Ring of Kerry & Killarney
After strolling around Kenmare, we embarked on the 
Ring of Kerry. This scenic coastal drive can get busy in the summer months, but was perfect in late May.
The towns around the Ring are “blink and you’ll miss them” size, and often play host to tour bus groups looking to stretch their legs. It’s best to pass on through and pull over on the side of the highway at one of the many lookout points.
Leave 3-4 hours to do the entire drive if you plan to stop at the beach or pause for photos.
If you’re in a rush to get to Killarney, you can always take a more direct route from Kenmare by 
driving North through Killarney National Park. You can also skip the Ring of Kerry and go for its quieter neighbour, the Dingle Peninsula, where every turn is breathtaking.
At first glance, Killarney is disappointing. It became a popular tourist spot over 100 years ago when Queen Victoria popped in for a visit and since then has been an example of how tourism can damage the authenticity of a place. The main city streets are packed with souvenir shops and pseudo-Irish pub restaurants. But if you look a little harder, you can experience some real gems.
For dinner we ate a delicious meal at The Smoke House. The service was a bit harried, but it was worth it to get a taste of the local gastronomy. My fishcakes were heavenly, and my friend’s steak was one of the best she’d ever had. Make sure you leave room for dessert, however, as just up the road is the famous Murphy’s Ice Cream shop. Their all-natural flavours are made by the Murphy brothers in Dingle – Irish Sea Salt and Caramelised Brown Bread, for example.
Other highlights for dining include Bricin and Treyvaud’s.
After your ice cream, carry on further up the road to The Grand, a Killarney icon and live music bar. Pass straight through the main room, however, and into the back, where you are likely to find
a true Irish “session” with fiddle, accordion, banjo, tin whistle, and bodhran drum, and a dozen partners dancing traditional Irish steps. Your toes will be tapping.
We recommend you settle in at the Killarney Park Hotel to enjoy its gardens and exceptional service, or the Malton for a sense of thoughtful design. The bartenders are all highly trained in Irish whiskey and will be happy to take you through a tasting.
The next day we drove five minutes out of town to Ross Castle in Killarney National Park. Overlooking the misty Lough Leane, you can take a guided tour of the fortress to learn about its quirky history. Leave a few hours to walk Ross Island, however. This jungle-like forest, pitted with ancient mineral mines, offers stunning vistas of the lake and park.
Virtu World Travel 