Ireland – Day 6 – Travels with Carolyne

Ring of Kerry/Killarney – Day 6 of a 9-Day Trip in Ireland

I joined a 1-day tour of the Ring of Kerry and the Killarney National Park on Day 6. It is mostly a driving tour, which if you don’t have a car is great. If you do have a car, I would skip the tour and just do the driving yourself. The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive with coastal views. Unfortunately, the weather was poor on this day, so I didn’t have access to all the views! Another popular tour is the Dingle Peninsula. I only had one full day in Killarney, so I was forced to pick only one tour. I have heard great things about the Dingle Peninsula however.

Day 6
Ring of Kerry/Killarney

To start my day, I had breakfast at the Airbnb, then walked to the tour meeting spot at the Deros Tour office. The itinerary for the day was as follows:

Drive through Killorglin
Stop at the Kerry Bog Village Museum (not included in Tour Ticket)
Watch the Sheep Dog Show (not included in Tour Ticket)
Stop at Ballinskelligs Bay
Lunch at the Scariff Inn (not included in Tour Ticket)
Stop at Sneem
Drive through Killarney National Park (including a stop at Ladies’ View)

Our first destination, Killorglin, was only a drive through. We passed by the King Puck Statue (unfortunately I did not get a good photo). The King Puck Statue represents the oldest Irish festival – the Puck Fair – where a male goat is made the king of the town for 3 days. It happens every year from August 10 to 12 and the tradition traces back to the 1600s.

Next, we stopped at the Kerry Bog Village Museum for about 20 minutes. The museum is located beside the Red Fox Inn and is quite small. It is an outdoor museum with thatched cottages and animals. It provides a glimpse into what life in Ireland was like between 1800-1900. It was interesting, but I did not think it was worth the 7euros/person admission fee.

Next stop was a Sheep Dog Show at Kells Sheepdogs, Ring of Kerry. The admission for the show is 7euros/person and so worth it! The show is about 30 minutes long and the Shepherd explains how the dogs are trained to herd sheep, along with a demonstration. I was fascinated by how the dogs know which direction to go based on how the Shepherd blows his whistle. I also learned that sheep wool is not an economical business as farmers spend more to shave the wool than to sell the wool. Farmers shave the wool mainly to maintain the good health of the sheep.

On the way to the Scariff Inn for lunch, we stopped briefly (less than 10 minutes) at Ballinskelligs Bay.

The Scariff Inn boasts itself as “Ireland’s Best Known View (Fog Permitting)”. Unfortunately, it was a foggy afternoon, so I can’t comment on if it is Ireland’s best. In the distance, I could barely make out what could be small islands. This was the lunch stop, so we stopped for 40 minutes at the inn. I had made a sandwich for lunch and ate it in the lounge area of the inn.

After lunch, there was a stop at the village of Sneem (~20 minutes). I visited the gift shop and walked around the area. The Sneem Falls is a nice spot to view. I also saw a local walking his ram.

It was then time to drive through the Killarney National Park. There was one stop at a lovely viewpoint called Ladies’ View. Ladies’ View got its name from Queen Victoria’s Ladies-in-Waiting during their visit in 1861. The fog definitely hid most of the view, but I could tell it was a scenic location.

After about at least an hour of driving through the Killarney National Park, we arrived back at Killarney. It was after 4pm at that time, so I made the decision to walk ~30 minutes to the Ross Castle. Although the castle was still open by the time I arrived, I decided not to pay the 5 euros/person and instead wandered around the grounds.

On the way back to Killarney, I took the trail through the Killarney National Park, which leads back to the Killarney House and Gardens. Here is a photo of the Killarney House in the distance and red deer grazing to the right.

It was then time for dinner at the Mad Monk by Quinlans. I ordered the mussels and chips along with a glass of white wine. Great way to end my day.

Complete Day 6 Itinerary

*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.

9:00am: Have breakfast.

10:00am: Meet at the Deros Tour Office for the Ring of Kerry Tour. The tour consists of a visit to the Kerry Bog Village Museum, a Sheep Dog Show, Ballinskelligs Bay, Ladies’ View, Killarney National Park, and a drive through of multiple small towns including Killorglin, Waterville, and Cahersiveen.

4:00pm: Visit the Ross Castle (35 minute walk from Killarney).

5:00pm: Explore the trails in the Killarney National Park while heading back to Killarney Town Centre (40 minute walk from Ross Castle).

6:00pm: Have dinner at the Mad Monk by Quinlans.