Let me kick off this blog with a bang: Ireland! One of my favourite countries ever. In this post I will give you an overview of what to do and see in County Kerry, Ireland.

I visited Ireland for the first time in 20212 and have been in love with this beautiful country ever since. With that being said, the photos in this post are a bit old and I didn’t have the best camera back then so excuse the quality.

Mode of travel

My travel companion and I booked flights to and from Dublin. We rented a car for one week and drove down to Kerry from Dublin. The drive there took us about six hours including a food and toilet break.

When you rent a car in Ireland, depending on where you’re from, you should be aware of the fact that they drive on the left side of the road. It takes a wee bit getting used to and the drive out of the city from Dublin airport can be a bit stressful but as soon as you’re on the freeway it’s fine. The further away you get from the capital, the lesser traffic will be on the roads.

When you go to Ireland’s more rural areas it’s best to go by car because public transport is not an option and a car enables you to move around freely and be more flexible. Also keep in mind that in the countryside it can take a while to cover small distances because often there are only country and dirt roads that require you to drive slowly.

Accommodation

We rented an adorable little cottage called The Solar House in Ballinskelligs, a rural little village near Killarney. From there we were able to conveniently reach all the places we visited by car without having to drive more than a couple hours.

Kells Beach

This is only one example of the many beautiful beaches you’ll come across in Kerry. You’ll find yourself stopping by the side of the road a lot because behind every turn there will be another stunning view.

Kells Beach is a lovely little spot near Caherciveen that was awarded with a Blue Flag (one of the world’s most recognised awards for beaches). While this one is a sandy beach, there are also heaps of rocky beaches without sand in Ireland, so make sure to check out what you’re dealing with if you only like one or the other.

Cliffs of Kerry

One of Kerry’s most famous tourist spots are the Cliffs of Kerry. While it can be very busy in the summer months, we got lucky and had them all to ourselves in the off-season. The cliffs are over 300 metres high and offer stunning views of the coast landscape, Skellig Rocks and Puffin Island. Definitely a great place to watch birds or go for a walk and enjoy the wild Irish coast. Admission fee is 4 € including parking.

If you’re looking for a spot to rest your legs afterwards, there is a nice little café, too as well as a caravan and camping park for those who choose to stay a bit longer.

Valentia Island

Valentia Island is one of Europe’s westernmost inhabited islands. You will be blown away by the picturesque villages, lush green nature, impressive rock formations and – of course again – the views! I recommend taking at least half a day to drive around and explore the area because this is a paradise for landscape photography, bird watching and such. When we were there we visited Knightstown and its old graveyard, the Slate Quarry and Waterville, a village where Charlie Chaplin used to spend his holidays.

Ballinskelligs Beach and Old Burial Ground

Ballinskelligs Beach was on our doorstep, only a short walk or drive away from the accommodation. This place absolutely stole our heart when it greeted us with a rainbow that day – it was magical to say the least!

Ballinskelligs Old Burial Ground and Abbey is right next to the beach and has its very own mystical atmosphere. You can still find the ruins of an Augustinian Priory there which is surrounded by very old tomb stones.

Staigue Fort and Leacanabuile Fort

Staigue Fort is one of the largest stone ringforts in all of Ireland. While an exact determination of its age is not possible, it is assumed that this fort was built during the Iron Age (1200 – 550 BC). When I visited Staigue Fort I had never seen anything like it before – it was very impressing, the stone craftsmanship is insane! I should add that there is no admittance fee, you can simply park nearby, walk over and enter freely.

Leacanabuile Fort is a partly reconstructed stone fort and – just as Staigue Fort – it dates back to the Iron Age. If you can’t get enough of these fascinating stone structures, there are other forts in the same area that you can visit, too. They’re called Lohar Stone Fort, Caherdaniel Stone Fort and Cahergal Stone Fort.

Ballycarbery Castle

Ballycarbery Castle is a 16th century castle ruin near Caherciveen. It looks like it was copied out of a fairytale and pasted there. When I visited, it was all fenced up an I wasn’t sure if I could enter the property. I didn’t want to trespass and only took pictures from the outside. However the official Ring of Kerry website says, you’re free to enter (so I might have to re-visit at some point).

Famine Cottage

When you drive along the Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula you will come across the Famine Cottage, which is an outdoor museum displaying life in the 19th century when the Great Famine hit Ireland. You can peek inside the cottages, learn about the hard farmer life back in the day, pet animals and sometimes there are even sheep dog performances which show sheep dog training skills that have been handed down over generations. Admission fee to the museum is about 3 €.

Gallarus Oratory

Research hasn’t shed light on the year this oratory was built, but some argue that it’s an early Irish stone chapel, possibly a funerary chapel. Others argue that it might be a Romanesque oratory. Whatever its purpose was, it is tiny. You can step inside but you really have to watch your head. Admission fee is somewhere around 3€.

Other things to do and see in Kerry

Before finishing this post I would like to give you some more options of to-dos that I don’t have pictures of or that we were not able to do when we were in Kerry. There is so much to see and explore, you can hardly fit it all into one week. I’m pretty sure I will return to this beautiful corner of the world and catch up on everything I missed.

Dingle Town

This small town has the same name like the peninsula and is a lovely destination to have some food, roam the streets, do some (window) shopping and visit the statue of Fungie the Dolphin, Dingle’s most famous resident. Sadly, the dolphin itself disappeared in 2020 and has not returned yet. Some people think he was very old and might have passed away but news of dolphin sightings in the Dingle Sea every now and then still leave a spark of hope. Fingers crossed for Fungie!

Skelligs Islands Tour

This activity depends on the weather. When I was in Kerry, I couldn’t go to the Skelligs Islands because the weather was too rough. It’s definitely on my list for next time though! Scenes from Star Wars movies were filmed on the Skelligs – how cool is that?! I’d also love to see the wildlife, especially the cute puffins who live on the cliffs, and the remains of the ancient beehive monastery buildings this place is famous for.

Killarney National Park

Ireland’s oldest national park is a must when you’re visiting the area. I went there and took a guided tour to learn more about its flora, fauna and history. Ladies’ View is worth a visit as well as Muckross House and Torc Waterfall.

This concludes my Kerry trip back in 2012 and today, almost ten years later, I still speak about this trip as one of my all-time favourites! I returned to Ireland after that and visited other places because I absolutely fell in love with the rugged landscape, the cool climate, the country’s fascinating history and the Irish people (more Ireland content to come in the future). The Emerald Island will forever have a special place in my heart.