Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [238]
Lauragh to Kenmare
Leaving Lauragh, take the R573, which hugs the coast, rejoining the more no-nonsense R571 at Tuosist for the 16km run east to Kenmare in Kerry.
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NORTHERN CORK
Northern Cork lacks the glamour and romance of the county’s coastal regions, but the area’s towns and villages have a refreshing rural integrity.
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DONKEY SANCTUARY
Reason enough to head this way, the Donkey Sanctuary ( 022-48398; www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie; Liscarroll; admission free; 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun) is a wonderful nonprofit institution dedicated to Ireland’s iconic beasts of burden. Naturally bedraggled looking, the small, sturdy steeds of the Irish countryside are also often abused by thoughtless owners either out of meanness or simply because economic conditions have made it too hard to care for them properly.
At this large farm, abandoned and abused donkeys are given a home for life. There are pastures, food, medical care and virtually no demands on them. It’s a splendid operation and one most visitors end up supporting – especially after they’ve seen one of the winsome critters up close through the self-guided tour of the pastures and barns.
The sanctuary is in the small town of Liscarroll, which is on the R522, 13km west of Buttevant on the main N20 highway to Cork. There are some scenic ruins of a castle close to the sanctuary.
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MALLOW
Mallow (Mala) is a prosperous town located in the Blackwater Valley on the main N20 highway. Visitors to its spa in the 19th century christened it the ‘Bath of Ireland’. The comparison is far-fetched these days, though the architecture in the town centre hints at its former grandeur.
The tourist office ( 022-42222; www.eastcorktourism.com; 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri) can help with accommodation and activities.
In the town itself, you can spot white fallow deer around the imposing ruins of Mallow Castle (Bridge St), which dates back to 1585. Also look out for the distinctive Clock House (Bridge St), designed by an amateur architect after an Alpine holiday – you’d never guess.
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AROUND MALLOW
At Buttevant, about 20km north of Mallow on the N20, are the ruins of a 13th-century Franciscan abbey. Between Mallow and Killarney, you might want to divert to see the well-preserved remains of 17th-century Kanturk Castle. Inhabited only by crows these days, the castle acted as both fortification and country house from the early 17th century to 1906.
Red deer scamper around the 400 acres of landscaped gardens at Doneraile Park ( dawn-8pm), 13km northeast of Mallow. There are woodland walkways, cascades and playgrounds to keep the kids happy.
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County Kerry
* * *
KILLARNEY
HISTORY
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
SIGHTS
ACTIVITIES
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING & ENTERTAINMENT
SHOPPING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
AROUND KILLARNEY
KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK
WALKING & CLIMBING
TOURS
KILLARNEY TO KENMARE
RING OF KERRY
KILLORGLIN
KERRY BOG VILLAGE MUSEUM
ROSBEIGH STRAND
CAHERCIVEEN
VALENTIA ISLAND
PORTMAGEE
SKELLIG ISLANDS
SKELLIG RING
WATERVILLE
CAHERDANIEL
STAIGUE FORT
SNEEM
KENMARE
NORTHERN KERRY
TRALEE
AROUND TRALEE
LISTOWEL
AROUND LISTOWEL
DINGLE PENINSULA
DINGLE
NORTHSIDE OF THE PENINSULA
CONNOR PASS
TRALEE TO DINGLE VIA ANNASCAUL
KILLARNEY TO DINGLE VIA CASTLEMAINE
WEST OF DINGLE
* * *
Kerry is the destination of choice for legions of travellers each year, drawn to Ireland’s most iconic sights: impossibly crenulated coasts, endless fields of green criss-crossed by stone walls, and misty peaks and bogs where anything might be sheltering.
Killarney is where many start. Well schooled in serving visitors’ needs, it can shroud tourists in a jet-lagged blur of fine seafood, trad sessions in pubs and the occasional dawn discovery that one is wearing a new sweater from the night before. But