Kerry - 73 Attractions You Must Visit

The Loher Fort was probably built in the 9th century and served as a fortification of a farm yard. Behind the high walls both humans and animals found protection from attackers. Within the fort, the remnats of two buildings can be found – one of them with a circular, the other one with a square layout. In the interior are a large round house and a smaller rectangular house; archaeology has shown that these were preceded by wooden buildings. A souterrain was located in the circular house.

Located at the ‘end’ of the gap, if you walk from the Kate Kearny side, Lord Brandon’s Cottage is a welcome site for those that have conquered the first leg of the walk. Once a grand hunting lodge, the cottage has a tale of love and betrayal tide to it, which you’ll discover shortly.

Caragh Lake is located between the lively town of Killorglin and the village of Glenbeigh, north of the McGillicuddy Reeks. The lake was formed by the damming of the Caragh River. It is one of the many freshwater lakes in Kerry that is included within a large Special Area of Conservation. It is one of the iconic location where you can spend some beautiful time in the middle of nature.

Lough Coomloughra is a lake in County Kerry and has an elevation of 469 metres. Lough Coomloughra is situated north of Maghanlawaun, close to Lough Eagher. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and a good picnic location too.

A beautiful lake in County Kerry, Ireland. Waterville lies on its western bank, close to the Atlantic Ocean, it empties into Ballinskelligs Bay. Raheen lies on its southern bank. It covers an area of 2,500 acres and is 3.5 miles long and 2 miles at the widest point. The lough is famous for its salmon and Sea trout fly fishing.

Lough Leane is the largest of the three lakes of Killarney. The River Laune flows from the lake into the Dingle Bay to the northwest. It is approximately 19 square kilometres in size. It is also the largest body of fresh water in the region. It has become eutrophic as a result of phosphates from agricultural and domestic pollution entering Lough Leane Reedbed, an important habitat on the edge of Lough Leane.

Mangerton is a large mountain to the South of Killarney with great northern corries and superb views of the national park and the mountains of Iveragh and Beara. On Mangerton's north-western face lies a deep corrie lake called the Devil's Punchbowl, which is a popular scenic destination for hill walkers; although the mountain is often overlooked by walkers due to the proximity of its more scenic and accessible neighbour, Torc Mountain.

Minard Castle stands majestically on a hill high above Kilmurry Bay. The ruin is badly damaged – a result of the siege by Cromwell’s troops in 1650, which no inhabitant survived. The castle is located slightly south of the village of Minard. The current structure is the enlargement of an older house carried out around 1848 by the architect John Thomas Rochead.

Moll's Gap is a gap in County Kerry and has an elevation of 237 metres. Moll's Gap is situated south of Derrylea. It offers views of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountains, and is a popular tourist location. The rocks at Moll's gap are formed of Old Red Sandstone, which are small quartz grains laid down over 350 million years ago; unlike most of the Old Red Sandstone around Killarney which is stained red by iron oxide, the rock at Moll's gap is stained green by chlorite.

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.

Muckross Lake is one of the deepest lakes in Ireland and is home to many types of fish. It is one of the three famous Lakes of Killarney, along with Lough Leane and Upper Lake. It is also a habitat for the critically endangered blunt-snouted Irish char.

The Traditional farms at Muckross offer an experience of what life was like in the Irish countryside during the 1930s and 1940s prior to rural electrification and widespread mechanisation. This is not a museum tour in the traditional sense. It is a working farm that utilises the tools and practices of the time to re-enact a way of life that is slowly fading from memory.

Priest's Leap is a steep and nearly straight single-lane mountain pass between Coomhola Bridge and the village of Bonane east of the more winding road from Bantry to Kenmare in Ireland. Just below the summit of the 519 m high mountain with the same name, it is the highest pass road in Munster at 463m, crossing from County Cork to County Kerry.

Purple Mountain, is the 21st–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 28th–highest according to the Vandeleur-Lynam scale. It is located in County Kerry, and is the highest point of the Purple Mountain Group. It is composed of sandstone particles of various sizes which are collectively known as Old Red Sandstone. Old Red Sandstone has a purple-reddish colour, and has virtually no fossils.

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.

The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometre-long circular tourist route in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. Clockwise from Killarney it follows the N71 to Kenmare. It’s a road that takes you through 10,000 years of dramatic history. It’s a road that takes you from deep forest to the crashing waters of the wild Atlantic. It’s a road through rugged, majestic landscapes.

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.

Rossbeigh strand is located five kilometres outside the village of Glenbeigh. It is an extensive sandy beach in a rural environment and is great for swimming, walking, surfing and a wide range of other activities. Rossbeigh contains a large volume of sand dunes and herbaceous vegetation. It is considered an important habitat for flora and fauna, including wildfowl.

This is an extension of the famous Ring of Kerry and is a real hidden gem – a small, 20 mile route that will show you the gorgeous beauty of Ireland with none of the hassles. It starts in either Cahersiveen or Waterville depending on where you are on the Ring of Kerry and takes in awe inspiring views of the Skellig Islands at every turn, the wonderful Valentia Island accessed by ferry and bridge, the picturesque fishing village of Portmagee, Ballinskelligs with its great Blue Flag beach.