52 Best Sights in The Southwest, Ireland

Come to this center in the tourist office to learn about the town's history. They can outline a walking route to Kenmare's places of interest.

Each Wednesday a small group of outdoor vendors offer local organic produce and a few exotic imports to an appreciative local clientele. Look out for Olivier's On the Wild Side's handmade charcuterie and smoked trout from Killorglin, local organic veggies, homemade pâtés, preserves from Caherdaniel, and wonderful duck and quail eggs.

Worth a quick look, this museum, between Glenbeigh and Killorglin on the Ring of Kerry, is a cluster of reconstructed, fully furnished cottages that vividly portray the daily life of the region's agricultural laborers in the early 1800s. The adjacent Red Fox Bar is famous for its Irish coffee.

Tralee's major cultural attraction traces the history of Kerry's people since 5000 BC, using dioramas and an entertaining audiovisual show. There is an excellent display on Tom Crean and Roger Casement, the celebrated humanitarian activist whose brief sojourn in Kerry during Ireland's Easter Rising had a huge impact locally and internationally. You can also walk through a life-size reconstruction of a Tralee street of the Middle Ages.

Hidden away behind tall walls in the center of town for many years, Killarney House is the official visitor center to Killarney National Park. Dating from the early 1700s, the house was originally the stable block of a more imposing manor that burned down in 1913. Today it contains a museum with information about Killarney Town and an interactive exhibition about the flora and fauna of Killarney National Park, as well as changing art exhibits relating to the area. The long-established formal gardens, spread over 30 acres, have been restored to their original 1720s French layout, and are enhanced by the natural backdrop of Killarney's wild mountains under a huge, ever-changing sky. There are easily accessible walks laid out in the grounds, and free guided tours every half hour.

The three Lakes of Killarney and the mountains and woods that surround them make up this beautiful national park. It extends to nearly 25,000 acres, which includes oak, holly, and yew woodlands, and is populated by red deer. The National Park Visitor Centre in town offers an audiovisual presentation that is a good introduction to what you can explore on the signposted self-guiding trails that thread the park.

The heart of the park is Muckross House & Gardens, which is 6 km (4 miles) from Killarney on N71. You can drive, walk, rent a bicycle, or take a traditional jaunting car (pony and a cart) to the house and from there explore this amazing landscape by foot or bicycle.

The air here smells of damp woods and heather moors. The red fruits of the Mediterranean strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) are at their peak in October and November, which is also about the time when the bracken turns rust color, contrasting with the evergreens. In late April and early May, the purple flowers of the rhododendron ponticum put on a spectacular display.

This is one of the finest surviving examples of Romanesque architecture. Although the Christian settlement dates from the 7th century, the present structure was built in the 12th century. Native builders integrated foreign influences with their own traditions, keeping the blank arcades and round-headed windows but using stone roofs, sloping doorway jambs, and weirdly sculpted heads. Ogham stones and other interestingly carved, possibly pre-Christian stones are on display in the churchyard.

The Gap of Dunloe's southern end, 7 km (4½ miles) west of Killarney, is marked by Lord Brandon's Cottage, a 19th-century hunting lodge that is now a basic tea shop serving soup and sandwiches. From here, a path leads to the edge of Upper Lake, where you can journey onward by rowboat (a traditional wooden boat with a motor)—but only if you have booked it in advance. 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.

The Gap of Dunloe's southern end, 7 km (4½ miles) west of Killarney, is marked by Lord Brandon's Cottage, a 19th-century hunting lodge that is now a basic tea shop serving soup and sandwiches. From here, a path leads to the edge of Upper Lake, where you can journey onward by rowboat (a traditional wooden boat with a motor)—but only if you have booked it in advance. 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.

The monks were driven out of this 15th-century Franciscan friary by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1652, but it's amazingly complete (rare among Irish ruins), although roofless. An ancient yew tree rises above the cloisters and breaks out over the abbey walls. Three flights of stone steps allow access to the upper floors and living quarters, where you can visit the cloisters and what was once the dormitory, kitchen, and refectory.

A fully restored 15th-century stronghold of the O'Donoghue Ross clan, sited on the lower lake 2 km (1 mile) south of town, this castle was the last place in the province of Munster to fall to Oliver Cromwell's forces in 1652. You can see its curtain walls, towers, and display of 16th- and 17th-century furniture on a 40-minute guided tour.

On the coast, Rossbeigh consists of a tombolo (sand spit) of about 3 km (2 miles) backed by high dunes. It faces Inch Strand, a similar formation across the water on the Dingle Peninsula. Popular with families for its safe swimming, it also attracts walkers. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee). Best for: swimming; walking.

Take a 4-km (2½-mile) detour off the N70 Ring of Kerry road to visit Staigue Fort. Approximately 2,500 years old, the mortar-free stone fort is almost circular and about 75 feet in diameter, with a single south-side entrance. From the Iron Age (from 500 BC to the 5th century AD) and early Christian times (6th century AD), such "forts" were, in fact, fortified homesteads for several families of one clan and their cattle. The walls at Staigue Fort are almost 13 feet thick at the base and 7 feet thick at the top; they still stand 18 feet high on the north and west sides. Within them, stairs lead to narrow platforms on which the lookouts stood.

Private land must be crossed to reach the fort, and a "compensation for trespass" of €1 is often requested by the landowner.

The site has free parking and is freely accessible, but it has no facilities.

Perhaps the town's most notable historic sight is this 3,000-year-old monument that dates from the early Bronze Age. Sometimes called the Druid Circle, it is within five minutes' walk of the village square (head down Market Street in front of the tourist office). It consists of 15 large stones arranged in a circle around a huge central boulder, which marks a rare Bronze Age burial site.

If you want to understand Irish history in one small nugget---or rather, a giant limestone block overlooking the Shannon River and King John's Castle---then cross over to the Treaty Stone, close to the Curragower Restaurant. Limerick's nickname (the Treaty City) is derived from this monument, set upon a hefty, stepped plinth, the site where the Williamite-Jacobite War ended in 1691 after the last stand by supporters of King James at the end of the Siege of Limerick. After signing an agreement on the Treaty Stone that the Irish would be treated in a fair and dignified manner after their departure, Ireland's earls took flight to mainland Europe, leaving those remaining at the mercy of the conquerors. It didn't end well. 

Thomond Park is a giant edifice to the city's passion for sport. It dominates the skyline with giant proportions that rise over its low valley backdrop. With a capacity of 26,000 people it attracts all the big rugby matches and high-profile performers like Pink, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Guests can take a tour to the innards of the stadium---the home of Munster Rugby---to discover significant milestones and the places normally only seen by players, officials, and artists. 

You reach this roaring, 65-foot-high cascade by a footpath that begins in the parking lot outside the gates of the Muckross Park, 8 km (5 miles) south of Killarney. After your first view of the Torc, which will appear after about a 10-minute walk, it's worth the climb up a long flight of stone steps to the second, less-frequented clearing.

Learn about the local brewing history from the 1700s and flavor process from master brewers in the heart of Limerick's medieval quarter. Treaty distributes Harris Pale Ale (named after Hollywood actor and local man Richard Harris), Thomond Red Ale, and Shannon River IPA to all the major pubs in Limerick City.  

Linked to the city by a river walk, the University of Limerick (UL) is a metropolis of redbrick buildings and wide-open spaces. Home of Ireland's first and only Olympic-sized swimming pool outside of the capital and the largest indoor sports complex, and, in keeping with its home base, it's the only university in the country to get five stars for its impressive sports facilities. The university's on-campus concert hall has attracted a wide range of performers from Johnny Cash  to Van Morrison over the years and its "Living Bridge"---a curving white feat of engineering---is the longest pedestrian bridge in Ireland, and it connects County Limerick to County Clare. Art lovers will appreciate the phenomenal collection of work in the Visual Art Collection in Plassey House. 

Ventry Beach (or Ventry Strand) is just southwest of the village of Ceann Trá (Ventry). This lovely stretch of golden sand, said by many to be one of Ireland's most beautiful beaches, runs for 8 km (5 miles) and is part of the Dingle Way walking route. There is a dune system with a small lake, wetlands, and a reed swamp, and abundant wildlife. In July and August it attracts families and swimmers. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.