Things to do in County Kerry

Valentia Island off the southwest Kerry coast is one of the most scenically dramatic islands on the Irish Atlantic coast, a five-mile island accessible by bridge from Portmagee or by ferry from Renard Point that combines spectacular cliff and coastal scenery, important geological and heritage sites and the distinction of being the eastern terminus of the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable laid in 1866. The combination of the scenery, the history and the characteristic Kerry island landscape makes Valentia one of the most rewarding island destinations in Ireland. The Skellig Ring road connecting Portmagee and Waterville via Valentia Island and the cable car viewpoint above the Skellig islands provides some of the finest coastal scenery in Kerry, with views of Skellig Michael and Little Skellig clearly visible from the island on clear days. The dramatic presence of the Skelligs offshore provides a constant reminder of the extraordinary early medieval monastery perched on those Atlantic rocks. The slate quarries on the island, operational from the early nineteenth century until recent times, provided slate that was used in significant buildings across the world including the Paris Opera House and the British Houses of Parliament. The geological interest of the island extends to the Tetrapod Trackway at Geokaun Mountain, a set of fossilised footprints approximately 385 million years old left by one of the earliest animals to walk on land, one of the most significant palaeontological finds in Ireland.

Killarney National Park holds the distinction of being Ireland's first national park, designated in 1932 when Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish state, and it remains one of the country's most visited and most beautiful natural areas. The park covers approximately 10,000 hectares of mountain, lake, ancient woodland and bogland in the heart of County Kerry, protected by a ring of dramatic MacGillycuddy's Reeks peaks to the west and centred on the famous Lakes of Killarney: Lough Leane, Muckross Lake and the Upper Lake. The park holds some of the most significant ancient oak woodland in Ireland, remnants of the forest that once blanketed much of the island. The Reenadinna Yew Wood on the shores of Muckross Lake is one of the largest yew woodlands in western Europe and has an almost primeval atmosphere, its gnarled trees growing from limestone pavement in dense, cathedral-like shade. The mild, wet climate created by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean allows the woodland to support an extraordinary density of mosses, liverworts and ferns, and the park's plant communities include rare species found only here and in similar Atlantic fringe habitats in western Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula. Wildlife in the park is exceptional. Killarney supports the only native herd of red deer in Ireland, descended from populations that have lived here continuously since the last Ice Age. The park is also home to the white-tailed eagle, reintroduced after an absence of a century and now breeding successfully in the area. The lakes and rivers hold brown trout and the Atlantic salmon that gives the local fishing such a strong reputation, while sika deer, introduced in the nineteenth century, are now common throughout the woodland. Muckross House, a Victorian mansion completed in 1843, stands on the shore of Muckross Lake and provides the park's main built heritage attraction. The house was famously visited by Queen Victoria in 1861 and its richly furnished rooms reflect the lifestyle of the wealthy Anglo-Irish landowning class. Traditional working farms on the estate recreate agricultural practices from the 1930s and 1940s and are particularly popular with families. Nearby, the ruins of Muckross Abbey, a fifteenth-century Franciscan friary, stand within an ancient yew grove in a setting of exceptional beauty. The Gap of Dunloe, a narrow glacial valley south of Killarney town, provides one of the most dramatic excursions in the park. The traditional way to experience it is by jaunting car, the horse-drawn carriages unique to Killarney, though it can also be walked or cycled. The boat trips across the lakes connecting the Gap with Ross Castle provide a perfect day out in any weather.

The Ring of Kerry is one of the most celebrated scenic drives in Ireland, a 179-kilometre circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry that encompasses some of the most spectacular Atlantic coastal scenery in Europe, including the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range, the Kerry coastline with its islands and inlets, the monastic island of Skellig Michael visible offshore and the characteristic Kerry landscape of small farms, stone walls and the brilliant green of Atlantic Ireland. The route is one of the principal tourist circuits in the Republic of Ireland and passes through or near several significant heritage and natural sites. The mountain scenery of the Ring is dominated by the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Ireland's highest mountain range, whose peaks including Carrauntoohil at 1,039 metres provide a dramatic backdrop throughout the western section of the circuit. The Killarney National Park at the eastern end of the ring encompasses the famous Lakes of Killarney, the oak and yew woodlands of the Kerry mountains and Muckross House, combining to create one of the most significant natural heritage areas in Ireland. The view of the Skelligs from the western peninsulas of the Kerry coast is one of the great Irish seascapes, the two rock pyramids rising from the Atlantic horizon providing a dramatic focal point for the coastal scenery. Skellig Michael, the larger of the two, supports the ruins of an early medieval monastery whose isolation on this Atlantic sea stack provides the most austere and most dramatic example of the eremitic impulse in Irish Christianity. The towns and villages on the Ring, including Kenmare, Waterville and Cahersiveen, provide visitor facilities and reflect the character of rural Kerry with its music, food and hospitality traditions.

Staigue Fort is surrounded by hills which open out onto the coast at the south side. It is located on the Iveragh peninsula, 3 miles west of Sneem in the south west of Ireland. The site is considered the largest stone ring fort in Ireland and also one of the finest, now in a partially ruined state. It was built without mortar from local stone with the outer ring wall being 90 feet in diameter. On the north and west sides of the fort the wall rises to 18 feet in height and goes from 13 feet thick at the bottom to 7 feet thick at the top. The wall on the north side is still in almost perfect condition with its coping stones still in place. Entry to the inside of the fort is via a small passage roofed with huge lintels and inside there are two oval waterproof chambers with corbelled roofs. The ramparts are accessed by a number of x shaped steps running inside the walls. The fort was originally protected all the way around by a ditch and high bank which is still very evident today but only to the north of the site. Facilities Staigue Fort has its own exhibition centre which is open from Easter until the end of September between 10am and 9pm daily. The centre has a video presentation on Irish folklore along with information on how the fort was built and some theories of its inhabitants. The centre also offers basic accommodation for travelers. It is thought the fort was built as a defensive stronghold for a King or local Lord. There are many differing opinions as to when the fort was built, the earliest being the 1st century BC and the latest between 300 and 400 AD during the late Iron Age. The Danes, the Phoenicians and the Arch Druids were also responsible for restoring the fort during the 19th century when they were resident at different times. One of the local stories is that very small people inhabited the fort whilst searching for Ore; this is confirmed by evidence of copper mining along with an observatory and a place of worship on the site as well as the defensive structure.

Ross Castle is situated on the edge of Lough Leane one the lower lakes of Killarney National Park, 1.5 miles south of Killarney within the Kenmare Estate. Ross Castle is a square tower house with bartizans, or overhanging turrets, on two of the tower's corners and two (of the original four) round towers. The castle is surrounded by parts of a square bawn or defensive wall. The castle has been refurbished in parts with the vaulted ceilings in the bed chamber being reconstructed using medieval techniques. Access to the bed chambers and parapets is via a circular stone staircase. The most important room of the castle is the Great Hall situated on the top floor with large windows, fireplace, kitchen and minstrels' gallery. Facilities The castle is open to the public from May until September by guided tour only with the highlights being the Great Hall, the reconstructed ceilings of the bed chamber and the wonderful views across the lake. Visitors also have the opportunity to see a collection of old furniture exhibited at the castle. Those walking the Kerry Way can stop at the castle as it is located along the route, it is also possible to take a boat trip to Innisfallen Island from the castle's dock. Ross Castle was built by the O'Donoghue's in the late 1400's. At the time they were the ruling clan of Killarney and the surrounding area. During the Desmond wars the castle became the property of the MacCarty Mor's and it was Lord MacCarty (Muskerry) who defended the castle against Oliver Cromwell's troops during the Confederate Wars in 1652. General Ludlow, 200 horses and 4,000 soldiers marched to Ross but the castle was taken not from land but by artillery from boats on the lough. The castle was recorded as being one of the last to surrender to the Roundheads. It was the Browne family that received much of the confiscated lands including Ross Castle and went about adding a fortified house to the castle in 1688. Not long after this; during the Williamite Wars, the castle was converted and used as a military barracks with a more permanent barracks being built in the mid 18th century. The garrison finally moved out in 1825 and the castle was remodeled with larger loop windows being added and the roof of the barracks being removed. Legends Legend has it that O'Donoghue lies at the bottom of the lake watching everything that goes on after being sucked out of one of the windows along with his horse, library and table.

Ballycarbery Castle overlooks the sea near the mouth of the Valencia River about 3km from Caherciveen in County Kerry. The castle is in ruins, and the whole back wall has fallen down. The castle was surrounded by a defensive wall, but more than half of it has gone. You can still see the arrow slits along the remaining parts of the wall. A staircase can be seen inside one part of the wall. The ground floor of the castle had several rooms, of which only one has roof and walls intact. There are two staircases up to the first floor, one of which is still in good condition. The second floor is not accessible, as the stairs were probably against the back wall which has gone. Facilities The castle is in a pleasant location with views over the sea and surrounding countryside. It makes an impressive sight when seen from Ballycarbery Beach, especially at high tide. The present Ballycarbery Castle was built in the 16th century, although there had been an earlier building on the site since the 14th century. It was a seat of the MacCarthy Mores, but may have been occupied by their wardens the O'Connells. During the 1590s it was granted to Sir Valentine Browne in the 1590s after the death of Daniel McCarthy More, but was taken back by the Macarthys during the wars between the Royalist and Confederate forces in the 1640s. Oliver Cromwell's troops severely damaged the castle in 1652 when it was attacked with cannons. Local farmers removed stones from the damaged castle for building.

Ballymalis Castle is a tower house castle located in County Kerry in the southwest of Ireland, sitting near the village of Beaufort and close to the River Laune, which flows westward from the Lakes of Killarney toward Killorglin and eventually Dingle Bay. It is one of the lesser-visited but genuinely evocative medieval ruins of the Kerry landscape, offering an authentic encounter with the region's Gaelic and Norman heritage without the crowds that attend more famous Kerry attractions. The castle stands as a solid, roofless tower of roughly four to five storeys, built from the local grey-brown limestone and sandstone that characterises so much of Kerry's built heritage, and it occupies a gently elevated position that would once have commanded clear views over the surrounding river valley and the approaches from the east. The castle is believed to date from the fifteenth or sixteenth century, a period of significant tower house construction across Munster, when local Gaelic chieftains and Anglo-Norman lords alike built fortified residences to assert territorial control and protect agricultural lands and river crossings. The lands around Beaufort were historically associated with the MacCarthy Mór dynasty, one of the great Gaelic dynasties of Munster, though the castle and its surrounding territory also fell within the orbit of the broader power struggles between the FitzGeralds of Desmond and various competing interests during the turbulent late medieval and early modern periods. The castle would have seen the upheavals of the Desmond Rebellions in the late sixteenth century and the subsequent Munster Plantation, when large swathes of Kerry land were confiscated and redistributed, fundamentally reshaping the region's social and political landscape. In terms of its physical character, Ballymalis Castle presents the classic silhouette of an Irish tower house: a rectangular keep with walls of considerable thickness, deeply recessed window openings, and the remnants of internal floor levels visible in the form of putlog holes and corbels embedded in the interior walls. The stonework, though weathered over centuries, retains much of its integrity, and the masonry speaks to the competent if vernacular building traditions of late medieval Kerry. Climbing around or into the structure — where access permits — gives a palpable sense of enclosure and solidity, and the silence inside the roofless shell is broken mainly by the wind moving through the empty window frames and the occasional call of jackdaws, which habitually nest in such ruins across Ireland. The surrounding landscape is quintessential south Kerry: a broad, lush valley floor defined by the course of the River Laune, with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks rising dramatically to the south, their peaks frequently wreathed in cloud. Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain, is visible on clear days to the southwest, and the entire panorama from this area is one of the most celebrated in the country. The proximity to Killarney National Park — one of Ireland's oldest and most biodiverse national parks — means that the wider area supports rich woodland, red deer, white-tailed eagles and a remarkable variety of flora. The village of Beaufort itself, a short distance away, is a quiet rural community with a pub and basic amenities, while Killarney town, with its full complement of hotels, restaurants and visitor services, lies roughly twelve kilometres to the east. For visitors, the castle is reached via the road network around Beaufort, signposted off the R562 which connects Killarney to Killorglin. The site sits near agricultural land and visitors should be respectful of any private property or farming activity in the vicinity, as is common with many rural Irish heritage sites that lack formal visitor infrastructure. There is no dedicated car park or visitor centre, and the castle is not a managed heritage attraction in the way that, for example, Ross Castle in Killarney is. This means access can require a short walk across uneven ground, and the interior of the ruin should be approached cautiously given the absence of formal safety management. The best time to visit is during the late spring and summer months, when the valley is at its most verdant, daylight is long and the surrounding landscape walks are at their finest, though the castle itself can be atmospheric in any season. One of the more remarkable aspects of the Ballymalis area is simply how completely it is overshadowed by nearby Killarney and the Ring of Kerry, meaning that this stretch of the Laune Valley retains a tranquillity and authenticity that heavily touristed parts of Kerry have lost. The castle is a reminder that Kerry's medieval history is deeply layered, and that the dramatic landscape visitors now experience as romantic wilderness was once a contested, densely inhabited territory shaped by centuries of dynastic competition, agricultural settlement and cultural exchange. For those willing to venture slightly off the beaten track, Ballymalis offers a genuinely unmediated encounter with that past.

Aghadoe Round Tower stands on a commanding hilltop on the northern edge of Killarney in County Kerry, overlooking the Lower Lake — Lough Leane — and the stunning mountain panorama of the Killarney National Park. This is one of Ireland's remarkable early medieval ecclesiastical sites, where the remains of a round tower, a Romanesque church, and a Norman castle keep company amid ancient graves and wind-swept grass. The site draws visitors not only for its historical layers but for what is widely regarded as one of the finest views in all of Ireland: a sweeping prospect across the glittering lake to the purple mountains of MacGillycuddy's Reeks beyond. Though the round tower itself is now just a stump — its upper portion long since collapsed — even this truncated remnant conveys enormous antiquity and presence. The history of Aghadoe reaches back to the early Christian period, with the site traditionally associated with a monastery founded around the 7th century. The name Aghadoe derives from the Irish Achadh Deo, sometimes interpreted as "field of the two yews" or "field of God," though scholars have debated the precise etymology. By the early medieval period, this hilltop was already a place of significant religious importance in the Kingdom of Munster. The round tower, built likely between the 10th and 12th centuries, would have served its classic dual purpose: as a bell tower to call the faithful and as a place of refuge during Viking raids, when monks could haul up the ladder behind them and shelter alongside the monastery's most precious manuscripts and relics. The Romanesque doorway of the ruined church nearby, with its characteristic blind arcading, dates to the 12th century and represents a high point of Hiberno-Romanesque architectural craft. Later, a Geraldine castle was constructed on the site during the Norman period, adding yet another layer of turbulent history to this already storied hill. The physical experience of visiting Aghadoe is one of quiet, understated power. The round tower fragment rises perhaps six or seven metres from the ground, its pale grey limestone courses still tightly fitted despite the centuries. It sits close to the ruined Romanesque church whose arched windows frame fragments of sky and the distant mountains beyond. The site is open, unenclosed, and largely free of modern intrusion, giving it a raw, authentic quality that more heavily managed heritage sites sometimes lose. On a clear morning the silence is broken only by birdsong and the wind moving through the old yews and grasses among the grave slabs. The air carries a faint dampness typical of Kerry, and when rain brushes across Lough Leane below, the mist rolls up toward the hill in a way that makes the whole scene feel ancient and theatrical in equal measure. The surrounding landscape is exceptional by any standard. Aghadoe Hill sits just outside Killarney town to the northwest, and the view from the church and tower remains one of the most celebrated in Ireland. Lough Leane stretches below, dotted with wooded islands including Innisfallen Island, which itself hosts the ruins of a monastery where the Annals of Innisfallen — one of Ireland's great medieval chronicles — were compiled. The National Park's dense oak woodlands sweep down to the water's edge, and on clear days the entire arc of the Reeks, including Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain, is visible to the south. The proximity to Killarney town means the site is easily combined with visits to Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, and the famous Gap of Dunloe, all within a short drive. For practical purposes, Aghadoe is very accessible. It sits about three kilometres northwest of Killarney town centre and is reached most easily by car via the Aghadoe Heights road — a small sign directs visitors up to the hilltop. Parking is limited but usually manageable in a small layby near the site. The site itself has no entrance fee and is freely accessible at all times, as is typical of many National Monuments in Ireland. The ground can be uneven among the grave slabs, so sturdy footwear is advisable, particularly after rain when the grass becomes slippery. The best time to visit is early morning on a clear day, when the low light picks out the stone textures beautifully and the lake below shimmers before any haze builds up. Summer months bring the most reliable weather and longest daylight, but the site is rewarding in every season — autumn mist and winter frost lend it a particularly melancholy and magnificent character. One detail that gives Aghadoe an added poignancy is its connection to a famous piece of Irish poetry and song. The song "Aghadoe," with lyrics by John Todhunter set in the 18th century, tells the story of a woman whose lover — a rebel — was captured and hanged, and who comes to the hill to grieve him in the landscape they both loved. The song contains the lines evoking the beauty of the lough and the hills, and has been sung by generations of Irish performers, cementing the site's place in the emotional geography of Ireland. That this small ruined hilltop carries such a weight of history — Viking-age monasticism, Norman conquest, Gaelic poetry, and rebellion — while remaining free, quiet, and largely overlooked by mass tourism is precisely what makes it such a rewarding and authentic place to seek out.

Ladies View in the Killarney National Park is the most celebrated viewpoint in Kerry and one of the most famous scenic vistas in Ireland, a roadside stopping point on the main Killarney to Kenmare road from which the full extent of the Upper Lake, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountains and the characteristic Killarney landscape of wooded lake shores, mountain backdrop and open water is revealed in a panorama of considerable power and beauty. The view takes its name from the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting who stopped here during Queen Victoria's royal visit to Killarney in 1861 and expressed their admiration for the landscape. The view encompasses the Upper Lake, Muckross Lake and part of Lough Leane spread across the floor of the valley below, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks with their dramatic profiles rising above the southern shore and the characteristic Killarney woodland of sessile oak, arbutus and yew covering the shores and islands of the lakes in the combination of water, mountain and woodland that has made Killarney one of the most celebrated landscapes in Ireland since the eighteenth century. The Killarney National Park surrounding the view is one of the finest national parks in Ireland and contains the largest surviving area of native woodland in the country, the sessile oak and arbutus woodland covering the lake shores in a vegetation type that was once widespread across the moist Atlantic regions of Ireland and has been reduced to a few fragments of which the Killarney woods are the finest.

The Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry is one of the finest and most varied coastal landscapes in Ireland, a mountainous finger of land projecting westward into the Atlantic whose combination of the great mountain of Mount Brandon, the spectacular sea cliffs of Slea Head, the archaeological richness of the Fahan group of early Christian monuments and the character of the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht community centred on Dingle town creates a destination of extraordinary variety and natural and cultural beauty. The peninsula is the most westerly point of the European mainland and the westernmost Irish-speaking community in Europe. The Dingle town itself, the largest settlement on the peninsula, combines excellent seafood restaurants, traditional pubs and music with a genuinely functioning fishing port in a combination that has made it one of the most popular visitor destinations in Kerry while retaining more authentic character than many comparable tourist towns. The famous dolphin Fungi who lived in Dingle Bay for over three decades provided an additional attraction to the many visitors who took boat trips to see him. The Slea Head Drive around the western end of the peninsula traverses the greatest concentration of early Christian monuments in Ireland, including the Gallarus Oratory, the most perfectly preserved early Christian stone church in the world, the Fahan beehive huts and the Kilmalkedar church complex, in a landscape of dramatic coastal scenery that represents the western edge of European civilisation in one of its most ancient and most authentically preserved forms.

The Gap of Dunloe is a dramatic mountain pass in County Kerry cut through the McGillycuddy's Reeks by glacial action during the last Ice Age, a narrow valley of approximately six kilometres connecting Beaufort in the south to the Black Valley in the north in a route of extraordinary mountain scenery that traverses some of the finest glacial landscape in Ireland. The Gap is traditionally experienced by pony and trap from Kate Kearney's Cottage at the southern entrance, a combination of transport and scenery that has been providing tourists with one of the most memorable Kerry experiences since the Victorian period. The glacial valley of the Gap was carved by a glacier flowing south from the ice field of the Reeks, the enormous erosive power of the ice deepening and widening the pre-existing river valley into the U-shaped profile characteristic of glacial erosion. The five glacial lakes that occupy the valley floor at various points along its length, the largest being the Black Lake at the head of the pass, fill the over-deepened sections of the valley floor where the glacier scoured most aggressively into the underlying Old Red Sandstone rock. The views from the head of the pass into the Black Valley beyond, one of the most remote and most beautiful valleys in Kerry, provide the most dramatic single moment of the traverse. The Black Valley has no electricity supply connected to the national grid and its farms and houses retain a degree of isolation unusual in a Kerry valley accessible by road.

The Healy Pass is a mountain road crossing the Caha Mountains between Adrigole in County Cork and Lauragh in County Kerry at an altitude of approximately 334 metres, a route of extraordinary scenery through the heart of the Beara Peninsula that is widely regarded as the most dramatic mountain road in Munster and one of the finest in Ireland. The hairpin bends of the ascent on both sides, the views from the summit toward Bantry Bay to the south and the Kerry lakes to the north and the wild mountain landscape of the Caha Mountains create a mountain driving experience of considerable power and beauty. The Healy Pass was built as a Relief Road during the late nineteenth century, the road construction providing employment for the local population in the tradition of Famine road building that had preceded it by half a century. The road is named after Tim Healy, the first Governor-General of the Irish Free State, who was a native of this part of Cork and who promoted the road's construction. The combination of the Victorian road engineering and the mountain landscape through which it passes creates one of the finest examples of the utilitarian mountain road as scenic heritage. The summit of the pass is marked by a small crucifix and the views from this point encompass the full extent of Bantry Bay to the south, with the Sheep's Head and Mizen Head peninsulas visible beyond, and the Kenmare River and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks to the north in a panorama that captures the full drama of the Cork-Kerry mountain border country.

Ballyheigue Castle stands as a striking ruin on the northwestern coast of County Kerry, Ireland, positioned near the village of Ballyheigue on the shore of Tralee Bay. The castle is a substantial remnant of a fortified house rather than a medieval tower keep, and its roofless but largely intact walls rise dramatically against the open Atlantic sky. It is notable as one of the more visible and accessible historic ruins in this part of Kerry, sitting in close proximity to both a long sandy beach and the village itself, making it a natural focal point for visitors exploring this relatively quiet stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. The castle is most closely associated with the Crosbie family, Anglo-Irish landowners who became prominent in Kerry from the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries onward. The structure that survives today is broadly Georgian or late Plantation in character, reflecting rebuilding and expansion over several generations rather than a single construction date. The Crosbies were a powerful and controversial dynasty in Kerry, and the castle served as their principal seat in this part of the county. The history of the estate is intertwined with the turbulent centuries of Irish land ownership, sectarian conflict, and the eventual decline of the Anglo-Irish ascendancy. Like many such properties, the castle suffered damage and abandonment during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it has remained a ruin for generations. One of the more extraordinary historical episodes connected to Ballyheigue concerns the wreck of a Spanish treasure ship from the Armada era, or in some accounts a later vessel, said to have gone down in Tralee Bay nearby. Local legend and some historical accounts speak of treasure associated with the bay and the Ballyheigue coastline, lending the area a romantic and slightly mysterious atmosphere that persists in local storytelling. Whether the Crosbie family ever recovered such treasure remains a matter of folklore rather than established fact, but the stories are deeply embedded in the local identity of the area. Physically, the ruin presents as a substantial multi-storey shell, with thick limestone walls still standing to full height in places and window openings that frame views of the sea and surrounding fields. The absence of a roof exposes the interior to the elements, and the floors are largely gone, leaving open spaces inside that convey the former scale and ambition of the building. Ivy and other vegetation have colonized parts of the structure, softening the stonework and giving the ruins a romantic, melancholy quality particularly admired in the golden light of a Kerry afternoon. Standing near it, visitors hear the wind moving through the empty window frames and, depending on the season, the sound of the sea from the nearby beach. The surrounding landscape is characteristic of this part of north Kerry, with wide flat farmland meeting the coast at a long, gently curving beach that stretches for several miles. Ballyheigue Beach itself is one of the longer sandy beaches in County Kerry and is popular with local families in summer, while remaining quiet and windswept for much of the year. The beach, the castle ruins, and the small village of Ballyheigue together form a compact and appealing destination. The Stacks Mountains are visible inland, and across Tralee Bay on clear days the Dingle Peninsula presents a dramatic silhouette to the southwest. For visitors, Ballyheigue is most easily reached by car from Tralee, which lies roughly fifteen kilometres to the southeast and serves as the main transport hub for north Kerry. The R551 road connects Tralee to Ballyheigue in a straightforward drive of around twenty minutes. There is no significant public transport serving the village frequently, so a car is strongly advisable. The castle itself sits close to the village centre and the beach car park, meaning access on foot from the village is easy once you arrive. Visitors should be aware that as a ruin in private or unmanaged ownership, access into the structure itself may be restricted or inadvisable for safety reasons, and it is best appreciated from the exterior and surrounding ground. The best time to visit is during the late spring and summer months, when the long Kerry evenings allow for leisurely exploration in good light and the beach comes alive with activity that complements a visit to the ruin. However, the site has a particular drama in autumn and winter, when Atlantic storms and low grey skies give the crumbling walls a genuinely atmospheric quality that draws photographers and those with a taste for the romantic and melancholy in landscape. The combination of beach, ruin, village pub, and big coastal skies makes Ballyheigue a quietly rewarding stop on any tour of north Kerry, even if it lacks the organized visitor infrastructure of more famous Kerry heritage sites.

Listowel Castle is situated in the centre of the town of Listowel on a steep bank overlooking the River Feale and a strategic ford, 16 miles north of Tralee in the south of Ireland. The parts of the castle which are still standing have been well restored and visitors to the castle toady can see much of the front of the castle including two of the original four storey towers of almost 50 feet in height joined by a curtain wall and an arch to one side. There has been a recent addition of an external staircase in keeping with the architecture. Facilities Visitors to Listowel Castle can access the top floors of the castle via an external staircase, however this is by guided tour only and each tour has to be limited to a maximum of twelve visitors at a time so during the busy summer months it may be necessary to wait. The castle is open daily between 21st May and the 2nd September between 09:30 and 17:30 and information on the history of the castle can be found in the Seanchaí Centre which is adjacent to the castle. The castle was built in the 15th century by the Fitzmaurice family on the site of an earlier castle believed to be from the 13th century. Although the castle was not the main family residence it was strategically important to them as they were in constant battle with their neighbors the O'Neil's and the Desmond's and also with the soldiers of the Crown. Due its position they were able to ford the river and create a stronghold against the marauders. It was the last of the Geraldine's fortress' to be brought under control after a twenty eight day siege on the 5th November 1600 by Sir Charles Wilmot who subsequently executed what remained of the castles' garrison. The castle then passed to the Hare family who were granted the title 'Earls of Listowel'. The castle was left abandoned and fell into ruins. In 2005 the Office of Public Works started the castle's restoration with the cleaning and restoration of the stone, and building the external staircase.

Carrigafoyle Castle can be found 2 miles north of Ballylongford on the south side of the River Shannon. It is situated in a channel between the mainland and Carrig island on the very south west tip of Ireland The castle is accessed by a raised stone pathway which becomes inaccessible during very high tides so caution is advised. Carrigafoyle Castle is made up of courses of thin limestone bricks in the style of a tower house. It rises over 86 feet in height and each of its five floors comprises of a small room with oblong chamber off the stone staircase. The house is exposed on the landward side due to a breach in the wall and is shielded by a wooded island against the estuary. The castle is a national monument but has been left in its ruined state. Facilities The castle has been partially restored and various internal rooms and staircases are accessible. There are no visitor facilities, but this need not detract from the medieval experience of seeing the castle. The castle was built in the 1490's by Conor Laith O'Connor-Kerry in a strategic position overlooking the shipping lanes that brought goods to Limerick. To the north on the seaward side the castle is offered protection by a small wooded island and on the landward side to the south and west there were double walls enclosing a moat. The walls extended into the water and made a dock capable of landing ships that were up to 100 tons in weight, their design was so great that they still did not allow boats access within the inner wall. In 1580 the castle was attacked from land and sea by Sir William Pelham in the Desmond Wars, the bombardment took place over two days and used very heavy weapons including culverin; huge naval guns, and cannons. On Palm Sunday the castle was taken after the tower was badly damaged by cannon fire; collapsing and killing many of those inside. Those who survived were massacred, in total 50 Irish and 19 Spanish lives were lost. The castle is has never been repaired due to the amount of damage it sustained, but it has been made safe. It still stands today in ruins with parts such as the moat and outer wall still visible.