Has anybody visited the village of Ardfert which I understand is near Tralee and has the ruins of a 12th century cathedral and of a Franciscan monastery.

You may be thinking of Ausfahrt....I saw the exit sign for it in Germany.

Excuse you

The village of Ardfert is 5 miles north of Tralee and has several interesting historical sites.The ruins of the cathedral,which was built 800 years ago and burned down 350 years ago,have been partiallly restored and conserved at a cost of over a million dollars by Duchas,the National Heritage Agency of Ireland,and guided tours are available in the summertime.The Franciscan Abbey,which was built around 1250 and which is only a few minutes walk from the Cathedral,is also in a state of ruin but it is an elegant structure which I found fascinating.Thus in one small village in the middle of the Irish countryside are more ancient historical buildings than can be found in all of North America.They have a wesite now for the village at www.ardfert.com

I will be visiting Killarney soon and wonder how far is it to Ardfert.

Killarney is about 25 miles from Ardfert.Note that in Killarney National Park is the ruins of Muckross Abbey,a short walk from Muckross House.There is another interesting ruin on Inisfallen Island on one of the lakes.It is only a few minutes on a boat from Ross castle.

Henry, perhaps you should brush up on your geography. Mexico is in North America, and those Mayan pyramids don't count as ancient?

Hannah,<BR><BR>My wife and I were in North Kerry a few years back and we took a side trip to the monastery and cathedral. At that time, the monasterey was undergoing restoration, and we weren't able to tour beyond the outside grounds. The cathedral, located close to the monastery, is in relatively good condition, but it's not worth a special trip. The cathedral is more enticing from a distance, and its interior has little to see. Moreover, that particular area of Kerry is a far cry from the wonders of the nearby Dingle Peninsula or Killarney's National Park.<BR><BR>Best of luck.