Ring of Kerry & Killarney

Why Ring of Kerry & Killarney works

The Ring of Kerry circles the Iveragh Peninsula for 179 kilometres, a route that takes in some of Ireland's most dramatic coastal and mountain scenery in a single drive, though most visitors find a single day insufficient to do it justice. Killarney National Park, the loop's eastern anchor, holds Ireland's only wild native herd of red deer alongside Muckross House, a Victorian mansion with formal gardens set against the lakes and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks — Ireland's highest mountain range, with Carrauntoohil topping out at just over a thousand metres. Ladies' View, named for the enthusiasm of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting on an 1861 visit, offers the loop's most photographed panorama over the Lakes of Killarney. Further along, the road winds through Moll's Gap and Kenmare's colourful shopfronts before hugging the Atlantic coast past Waterville, where a statue of Charlie Chaplin recalls his family's regular holidays here, and Skellig Michael, the monastic island (and Star Wars filming location) visible offshore on clear days. Traditional jaunting cars — pony-drawn traps — still ferry visitors through parts of the national park, a slower way to take in scenery built for exactly that pace. Driving the ring anticlockwise, against the flow of tour coaches, makes for easier stops and photographs.

Trip Snapshot

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