After a few days in Galway, we drove over to Killarney, a charming mid-sized town to the southwest of Ireland. We arrived just as a “rally” was ending–we didn’t know what that was at first, but it turned out to be a car race that attracted throngs of young people.
Similar to Galway, we didn’t spend much time in Killarney proper other than Manna’s Cafe for a full Irish breakfast and Mizu for tasty Japanese dinner, but it was a great hub for the surrounding area, particularly the Ring of Kerry (a 3-hour circular drive around some of the most beautiful areas of Ireland).
Midleton Distillery: This is perhaps better known as the Jameson tour, but the Midleton Distillery makes a wide variety of whiskey. The tour of the old facility is excellent–it really gives you a good idea of how whiskey is made, and there’s a fun tasting at the end.
Blarney Castle: We thought the famed Blarney Stone would be the only feature here, but there’s a whole estate and gardens surrounding the castle! We weren’t there on a busy day, but we still moved at a crawl as we inched up the many stories of narrow staircases and ancient bathrooms (“gardenrobes”). I wasn’t planning on kissing the stone, but the journey was so long that I wanted some type of payoff at the end! You literally get on your back and lean way over backwards, and if you’re like me, you don’t actually put your lips on the stone.
Mucross Abbey, Torc Waterfall, and Sneem: These are three stops during the Ring of Kerry drive that I think are worth 30-45 minutes. There’s a nice stroll through the abbey park, a short hike up to and around the Torc waterfall, and Sneem is a lovely colorful village where you can get a nice lunch at places like Adam’s Kitchen (make sure to get a few different seafood stews in Ireland–they always seemed to be tasty).
Whitestrand Beach: This was the biggest surprise of the trip for me and one of my favorite stops. It at first appears to be a tiny secluded cove, but the more you wander around, the more little wonders and delights you’ll find. It was so calm, quiet, and beautiful. We literally lost track of so much time that the tide started coming in!
Cliffs of Kerry: A close second to the Cliffs of Moher are the Cliffs of Kerry, which are stunning! Not only that, but the view includes an island where they filmed parts of Star Wars episode VIII (it’s where Luke Skywalker lives and where blue milk comes from).
Rock of Cashel: I was actually a bit castled out by the time we got here, but it was neat to see how imposing the castle and church look from below.
We’ll end the trip in the Dublin area, which I’ll discuss soon!
Don’t miss the Emigration museum in Dublin. Quite eye opening.