17 Old Ruins to Explore in Kerry

Ardfert Cathedral is the site of a monastery founded by St. Brendan The Navigator in the 6th century. It was the seat of the Diocese of Ardfert from 1117. It is now a heritage tourism site.Today, visitors can see three medieval churches, an ogham stone, and a number of early Christian and medieval grave slabs.

This is the largest working windmill in Ireland and the only windmill along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. It was authentically restored to full working order in the 1980s. The mill has five floors, ground floor, intermediate floor, grinding floor, stone floor and cap floor. An adjacent visitor centre has displays on the history of the mill, its technology and on emigration from the area after the great famine. There is also a bird-watching platform equipped with telescopes.

Bonane Heritage Park is an private archaeological preserve and tourist attraction between Bonane and Kenmare in County Kerry, Ireland. The park has over 250 well-preserved sites from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age right up to pre-Famine times and celebrates the first settlers who colonised the Irish countryside. It is a stunning walk laden with archeological treasures that all of the family will enjoy.

Derrynane House was the home of Irish politician and statesman, Daniel O'Connell. It is now an National Monument and part of a 320-acre national historic park. The house is located on the Iveragh peninsula on the Ring of Kerry near the village of Derrynane in County Kerry, Ireland. The house displays relics of O'Connell's life and career. Guided tours of the house are available, along with a visual presentation. Access for visitors with disabilities is limited to the ground floor.

Dinis Cottage on Dinis Island in Killarney National Park looks out over the Middle Lake and was built by the Herberts who at one time owned the lands that are now part of Killarney National Park . The cottage has been described as a hunting lodge and a woodcutter’s hut and dates back to the 1700s. It provides a tempting stop-off for the many visitors, walking the popular Muckross and Dinis 10km circular trail through the National Park and taking in Torc Waterfall.

Eask Tower is an 18th century stone tower that was built as a beacon for guiding ships coming into Dingle bay. It overlooks the small fishing port of Dingle and seems to silently watch over the ocean, and its approaching boats. The Tower is of solid stone. The building of it on Carhoo hill, 600 feet above sea level, provided work during the Great Famine, at the instigation of Reverend Charles Gayer, Leader of the Protestants, in an attempt to win converts.

A majestic ruin of a crude stone church believed to have been built between the 6th and 9th centuries, and is still in remarkably unchanged condition.The local tradition prevalent at the time of Charles Smith attributed it to one Griffith More, being a funerary chapel built by him or his family at their burial place. This 17-foot tall oratory has a single-room structure, consisting of a rounded triangular shape with a doorway on one end and a small window built into the other end.

The Kenmare stone circle is one of the largest stone circles in south West Ireland measuring 17.4 x 15.8m and unlike any other ring in Muster, this one is egg-shaped. Stone Circles were built during the bronze age believed to be for ritual and ceremonial purposes. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and there are also many similar things in this surroundings.

Killarney House is an Irish country home in Killarney. The house and gardens offers a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the busy town. The restoration of the house and formal gardens has resurrected in part the style of 18th century French chateaux and a 20th century Edwardian property. The restoration work to the landscaped gardens continues.

Listowel Castle, located near the town of Listowel, County Kerry in Ireland, was built in the 15th century. It was the last bastion against Queen Elizabeth I in the First Desmond Rebellion, and was the last fortress of the Geraldines to be subdued. The castle is a noted example of Anglo-Norman architecture in County Kerry, and has been the subject of several restoration projects. It is now protected as a national monument, and is open to the public for tours on a daily basis.

Muckross Abbey was founded for the Observatine Franciscans about 1448 by Daniel McCarthy Mor. The present well-preserved ruins include a church with a wide, square tower and fine windows, and a vaulted cloister with an arcade of arches around a square courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard grows an ancient yew tree, said traditionally to be as old as the Abbey. Today the abbey is largely roofless although, apart from this, is generally quite well preserved.

Muckross House is the quintessential Victorian mansion, built in a Tudor Style. This beautiful house rises from superbly designed gardens, the light from nearby Muckross Lake glinting off hundreds of diamond-paned windows. It is situated close to the eastern shore of Muckross Lake, taking full advantage of the magnificent views which can be enjoyed from this location. Most of the house has been preserved as a late 19th century mansion, with furniture and artefacts from that period.

This is one of Ireland’s finest examples of round tower dating from the 10th century. The Tower stands on the grounds of an ancient monastery. It’s thought to have been founded by Bishop Lughach, one of the first Christian evangelists in County Kerry. The Tower is 90ft tall and has a basement and 5 floors. Additionally, the site boasts the ruins of a 15th-century church, whose structure includes stones from an earlier house of worship.

Ross Castle sits on the edge of Killarney’s lower lake and was built by O’Donoghue Mór in the 15th century. The Castle came into the thands of the Brownes who became the Earls of Kenmare and owned an extensive portion of the lands that are now part of Killarney National Park. It is the ancestral home of the Chiefs of the Clan O'Donoghue, later associated with the Brownes of Killarney.The castle is operated by the Office of Public Works, and is open to the public seasonally with guided tours.

St Mary’s is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Kerry. The beautiful Gothic-style structure was designed by Augustus Pugin and dedicated to Mary in 1855. It was designed by the renowned English architect Augustus Welby Pugin, who is said to have gained inspiration from the ruins of Ardfert Cathedral "which is particularly evident in the slender triple lancets in the east and west walls.

The Famine Cottages were built in the mid nineteenth century and originally housed the Long and then the Kavanagh family in Fán, Ventry County Kerry. The cottages were located on the lands of the Earl of Cork who was landlord for some of the lands in the area. A nice museum, which offers an unrivalled panorama of the cliffs of Dun Beag but whose visit does not last more than a quarter of an hour.

Uragh Stone Circle on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork is without doubt one of the most beautiful and most mystical places in Ireland. This monument consists of a five stone circle with a huge outlier in close proximity. This enormous monolith is at least three metres high and totally dominates the monument. It is set radially to the circle aligned along the NE-SW axis. There are a number of other monuments nearby, including a multiple stone circle and some boulder burials.