Hidden Gems
Kerry is home to an almost endless number of places to visit and things to do and many of them hidden away off the beaten path... here are our favorites
Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve
On clear moonless nights the sky in this South West region of Ireland is simply stunning; with many more astronomical sights to be seen with the naked eye as can be seen say in the Grand Canyon or the Desert Plains of Africa.
This is the only Gold Tiered Reserve in the whole of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only Reserve that has a playground, a church, a little pub, a hostel, a graveyard, several beaches, a listed house – Derrynane House & Gardens and a chocolate factory. It takes in Kells, Caherciveen, Portmagee, Valentia Island, The Glen, Ballinskelligs, Waterville, Dromid and Derrynane/Caherdaniel.
Molly Gallivan's Cottage & Traditional Farm
Molly Gallivan’s cottage and traditional farm invites you to take a step back in time to experience the simple country lifestyle in rural Ireland before the days of electricity and modern conveniences. Molly’s enchanting cottage is over 200 years old and her farm is complete with animals, fowl and traditional farm machinery. Molly’s old Tea Shop is very unique in Ireland, here you will taste locally made foods cooked and baked in the traditional fashion.
Traditional Irish evenings are also held at Molly Gallivan’s cottage, these are nights of Irish food, music, song, dance and story telling, re-enacting the old customs that took place in Irish homes.
Located outside Dingle town, to the South on Basllymacadoyle Hill. Eask Tower is an 18th century stone tower that was built as a beacon for guiding ships coming into Dingle bay. From the summit, on a clear day, you have a view of Dingle bay, the Blasket Islands, Mount Brandon to the North and Skellig Michael.
Staigue Fort is probably one of the best examples of an ancient ringfort in Kerry. Its size is truly impressive! It is nearly 30 metres in diameter. Staigue Fort is surrounded by hills which open out onto the coast at the south side. It is located on the Iveragh peninsula, 3 miles west of Sneem. It was built without mortar from local stone with the outer ring wall being 90 feet in diameter. On the north and west sides of the fort the wall rises to 18 feet in height and goes from 13 feet thick at the bottom to 7 feet thick at the top.
The Fahan Beehive Huts comprises 19 souterrain and 18 standing clochans (beehive huts) dating from over 1000 years ago. There are also inscribed stones, sculptured crosses and earthen ring forts, all located on the Dingle Peninsula’s Slea Head Road in County Kerry.
The fascinating beehive huts are characteristic of the area and owe their shape to the ancient method of construction known as drystone corbelling.
Visit the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, one of Ireland's most famous historical figures, at Derrynane House, in Caherdaniel, Co. Kerry. Enjoy 120 hectares of parklands in this national treasure on the scenic Kerry coast. Dublin's main street, O'Connell Street, is named after him, and he's known as one the greatest figures in modern Irish history, but the home of Daniel O'Connell, Derrynane House is largely undiscovered. The impressive house is sheltered in woodland at the tip of the Iveragh Peninsula on the scenic Ring of Kerry.
The round tower at Rattoo has always been regarded as one of the finest examples in the country. Rattoo Round Tower was built around 1100 and is very well preserved. Found near the village of Ballyduff and about 25km north of Tralee, the Rattoo Round Tower stands on the grounds of an ancient monastery. It’s thought to have been founded by Bishop Lughach, one of the first Christian evangelists in County Kerry. Additionally, the site boasts the ruins of a 15th-century church, whose structure includes stones from an earlier house of worship.
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