Killarney is the Mecca for visitors to Kerry and offers a myriad of attractions in the midst of glorious scenery. It is a superb resort for golf, fishing, boating, hill and nature walking, touring, dining, pony trekking, cycling, horse racing, shopping and entertainment. Developed by Lord Kenmare in the 18th century, Killarney quickly devloped itself into one a firm base for Ireland’s tourist industry. People have been coming to this remote, but beautiful spot, from all over the world for the past two hundred years or so. Visitors shouldn’t be put off by Killarney’s traidion as a tourist town as it makes a pleasant base to explore the scenery and other attractions of Kerry.
Shopping
Killarney boasts an excellent range of shopping amenities from traditional craft shops and gift shops to chic fashion shops, music shops, outdoor stores and much more.
Eating Out
Places to eat come in all shapes, sizes and varieties in Killarney. Restaurants available range from simple but wholesome food to expensive and exotic haut cuisine. Due to Killarney’s location near the Atlantic Ocean seafood is a speciality here. Other types of cuisine to be found here include, Italian, Chinese, & continental. For lunches and breakfast there are cafe’s and bar’s which offer varied menus to suit all pockets.
Nightlife
Predictably much of Killarney’s night-time entertainment is based around listening to traditional music in some of its cosy pubs and bars. Those who seek that will not be disappointed as there are places that have live music every night all year round. For those who seek a quieter night out there are many fine cafe’s to relax in. People interested in a more modern kind of nightlife are also well catered for by modern bars and nightclubs.
Top Attractions in Killarney, County Kerry
Coolwood Wildlife Sanctuary and Zoo is a sancturary and children’s zoo and is located about two miles from Killarney town. Situated on 50 acres, it is an ideal family venue with scenic walks, coffee shop, childrens playground and the 3 acre childrens zoo has a rich variety of exotic species.
Dereen Gardens are situated near Killarney. The gardens give glimpses of the sea and the surrounding wild and majestic country.
Muckross Friary is a Franciscan Friary, founded in the 15th century, and in a remarkable state of preservation. The tower was added after the church was built and is the only Franciscan tower in Ireland which is as wide as the church.
Ross Castle – This Castle may be considered a typical example of the stronghold of an Irish Chieftain during the Middle Ages. The date of its foundation is uncertain but it was probably built in the late 15th century by one of the O’Donoghue Ross chieftains.
The Lakes of Killarney – The three main lakes of Killarney occupy a broad valley stretching south between the mountains, the Lower, Middle and Upper lakes, all lie within the Killarney National Park. Spectacular scenery.
Getting to Killarney and Around
Killarney has both bus and rail connections to the rest of the country.
The N22 route connects it with Cork City, while the N22/N23/N21 route connects it with Limerick; from both locations, it connects with the country’s motorway network.
Kerry Airport at Farranfore offers limited services to the UK and continental Europe. Shannon and Cork Airports are within a couple of hours’ drive of the town.
14 Killarney Bus Station - Limerick Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
14 Limerick Bus Station - Killarney Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
40 Tralee Bus Station - Rosslare Harbour Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
40 Rosslare Harbour - Tralee Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
271 Tralee Bus Station - Killarney Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
271 Killarney Bus Station - Tralee Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
279A Waterville - Killarney Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
279A Killarney Bus Station - Waterville Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
284 Killarney Bus Station - Tralee Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
284 Tralee Bus Station - Killarney Bus Station Bus route operated by Bus Éireann
Public transport route information is Irish Public Sector Data licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence
Our Co. Kerry Transport Guide provides more information on getting to and around County Kerry.