Holiday Destination: Killarney

Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, which is part of Killarney National Park. The town and its hinterland is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Purple Mountain, Mangerton Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Waterfall. Owing to its natural heritage, history and its location on the Ring of Kerry, Killarney is a popular tourist destination. Killarney was bestowed the prestigious Best Kept Town award in 2007 in a cross border competition jointly organised by the Department of the Environment and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council. In 2011 it was named Ireland's tidiest town and the cleanest town in the country by Irish Business Against Litter. Once higher than the Rocky Mountains, La Cloche's white quartzite cliffs gleam like snowy peaks from afar. Where paddlers, hikers, skiers and snowshoers now journey through in this craggy, imposing landscape, there is evidence that others passed thousands of years before. Killarney was heavily involved in the Irish War of Independence. The town, and indeed the entire county, had strong republican ties, and skirmishes with the British forces happened on a regular basis. The Great Southern Hotel, was for a while taken over by the British, both as an office and barracks, and to protect the neighbouring railway station. One notable event during the war was the Headford Ambush when the IRA attached a railway train a few miles from town. Killarney has over 250 years experience in welcoming guests. With Ireland's finest choice of Accommodation, Dining & Entertainment, Touring & Shopping Options, Sporting Activities galore and many nearby Blue Flag Beaches, all located in the midst of breathtaking and ever-changing beautiful landscapes, you will not be disappointed.

Climate

Summer 17 °C (60 °F), Winter 2.6 °C (34.87 °F)

Tourist Season

June to September is the best for visiting Killarney.

Accommodation

Hotels.

General Information Of Killarney

• Land Area: 5,270 sq ft (41.58 km2)
• Population: 13 Thousand.
• Capital City: Kerry.
• Language: Irish and English.

Tourist Attraction in or Near by Killarney

Whiskey Distilleries

The word whiskey is an Anglicisation of "uisce beatha/uisge beatha" a phrase from the Goidelic branch of languages Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx meaning water of life. Intoxicating liquor, and especially whiskey, is also sometimes referred to in Ireland as the craythur. Most Irish pot still whiskey is distilled three times, while Scotch whisky, apart from Auchentoshan, is distilled twice. Peat is rarely used in the malting process, so that Irish Whiskey has a smoother finish as opposed to the smoky, earthy overtones common to some Scotches. There are notable exceptions to these rules in both countries an example is Connemara Peated Irish Malt double distilled whiskey from the Cooley Distillery in Riverstown, Cooley, County Louth.

The Blarney Stone (Blarney Castle)

The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab. The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens. The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk. John O'Connor Power's definition is succinct 'Blarney is something more than mere flattery. It is flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit. Those who mix with Irish folk have many examples of it in their everyday experience.

Blasket Islands

The Blasket Islands are a group of islands off the west coast of Ireland, forming part of County Kerry. They were inhabited until 1953 by a completely Irish speaking population. The inhabitants were evacuated to the mainland on 17 November 1953. Many of the descendants currently live in Springfield, Massachusetts, and some former residents still live on the Dingle Peninsula, within sight of their former home. The islanders were the subject of much anthropological and linguistic study around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries particularly from writers and linguists such as Robin Flower, George Derwent Thomson and Kenneth H. Jackson. Thanks to their encouragement and that of others, a number of books were written by islanders that record much of the islands' traditions and way of life. These include An tOileánach by Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig by Peig Sayers and Fiche Blian ag Fás by Muiris Ó Súilleabháin.

Blennerville Windmill

Blennerville Windmill is a tower mill in Blennerville, Co. Kerry. It was built by Sir Rowland Blennerhassett in 1800 but by 1846 had fallen into ruins. In 1981 the Tralee Urban Council purchased the windmill and has developed it as a tourist attraction. Which seems a bit ironic, considering the fact that Dracula never drank wine. But then you’ll have to be either a pre teen or slightly inebriated to really enjoy this attraction.

O'Brien's Tower

O'Brien's Tower marks the highest point of the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland, located a short distance from the village Doolin, famous for its traditional Irish music. The tower is also near Liscannor a coastal village famous for its slate flagstones which were used for fencing purposes. The sheer drop of around 700 feet from a comparatively flat meadow down to the Atlantic is simply breathtaking. A visitor center and "Atlantic Edge" exhibition exist, but ultimately the natural landscape.

Seaside Resorts

The coast has always been a recreational environment, although until the mid-nineteenth century, such recreation was a luxury only for the wealthy. Even in Roman times, the town of Baiae, by the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy, was a resort for those who were sufficiently prosperous. During the early nineteenth century, the Prince Regent popularized Brighton, on the south coast of England, as a fashionable alternative to the wealthy spa towns such as Cheltenham. Later, Queen Victoria's long-standing patronage of the Isle of Wight and Ramsgate in Kent ensured the seaside residence was a highly fashionable possession for those wealthy enough to afford more than one home. Nowadays, many beach resorts are available as far afield as Goa in India. It was in the mid 19th century that it became popular for people from less privileged classes to take holidays at seaside resorts. Improvements in transport brought about by the industrial revolution enabled people to take vacations away from home, and led to the growth of coastal towns as seaside resorts.

Temple Bar

Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as Dublin's cultural quarter and has a lively nightlife that is popular with tourists. Some people could happily spend the rest of their lives in Temple Bar, or at least until the ATM does no longer provide cash. Others have a look, maybe a quick pint and then call it a day.

Accessibility

Bus Terminal in or Near by

Killarney Bus Station

Killarney
Killarney, Kerry, Ireland

Airport

Killarney Airport: For International and Domestic flights.

Railway Stations

Killarney Station

East Avenue
Killarney, Kerry, Ireland