Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [255]
There is tourist information and a bureau de change at Waterville Craft Market ( 066-947 4212; 9am-9pm Jun-Aug, 10am-6pm Sep-May).
Sights & Activities
At the north end of Lough Currane, Church Island has the ruins of a medieval church and beehive cell. Reputedly founded as a monastic settlement by St Finian in the 6th century, it’s a dry-land alternative to the Skelligs in choppy weather.
Sleeping & Eating
O’Dwyer’s ( 066-947 4248; Main St; s/d from €35/70) A central budget option, above a remarkably clean pub. Rooms are tight from the bathrooms to the beds, but the value is big. A sign downstairs: ‘Avoid hangovers, stay drunk.’
Clifford’s B&B ( 066-947 4283; www.cliffordbandb.com; Main St; s/d from €40/76; Mar-Oct) A pink house right in the town and across from the shore, rooms here are purely functional and comfortable; some have sea views. Walkers in the often stormy conditions are accommodated with a drying room for their clothes, boots, underwear… Good breakfasts, too.
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CAHERDANIEL
pop 350
Hiding between Derrynane Bay and the foothills of Eagles Hill, Caherdaniel barely qualifies as a tiny hamlet. Businesses are scattered about the undergrowth like smugglers, fitting since this was once a haven for same.
This is the ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell, ‘the Liberator’ (Click here), whose family made money smuggling from their base by the dunes. The area boasts a Blue Flag beach, plenty of activities, good hikes and some pubs where you may be tempted to break into pirate talk and boast about your love for Arrrgh-gentina. Lines of wind-gnarled trees add to the wild air.
Sights
DERRYNANE NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK
Derrynane House ( 066-947 5113; Derrynane; adult/child €3/1; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun May-Sep, 1-5pm Tue-Sun Apr & Oct, 1-5pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar, last admission 45 min before closing) is the family home of Daniel O’Connell, the campaigner for Catholic emancipation. His ancestors bought the house and surrounding parkland, having grown rich on smuggling with France and Spain. It’s largely furnished with O’Connell memorabilia, including the restored triumphal chariot in which he lapped Dublin after his release from prison in 1844.
The gardens, warmed by the Gulf Stream, hold palms, 4m-high tree ferns, gunnera (‘giant rhubarb’) and other South American species. A walking track through them leads to wetlands, beaches and clifftops. You can spot wild pheasants and other birds, whose musical calls add a note of contrast to the dull roar of the surf. The chapel, which O’Connell added to Derrynane House in 1844, is a copy of the ruined one on Abbey Island, which can usually be reached on foot across the sand.
Look out for the Ogham stone on the left of the road to the house. With its carved notches representing the simple Ogham alphabet of the ancient Irish, the stone has several missing letters, but may represent the name of a local chieftain.
Activities
As it has for centuries (although now it tends to be legal), most of the activity here centres on the beach. Popular Derrynane Sea Sports ( 087 908 1208; derrynaneseasports@eircom.net) organises sailing, canoeing, windsurfing and waterskiing for all levels, operating from the beach between June and August.
Eagle Rock Equestrian Centre ( 066-947 5145; www.eaglerockcentre.com) offers beach, mountain and woodland treks for all levels (from €30 per hour).
Walkers should head to Bunavalla Pier, 3.2km downhill from the N70, west of Caherdaniel. Walk there and you’ll descend towards ‘Ireland’s best known view’ (according to the Scarriff Inn’s sign at the top) along what could be Ireland’s windiest, steepest lane. Keep left and conserve your energy for the slog back uphill.
The Kerry Way passes through here (Click here) and goes on to a megalithic tomb at the base of Farraniaragh