The Ring of Kerry

Introduction

The mystical Ring of Kerry, with its emerald hills and clear blue waters, provides us with an insight into the ancient heritage of Ireland.

Meeting in the town of Killarney, we discover a land of forests and lakes, of Franciscan abbeys and Druidic stone circles. We visit the Torc waterfalls and examine Celtic writings on an ancient Ogham stone, before sampling the famous Irish ‘craic’ in a traditional lakeside inn.

A highlight of our trip is meeting a local farmer on the hills above Caragh Lake who explains the traditional methods for cutting turf.

Walk Summary

Dates	31-May-09 - 06-Jun-09 21-Jun-09 - 27-Jun-09 30-Aug-09 - 05-Sep-09 27-Sep-09 - 03-Oct-09
Trip	7 days, 6 nights
Terrain	Each days walk is within sight of water, lakes, sea or rivers. Our paths are on the soft turf covering hill-sides, or narrow lanes and tracks swathes of islands are in view most days. We cover 8-12 miles daily encountering modest ups and downs. The Wayfarers van is always at hand.
Price	US$3895.00 per person double occupancy (single supplement US$450.00)

Walk begins in Killarney, with arrival at Killarney Rail Station and ends in Caragh Lake, with departure from Killarney Rail Station.

Walk Highlights

We'll start here

Sunday

Meet The Wayfarers in Killarney for a Welcome Dinner and Introductory Talk.

Overnight: Killarney

Monday

We walk forest and lakeside trails leading to the ruins of a Franciscan abbey, scene of secret midnight weddings in Elizabethan times, followed by lunch in the grounds of Muckross House and Park. We take a horse and cart ride to Torc Falls and walk a 16th-century track to the lively little town of Kenmare. Optional afternoon guided tour of Muckross House.

Overnight: Kenmare

Tuesday

We follow the remote 'Beara Way' for views of the Kenmare Estuary and the peaks of McGillycuddys Reeks. A country lane passes a Druids' stone circle leading to a lakeside inn where we enjoy a traditional Irish lunch. We continue along country lanes savoring idyllic sea views over Kenmare Bay and through sub-tropical gardens of Dereen House on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Overnight: Kenmare

Wednesday

We begin at the 2000 year old Staigue Fort where we learn about Celtic folklore and follow the 'Kerry Way' to enjoy Atlantic Ocean vistas. We continue across pastures and lanes, pausing to examine the ancient Celtic writings on an Ogham Stone, then crossing the white sands of Derrynane Bay to visit the home of 'The Liberator', Irish patriot Daniel O'Connell.

Overnight: Waterville

Thursday

We follow an old track beside a stream to Dingle Bay with sweeping sea views to the distant Mount Eagle. We rejoin the Kerry Way to Caragh Lake which, if the tide allows, we cross by fishing boat to land at the magnificent lakeside gardens of our hotel.

Overnight: Caragh Lake

Friday

We walk the gorse and heather-covered hills above Caragh Lake over to Blackstone Bridge where salmon fishermen gather. After a picnic lunch we meet a local farmer to discover how he cuts the turf for winter fuel and see his faithful sheepdog at work. We return to Caragh Lake for our Farewell Dinner.

Overnight: Caragh Lake

Saturday

The Wayfarers see you safely on your way back to Killarney Rail Station.

This itinerary represents a typical Walk. We prepare itineraries well in advance of the trip and therefore we reserve the right to make changes due to weather, local events or other circumstances - but always to improve the experience of our guests.

Hotels

To see the complete list of hotels, please login or register.

The Lansdowne Arms Hotel - Monday & Tuesday

The Lansdowne Arms Hotel

Kenmare
County Kerry

T: +353 (0)6-441-368
E:info@lansdownearms.com
W: www.lansdownearms.com

The Lansdowne Arms hotel is an oasis of tranquility and elegance, situated in the heart of Kenmare town. Built in the 1790's as the town residence for William Perry Fitzmaurice, the 2nd Earl of Shelbourne, the hotel is steeped in history with a long tradition of hospitality.

Standard features include King sized beds, TV, hairdryers, tea, coffee making facilities, safe, direct dial telephone and private parking. The dining room offers guests excellent food, combining both traditional Irish dishes with a wide range of international cuisine. The Lansdowne Arms hotel is home to two bars. "The Bold Thady Quill" is extremely popular with guests and locals alike.

Enjoy the lively atmosphere where you can dance or sing along most nights to some of Ireland's finest traditional music. If you prefer, you can unwind and relax in elegant surroundings in the "Poet", where you can sit back and enjoy a quiet drink or sip a cocktail with friends.

The Butler Arms Hotel - Wednesday

The Butler Arms Hotel

Waterville
County Kerry

T: +353 (0)6-6947-4144
F: +353 (0)6-6947-4520
E: reservations@butlerarms.com
w: www.butlerarms.com

The warmest of Irish hospitality welcomes you at this hotel. The well-known Butler Arms, run by the same family for four generations, is treasured for its air of luxury combined with a homely, intimate atmosphere.

The unique climate of Waterville is aided by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and this enables visitors to enjoy the region all year round. Rooms are impeccably furnished to be a comfortable home from home with full ensuite facilities.

The restaurant offers a varied menu, specialising in a variety of fresh seafood & local meats and all of the seafood is caught daily by local fishermen in the waters of the south-west coast.

Carrig Country House & Restaurant - Thursday & Friday

Carrig Country House & Restaurant

Caragh Lake
Ring of Kerry

T: +353 (0)6-6976-9100
F: +353 (0)6-6976-9166
E: info@carrighouse.com
W: www.carrighouse.com

This charming and meticulously restored Victorian residence is situated on the shores of Lake Carragh. Originally built in 1850 as a hunting lodge, the property is set in four acres of private grounds, surrounded by beautiful gardens and natural woodlands. It has spectacular views across the waters of the lake to the wildness of the MacGillycuddy Reeks.

All bedrooms are ensuite with period style décor and antique furnishings and provide most of the usual modern facilities. However, in-keeping with it being a peaceful hideaway, there are no TVs in the bedrooms but there is a TV in the comfortable hotel lounge. Internet access is not available in this hotel.

Good food and wine is all part of 'The Carrig Experience' and the team are very proud of their culinerary achievements and award-winning restaurant. The cooking style is modern Irish and European with a French Country House influence. Meat & vegetables are carefully sourced from local markets and fresh fish are caught in the nearby Atlantic ocean.

This hotel list is a provided as an example. We may use different hotels of the same quality and style on specific trips. The Wayfarers will notify confirmed travelers of any changes to the hotels.

Photo Gallery

Travel Information

Before & After

Visit Dublin - recently restored as a Grand European Capital
Head to the west coast to take in Connemara, Galway Bay and Donegal

Weather:

Temperatures usually range from around 45º to 65ºF (7º to 18ºC) in spring/autumn and from 60º to 70º F (15º to 21ºC) in summer although it can rise to above 80º F (27ºC) on some days. You are likely to need a light jacket or sweater in the evenings. Rainfall is unpredictable but occurs all year round and can be heavy, even in summer. Equally there can be long spells of warm dry weather so you will need to bring clothing to accommodate all situations.

To see more Travel Information and a list of our recommended tips please register or sign in. Once you confirm a booking for this walk, as a registered website member, you will be able to access detailed Joining Instructions including exact arrival and departure points and times as part of the Travel Information.

FAQs

Have questions? Can't see the answers, it maybe someone else has already asked! To see a full list of FAQs please register or sign in.

Are there any hidden costs?
Our Vacations do not include the cost of air or rail fares to and from the destination or tips for your walk leader and manager.
How large are the Groups?
Our maximum group size is 16, but groups average between 8-12 people.
Will I feel welcome as a single traveler?
Yes! Our walks are the perfect environment of comfortable camaraderie for the single traveler.
Can you accomodate special diets?
Yes!
How physically fit do I have to be to do a Wayfarers Walk?
If you are in good health and reasonably fit you will be comfortable participating in a walk.

Ask a question

Please do not hesitate to ask us a question about this walk.

Reading List

Angela's Ashes By: Frank McCourt

Buy book: Angela's Ashes

Despite impoverishing his family because of his alcoholism, McCourt's father passed on to his son a gift for superb storytelling. He told him about the great Irish heroes, the old days in Ireland, the people in their Limerick neighborhood, and the world beyond their shores. McCourt writes in the voice of the child with no self-pity or review of events and just retells the tales. He recounts his desperately poor early years, living on public assistance and losing three siblings, but manages to make the book funny and uplifting. Stories of trying on his parents' false teeth and his adventures as a post-office delivery boy will have readers laughing out loud. Young people will recognize the truth in these compelling tales; the emotions expressed; the descriptions of teachers, relatives, neighbors; and the casual cruelty adult’s show toward children.

A Short History of Ireland By: John O'Beirne Ranelagh

Buy book: A Short History of Ireland

This is an updated edition of John O'Beirne Ranelagh's short history of Ireland, covering the full sweep of Irish history from the earliest times up to President Clinton's second visit to Ireland in 1998, in the wake of the Omagh bomb and the surrounding peace initiatives. Throughout, the author's aim is to cast light on the people and the events that have contributed to present-day Irish society, in both North and South.

A Path to Freedom By: Michael Collins

Buy book: A Path to Freedom

The legendary Irish revolutionary Michael Collins (the subject of the film starring Liam Neeson) was known to be an avid reader. And during his brief career he set up a few underground newspapers. Before his violent death at the age of 31, he also found time to write essays, which are collected here. There is a lively and informative introductory essay by Tim Pat Coogan, a prominent Irish journalist and author of the definitive biography on Collins, Michael Collins. In his essays, Collins distills his political thoughts and offers his unique insights into Ireland's troubled history.

Ireland: History, Culture, People By: Paul Brewer

Buy book: Ireland: History, Culture, People

Here's the next best thing to a trip to Ireland. Rich with illustrations and beautiful color photographs, this 416-page volume is a comprehensive survey of that country's history and culture, from the pre-Christian era through the creation of the United Kingdom and into the 20th century, right up to the recent economic boom. There's plenty more, including a dictionary of clans and families, a glorious appreciation of the landscape organized by county, and a selection of classic Irish recipes.

The Wearing of the Green: History of St. Patrick's Day By: Daryl Adair and Mike Cronin

Buy book: The Wearing of the Green: History of St. Patrick's Day

The authors, both historians (Cronin wrote A History of Ireland), trace the annual March 17 festivities back to the fifth century when St. Patrick converted the pagan Irish to Christianity in this dry, lifeless account of the origins and development of the holiday in Ireland, America, Australia, Canada and Britain. Originally a day of commemoration for the saint (believed to have died on the 17th), St. Patrick's Day began in America with, surprisingly, Protestants. The 18th-century American celebrants included Irish officers in the British army, and their festivities revolved around feasting and dancing. It wasn't until the 19th century, with its vast influx of Irish Catholics fleeing the great famine, that parades became popular. Among the Irish diasporas, St. Patrick's Day parades became a means for the Irish to announce their growing influence in the host countries. Later, the parades became both politicized and commercialized. While the well-known parades in New York, Boston and Melbourne display Irish pride, they also have their darker sides: "The modern St Patrick's Day," the authors contend, "appears as an annual homage to hedonistic celebration and alcohol" and has tended to be an occasion for trotting out unpleasant stereotypes of the Irish as loud, drunken and pugnacious. The parade in Dublin, however, has long been used to promote tourism and Irish industries (especially Guinness). Though the authors insist that St. Patrick's Day is an important lens for viewing Irish history, their claim simply doesn't hold up, nor will those interested in the subject find anything particularly new or interesting here.

Ulysses By: James Joyce

Buy book: Ulysses

Ulysses has been labeled dirty, blasphemous, and unreadable. In a famous 1933 court decision, Judge John M. Woolsey declared it an emetic book--although he found it sufficiently unobscene to allow its importation into the United States--and Virginia Woolf was moved to decry James Joyce's "cloacal obsession." None of these adjectives, however, do the slightest justice to the novel. To this day it remains the modernist masterpiece, in which the author takes both Celtic lyricism and vulgarity to splendid extremes. It is funny, sorrowful, and even (in a close-focus sort of way) suspenseful. And despite the exegetical industry that has sprung up in the last 75 years, Ulysses is also a compulsively readable book. Even the verbal vaudeville of the final chapters can be navigated with relative ease, as long as you're willing to be buffeted, tickled, challenged, and (occasionally) vexed by Joyce's sheer command of the English language.

Travelers' Tales Ireland: True Stories By: James O'Reilly

Buy book: Travelers' Tales Ireland: True Stories

This memorable anthology reveals the soul of one of the oldest cultures in Europe, visiting Ireland's iridescent green hills, rural pubs, Dublin streets, hidden islands, and mossy Celtic ruins. Experience the magic of Ireland in this engaging illustrated collection.

Hungry Hill By: Daphne du Maurier

Buy book: Hungry Hill

The Brodricks of Clonmere gain great wealth by harnessing the power of Hungry Hill and extracting the treasure it holds. The Donovans, the original owners of Clonmere Castle, resent the Brodricks' success, and consider the great house and its surrounding land theirs by rights. For generations the feud between the families has simmered, always threatening to break into violence...

Ireland: A Novel By: Frank Delaney

Buy book: Ireland: A Novel

When a storyteller comes to visit young Ronan's house, he becomes fascinated with the wanderer's art. His mother is less fascinated, throwing the man out and spawning a search for the man and Ronan's lifelong fascination with storytelling and Irish history. The stories form the backbone of the novel as Ronan traces the man's tales and tries a few of his own. Frank Delaney wrote with the ear in mind, and as narrator he uses his gentle, thoughtful voice to full effect. Like his fictional storyteller, he draws listeners in with the two-part goal of telling truths with a good story and keeping listeners driven to know what happens next.

McCarthy's Bar: A Journey Of Discovery In The West Of Ireland By: Pete McCarthy

Buy book: McCarthy's Bar: A Journey Of Discovery In The West Of Ireland

Although Pete McCarthy was raised in England, his mother hails from West Cork, and, despite never having lived there, he can't shake the strange feeling that Ireland is more home than home. A return pilgrimage reveals immediately why he feels "involved and engaged" in Ireland. On arriving at the airport in Cork he's greeted by a guy in a giant rubber Celtic cross getup who's telling jokes with a latter-day St. Patrick (the guy who cast all snakes and pagans out of Ireland). Later, when McCarthy happens to mention that his surname matches that of the pub he's in (ever faithful to his Eighth Rule of Travel: "Never Pass a Bar That Has Your Name on It"), the owner buys him a Guinness, invites him to her raucous all-night birthday party, then insists he move to Ireland because, well, obviously he belongs. While most travel writers seek out opportunities to meet the famous--or the infamous--McCarthy has the charming knack of just bumping into them on his rambles. McCarthy has mastered the art of getting creatively lost, wandering the back lanes of Ireland where the hype of tourism has yet to arrive, pursuing stone circles, impossibly romantic ruined abbeys, and, of course, pubs. What he discovers is that "In Ireland, the unexpected happens more than you expect," which makes for a hilarious tour through one of the most beautiful, friendly, and quirky places on earth with a comedian who has honed the art of telling a good story and of having fun.

Modern Ireland: 1600-1972 By: R. F. Foster

Buy book: Modern Ireland: 1600-1972

In what PW described as an "engaging revisionist chronicle," the author traces Irish history from 1600, when the country had a subsistence economy and was home to a welter of peoples, each of whom defined their "Irishness" differently, to the 1970s, when Ireland--despite three centuries of conquest and fissure--was a country with a powerful identity.

Oscar Wilde By: Richard Ellmann

Buy book: Oscar Wilde

The late Ellmann worked 20 years on this magisterial biography. He tells the fascinating story of Oscar Wildewit and aesthete, poet and playwright, scapegrace and scapegoat more fully and irresistibly than it has ever been told before. Ellmann captures Wilde's charm and high spirits and also the darker side of his personality, which led to increasingly public homosexual affairs at a time when homosexuality was legally a crime. Ellmann skillfully marshals his material (some of it new), and he writes brilliantly but unobtrusively. A masterpiece to match Ellmann's James Joyce (1959), this work is certain to trigger renewed interest in Wilde.

Round Ireland with a Fridge By: Tony Hawks

Buy book: Round Ireland with a Fridge

On his visit to Ireland, English songwriter-comic Tony Hawks had seen a man hitchhiking with a refrigerator. For years, he was wanted to tell the tale during late-night drinking matches, and after one particularly heavy-duty night of partying, he awoke to find a bet scrawled pillowside: a friend wagered 100 pounds that Hawks wouldn't travel Ireland for a month with a refrigerator at his side. Out of this stupid premise, a ridiculously amusing book was born. Quickly discovered by the Irish media, the thumbing Englishman finds that he and his box fridge are elevated to celebrity status, and there's no dearth of rides, places to stay, or goofy people to meet, from kings to spoons players to locals who take his fridge surfing. As insightful about the strange inner workings of Hawk's mind as it is about charming peculiarities of Irishmen--it's doubtful that Hawks would have been similarly embraced by Germans, Italians, or the French--Round Ireland with a Fridge is an entirely silly, heartwarming tale told in a rollicking funny and refreshing style.

St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography By: Philip Freeman

Buy book: St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography

Born to an aristocratic British family in the fifth century, Patrick was kidnapped by slave raiders at age 15 and sold to an Irish farmer. After six years of tending sheep he escaped, walked 200 miles to a port city he had seen in a dream, and sailed for home. Years later, as a priest or bishop, he returned to Ireland. Bribing petty kings for safe passage through their rural domains, he preached, baptized and established churches in his beloved adopted land. This information about the saint's life is known from two lengthy letters he wrote late in life, both included in a lively translation by Freeman, a classics professor and author of three previous books about the Celtic world. "The gospel had been preached throughout the world and was even then, by [Patrick's] own efforts, being spread to the most distant land of all. There was simply no reason for God's judgment to be delayed once the Irish had heard the good news." In the storytelling tradition of popular historian Thomas Cahill, this small book offers a fascinating and believable introduction to Ireland's patron saint.

The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings By: Thomas Maier

Buy book: The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings

With Doris Kearns Goodwin's The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys out of favor and discredited by charges of plagiarism, the door is open and the time is right for another serious, multigenerational history of America's most fabled clan. Newsday reporter Maier (Dr. Spock: An American Life) answers the need quite well with this fascinating account, which emphasizes the family's roots as Catholics and products of the Irish diaspora. Unlike Ed Klein's provocative The Kennedy Curse, this thoughtful study does not dwell on the sensational. Maier goes to the heart of the Kennedys' spiritual and tribal identity in order to define and explain a range of subplots within the family saga. For example, one sees Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy's appeasement of the Nazis and his general insensitivity to the plight of Europe's Jews during the late 1930s in fuller colors than before when one realizes the context in which he operated and the tradition out of which he sprang, rich with ancient, profound and unapologetic anti-Semitism. (JPK also clung to the traditional Irish-Catholic bias against Great Britain.) Maier likewise supplies a masterful account of the culture and habits related to Boston's distinctly Irish-Catholic ward politics, first experienced by young JFK in 1946. And he goes on to explore conservative Catholic anger over JFK's moves to "appease"-in the opinion of the Jesuit magazine America-anti-Catholic bigots during the 1960 election

The Penguin Book of Irish Short Stories By: Benedict Kiely

Buy book: The Penguin Book of Irish Short Stories

Beginning with an exquisite love story-an ancient saga retold by Lady Gregory-and continuing with George Moore and the birth of the modern short story at the turn of the century, this highly representative collection includes both classic writers and contemporaries. It features the work of such preeminent literary figures as James Joyce, Sean O'Faolain, Mary Lavin, Frank O'Connor, and Liam O'Flaherty, whose work re-established the tradition of the short story; it concludes with more recent exponents of the form, all of them highly acclaimed, including Elizabeth Bowen, William Trevor, and Edna O'Brien.

The Pope's Children: Ireland's New Elite By: David McWilliams

Buy book: The Pope's Children: Ireland's New Elite

Meet the Pope's Children - the new Irish generation, born either side of the Pope's visit, who have been squeezed into the middle and lifted up by the Celtic Tiger. David McWilliams' brilliant, bestselling survey of Ireland today is a celebration of success. He takes us to Deckland, that suburban state of mind where you'll find the Kells Angels, those out-of-town commuters who are the cutting edge of the new prosperity. He introduces the HiCos - the Hiberno-Cosmopolitans - the elite whose distance from Deckland is measured in their cool sophistication, their ability to feel at home equally on the Boulevard Saint-Michel and on Hill 16. The "Pope's Children" is an antidote to the endless pessimism of the Commentariat, official Ireland's gloomy opinion mongers, forever seeing a glass half empty that is in fact three-quarters full. There is a vast surge of ambition, new money, optimism and hope out there. That's the real story: The "Pope's Children" tells it with style.

What's Next?

At this point we would like to thank you for looking at our website, we hope you will have seen a little of the places we walk to, hotels we stay in and that we have answered some of your questions.

For more information contact our team who are waiting for your questions. Alternatively we suggest you choose one of the following:

	Register Online Join us on our no obligation, no hassle website. The benefits include viewing full Hotel lists, FAQ's, and Walk Reviews from previous walkers, offering a world of extra information about The Ring of Kerry.
	Save this Walk By registering you can 'save this walk' to your Wayfarers account, allowing you to share your vacation ideas with friends and family before making any commitments, you can also save walks to your favorite websites such as Facebook and Windows Live!
	Ask a question Take part in our online FAQ's, we are delighted to receive and share feedback about our walks and website with others. This is your website and we welcome your contribution to improving it.

As always with The Wayfarers, there is plenty to see and explore on this website, we love to hear from any Wayfarers and look forward to tempting you to join us on the trail!