycles and many other items make
it an interesting visit.
A Memorial to Famine Victims was erected in 1972 at the northern end of
High St on which the following inscription reads: ‘This memorial will
not be unveiled until Ireland is free.’
Among the many activities available in Killarney, the most popular
would be fishing (call O’Neill’s on 31970 for information and equipment
rental), Riding (call Killarney Riding Stables on 31686 for
information) and golf (contact the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club on
31034 for information or visit www.killarney-golf.com). Entertainment
[Divertissements]
A lot of pubs in Killarney have traditional music. You could try
O’Connor’s on High St, Laurels Singing Pub & Wine Bar on Main St or
Scott’s Gardens Hotel on Scott’s Gardens.
A wide variety of shops are also available, not only souvenirs shops
but also sweater or music shops. KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK Covering some
10,236 hectares, Killarney National Park is located towards the
southwest of town and encloses a number of magnificent sites as well as
housing a herd of red deers. At the entrance of the park at St Mary’s
Cathedral is Knockreer House and its charming gardens. The present
building is actually not the original one which burnt down. It is
however a nice incarnation which dates back to the 1950s.
14th-century Ross Castle is located about 2.4km from the St Mary’s
Cathedral entrance to the park. On Inisfallen Island there are ruins of
an oratory (12th century) and of a monastery. The famous Annals of
Inisfallen were written on the island in the early 13th century. If you
want to reach Inisfallen Island, you can hire boats from Ross Castle
and row, or cross the river with one of the boatmen. The main centre of
attraction of the National Park is the Muckross Estate. Muckross House
(call 31440 for information or visit www.muckross-house.ie) is open to
the public and you can walk freely around the rooms. Surrounded by
lovely gardens, the house can also be reached via a path from Ross
Castle. The Muckross Traditional Farms (call 35571 for information) are
reproductions of Kerry farmhouses of the 1930s. A ‘vintage coach’ will
take you to the different buildings. There is a nice walking/cycle
track round Muckross Lake to the Meeting of the Waters, which is where
the three lakes (Lough Leane the Lower Lake, Muckross the Middle Lake,
and Upper Lake) meet. If you would like to cycle around Muckross Lake,
do not forget to do so in an anticlockwise direction, from Muckross
House towars the Meeting of the Waters, to avoid any unfortunate
accident.
Although not geographically located within the boundaries of the
National Park, the majority of visitors to the Gap of Dunloe end in the
park... Most enjoyable on a bike or a boat trip, you can also walk
through the Gap but it is not much fun in summer especially when
tourists literally invade the place. The group of mountains that stand
west of Killarney are the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks which highest peak is
Carantuohil. |
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