Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [245]
Ross Castle
Restored by Dúchas, Ross Castle ( 064-663 5851; www.heritageireland.ie; Ross Rd; adult/child €6/2; 9am-6.30pm Jun-Aug, 9.30am-5.30pm Sep–mid-Oct & mid-Mar–May) dates back to the 15th century, when it was a residence of the O’Donoghues. It was the last place in Munster to succumb to Cromwell’s forces, thanks partly to its cunning spiral staircase, every step of which is a different height, in order to break an attacker’s stride.
According to a prophecy, the castle would be captured only from the water, so in 1652 the Cromwellian commander Ludlow had floating batteries brought to Lough Leane from Castlemaine Harbour along the River Laune. Seeing the prophecy about to be fulfilled, the defenders, having resisted the English siege from the land for months, promptly surrendered.
The castle is a lovely 3km walk from the St Mary’s Cathedral pedestrian park entrance; you may well see red deer. If you’re driving from Killarney, turn right opposite the Texaco petrol station at the start of Muckross Rd. Access is by guided tour only.
Inisfallen Island
The first monastery on Inisfallen Island (at 22 acres, the largest of the national park’s 26 islands) is said to have been founded by St Finian the Leper in the 7th century. The island’s fame dates from the early 13th century when the Annals of Inisfallen were written here. Now in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, they remain a vital source of information on early Munster history. On Inisfallen (‘island’) are the ruins of a 12th-century oratory with a carved Romanesque doorway and a monastery on the site of St Finian’s original.
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DETOUR: AGHADOE
On a hilltop 5km west of town, Aghadoe’s views of Killarney, the lakes and Inisfallen Island have drawn tourists for centuries. At the eastern end of the meadow, in front of the Aghadoe Heights Hotel, are the ruins of a Romanesque church and the 13th-century Parkavonear Castle. Parkavonear’s keep, still standing, is one of the few cylindrical rather than rectangular keeps built by the Normans in Ireland. Unsurprisingly, its name translates as ‘field of the meadow’.
If driving from Killarney, turn right off the N72 after the turn for Killarney Riding Stables. Between Monday and Saturday, June to September, four daily buses link Killarney and Aghadoe. Some tours stop there.
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You can hire boats from Ross Castle to row to the island. Alternatively, boaters charge passengers around €7.50 each for the crossing. Some Gap of Dunloe boats and bus tours also stop here.
Muckross Estate
The core of Killarney National Park is the Muckross Estate, donated to the state by Arthur Bourn Vincent in 1932. Muckross House ( 064-667 0144; www.muckross-house.ie; adult/child €7/3, combined ticket with farms €12/6; 9am-7pm Jul & Aug, to 6pm Sep-Jun) is a 19th-century mansion, restored to its former glory and packed with contemporaneous fittings. Entrance is by guided tour.
The beautiful gardens slope down, and a block behind the house contains a restaurant, craft shop and studios where you can see potters, weavers and bookbinders at work. Jaunting cars wait to run you though deer parks and woodland to Torc Waterfall and Muckross Abbey (about €10 each return).
Garden Restaurant ( 064-663 1440; meals €4-10; 9am-5pm), in the visitor centre (which also has excellent maps and books), is one of the region’s best places for lunch. It serves an array of fresh and interesting dishes from snacky to full-on. It’s all cafeteria style so you can wander around choosing from the array of organic and locally sourced foods.
Immediately east of Muckross House are the Muckross Traditional Farms ( 064-663 1440; adult/child €7/4, combined ticket with Muckross House €12/6; 10am-6pm Jun-Sep, 1-6pm May, 1-6pm Sat, Sun & public holidays mid-Mar-Apr & Oct). These reproductions