We seem to be split on the subject of Killarney. But that is fine since everyone has their own opinion. I am fortunate to have not run into all those tour buses and I have been to Killarney too many times to count. I generally prefer to stay close to town so I can walk in for pubs and restaurants. Killarney Lodge is perfect for that. Just a tiny bit farther is Earl's Court. You can't go wrong with either choice.

Ellenrho

Killarney is a lovely town, yes I agree its full of tourists, but so is Dingle, and indeed the whole ring of kerry! you can stay slightly outside the town and its very nice, another poster mentioned staying near ross castle and liking it very much, well I agree, its a lovely area to stay in. I hate to sound like I'm being smug, but the whole of Ring of Kerry is full of tourists, so you will have to just accept it. I'm Irish and I feel like a tourist in Kerry!!

ttt

killarney is a great town

Great nonsense! If visitors in large numbers did not visit so called 'touristy' venues then no one else would. The importance of an attraction can be measured by the number of its attendees. If you don't like crowds, visit in 'low' season.
Re: April trip. How was it?

We just returned from 2+ weeks in Ireland, the last 5 days of which we spent in Killarney at Old Killarney Village. We were actually there on the June bank holiday.
We did not find hordes of tourists at all. In fact, we found it fairly quiet, except on Friday and Saturday nights. There was no congestion due to tourist buses. We did the ROK in virtual solitude.
The only town we went into twice that had massive traffic jams was Kenmare. That really surprised me, as I thought it was supposed to be the quieter town.

Like Yogi Berra says "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."

I chose Dingle for our stay, and avoided Killarney as it sounded too touristy for me. But I planned our itinerary so that we could stay in Dingle on weekdays, avoiding the weekend crowds. This worked well. Even though it was summer, we didn't have any crowds in Dingle during the weekdays. Yes there were people, but no crowds. I made sure to avoid holidays and avoid weekends in Dingle.

I live in a tourist destination, San Diego. Tourist destinations are always more crowded on the weekend and holidays. Usually weekdays are much more bearable.

One of the problems with your question is that people who stay in Killarney have a different way of viewing what is touristy. They aren't worried about that. People like me are going to avoid Killarney, and therefore I can't tell you that Killarney is touristy because it sounded so touristy to me, from the trip reports and guidebooks that I read, that I avoided it all together.

As you will see, opinions differ. I think you will make the decision that suits you best having read both viewpoints. I know that helps me a lot. You begin to get a "feel" for a place when you read subjective opinions.

I don't always agree with Rick Steves, but he loves Dingle and so do I. I would be willing to stay there for a year! On the other hand he seems to like Portrush in Northern Ireland as well, and we greatly disliked Portrush...parking problems, crowds, we found Portrush NOT to be to our liking.

Enjoy Ireland! It's a beautiful and friendly country!

I think that people compare crowded with what you consider crowded in the U.S. I rarely have seen the mobs here in Irleand except maybe at Guinness in Dublin in August. Its busy and slightly at times but never the hour queue mobs that you see in Rome, or some U.S. Sites or The Eifel Tower. Go for it.

SiobhanP,

This interesting discussion of Killarney is mostly by a bunch of Yanks who are taking other people's opinions about Killarney. You will notice that the OP is quoting Rick Steves. He is an American guide book writer. If Rick says do not go there, then the Yanks will follow that advice. If Rick says go there, then the crowds will descend. Hmmm, wouldn't that then make the Steves approved place touristy?

Steves calls it "plastic Killarney town"
: "In towns like Killarney the battle has already been lost -- what remains there of real Ireland is buried under a pile of postcards and ceramic leprechauns galore." ... "If you have the misfortune to spend the night in Killarney, you'll understand what I mean. The town is a sprawling line of green Holiday Inns littered with pushy shoppers looking for three-leaf clovers."

His advice on Bunratty: "Skip the Bunratty Castle and Folk Museum. I'd leave this most commercial and least lively of all European open-air folk museums to the jet-lagged, big-bus American tour groups (located just a potty stop from the Shannon Airport, past Limerick on the road to Ennis)."

Interesting. I have never had to go from Shannon through Limerick to get to Ennis. Rick, please get a map!

Perhaps our Irish friends can understand better about the Rick Steves Syndrome now.

IrishEyes, thanks for the quotes, but most of all for making clear that for many the world is mediated by gurus like Rick Steves.

Personally, I don't much like Killarney, but I think the description you quote is off the mark. And it is fair to point out that it is set in a spectacular place, which counts for something.

His rubbishing of the Folk Museum in Bunratty is -- well, rubbish. The castle is, of course, authentic. As folk parks go, the one in Bunratty is a proper representation of aspects of Irish life. It's not a Disneyfication. What's wrong with that?

I have been going to Bunratty since I was 4 years old. Back then it was just a castle that stood empty. Over the years the addition of the folk park and banquets has kept a piece of Irish life alive for visitors. My own parents think its great and my mom is from nearby. On our last visit my dad was talking to a man his age thatching the roof of one of the cottages in the park and this is almost a lost art. People should see how they lived and how craftmanship made up a large part of rural life. The animals are great for kids to see and I am glad the castle is still a tourist site as it gives local employment, Provides an outlet for tourists to see storytellers and music (They even advertise for storytellers with Italian and French language skills!) So wjhat if its a bit touristy I think its less plastic paddy than some other places like the Blarnety stone. I have fond memories of Bunratty as a kid.

I have been going to Bunratty since I was 4 years old. Back then it was just a castle that stood empty. Over the years the addition of the folk park and banquets has kept a piece of Irish life alive for visitors. My own parents think its great and my mom is from nearby. On our last visit my dad was talking to a man his age thatching the roof of one of the cottages in the park and this is almost a lost art. People should see how they lived and how craftmanship made up a large part of rural life. The animals are great for kids to see and I am glad the castle is still a tourist site as it gives local employment, provides an outlet for tourists to see storytellers and music (They even advertise for storytellers with Italian and French language skills!) So what if its a bit touristy I think its less plastic paddy than some other places like the Blarney stone. I have fond memories of Bunratty as a kid.

Rick Steve's is NOT the be all and end all of advisors for North American tourists, even though it may seem that way. After watching one of his Ireland specials, I realized that he hadn't a clue about the real Ireland.

Killarney is a great place and because of that, draws a lot of tourists. It has Killarney National Park, Gap of Dunloe & the Ring of Kerry. All of these attract tourists. As someone pointed out, we are all tourists or visitors, if you will, unless born and raised in the area we are visiting.

Using Killarney for a base to visitDingle, is a bit of a stretch, as it makes for a long day. I would suggest that you do two days in Killarney and two in Dingle. That way neither gets short shift. I, personally, stay in Kenmare and drive over to Killarney for the day. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy Killarney. I just have a preference for Kenmare. Of all Ring and Loop drives, my personal favorite is the Beara drive but I really enjoy a more rugged beauty. Yet, the Ring of Kerry has its own special magic and draw. Keep a watch out for Unicorns! I don't think there truly is a bad spot in all of the Kingdom of Kerry.

Slan Beo,

Bit

We will be spending 3 days in Killarney at the end of March, so curious to see how it is then. It seems to suit our needs. We will take a tour of the Ring of Kerry, and maybe take the bus to Kenmare one day. Otherwise, we'll walk, take the taxi or a tour bus -- depending on availability -- to the various sights in the area. Deros Tours has a Highlights of Killarney tour which is just what we'd like, but they said they will only go if there are at least 8 passengers, so we'll see. It's a pretty small town, so between walking and taxis I think we'll make it around all right.

Sandy