Gap of Dunloe Review

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Gap of Dunloe

Fodor's Review:

Massive, glacial rocks form the side of the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow mountain pass that stretches for 6½ km (4 mi) between MacGillicuddy's Reeks and the Purple Mountains. The rocks create strange echoes: give a shout to test it out. Five small lakes are strung out beside the road. Cars are banned from the gap, but in summer the first 3 km (2 mi) are busy with horse and foot traffic, much of which turns back at the halfway point.

At the entrance to the Gap of Dunloe, Kate Kearney's Cottage (19 km [12 mi] west of Killarney. 064/664-4116) is a good place to rent a jaunting car or pony. Kate was a famous beauty who sold illegal poteen (moonshine) from her home, contributing greatly, one suspects, to travelers' enthusiasm for the scenery. Appropriately enough, Kearney's is now a pub and a good place to pause for an Irish coffee. The gap's southern end is marked by Lord Brandon's Cottage, a tea shop serving soup and sandwiches. From here, a path leads to the edge of Upper Lake, where you can journey onward by rowboat. It's an old tradition for the boatman to carry a bugle and illustrate the echoes. The boat passes under Brickeen Bridge and into Middle Lake, where 30 islands are steeped in legends, many of which your boatman is likely to recount. Look out for caves on the left-hand side on this narrow stretch of water. 7 km (4½ mi) west of Killarney. Easter-Sept., 10-dusk.

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