Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [257]
Kenmare is an ideal stop, whether your itinerary includes the Ring of Beara, the Ring of Kerry or both. Elegant streets with beguiling restaurants and shops fan out from Fair Green in a handy triangular loop. It gets busy in summer, but it’s less hectic than Killarney.
Orientation
In the 18th century, Kenmare was laid out on an X-plan, with a triangular market square in the centre. Today the inverted V to the south is the focus. Henry and Main Sts are the main shopping and eating and drinking thoroughfares; Shelbourne St links their southern ends. Kenmare Bay stretches out to the southwest, and there are glorious views of the mountains.
Information
The post office on the corner of Henry and Shelbourne Sts sells local walking maps and guides, as well as internet access (€1 for 15 minutes). For info, try www.kenmare.com. Banks and ATMs are common.
Finnegan’s Taxis & Tours ( 064-664 1491) Located above the tourist office.
Kenmare Bookshop ( 064-664 1578; Shelbourne St) Has a wide range of books, including a strong Irish section with maps and guides.
Live Wire ( 064-664 2714; Rock St; per 30min €2; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) Just off Main St.
O’Shea’s Laundry ( 064-664 1394; Kenmare Business Park; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 5.30pm Sat; self-service €1) Located 2km north of town on the N71.
Public toilets (Old Killarney Rd) Opposite the Holy Cross Church, next to a car park.
Tourist office ( 064-663 1633; The Square; 9am-5pm Easter-Oct) Gives out free maps detailing a heritage trail around town and longer walks of up to 13km.
Sights
The Kenmare Heritage Centre ( 064-664 1233; The Square; adult/child €3/1.50; 9am-5pm Easter-Oct), reached through the tourist office, tells the history of the town from its founding as Neidín by the swashbuckling Sir William Petty in 1670. The centre also relates the story of the Poor Clare Convent, founded in 1861, which is still standing behind Holy Cross Church. Local women were taught needlepoint lace-making at the convent, and their lacework catapulted Kenmare to international fame.
Upstairs, the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre ( 064-664 2978; 10.15am-5.30pm Mon-Sat Easter-Oct, 10.30am-1.30pm Nov-Mar) has displays including designs for ‘the most important piece of lace ever made in Ireland’ (in a 19th-century critic’s opinion). It’s run by lace-maker Nora Finnegan, who was taught by the Poor Clare nuns. Also interesting is the story of Margaret Anna Cusack (1829–99), the Nun of Kenmare and an early advocate of women’s rights. She was hounded out of Kenmare, converted to Protestantism and died, embittered, in Leamington, England.
Signposted southwest of the Square is an early Bronze Age stone circle, one of the biggest in southwest Ireland. Fifteen stones ring a boulder dolmen, a burial monument rarely found outside this part of the country.
Built in 1862, the Holy Cross Church on Old Killarney Rd boasts a splendid wooden roof with 14 angel carvings. Fine mosaics adorn the aisle arches and edges of the stained-glass window over the altar. The architect was Charles Hansom, collaborator and brother-in-law of Augustus Pugin (the architect behind London’s Houses of Parliament).
Activities
Star Sailing ( 064-664 1222; www.staroutdoors.ie; Dauros), on the R571, offers activities including sailing, sea kayaking, diving, windsurfing, pony trekking, cycling and hillwalking for novices and experts.
Warm yourself on tea, coffee, rum and the captain’s sea shanties on a two-hour spotting voyage to see seal pups and other marine life with Seafari ( 064-664 2059; www.seafariireland.com; Kenmare Pier; adult/child €20/12.50). Book ahead.
The tourist office has details of walks around Kenmare Bay and into the hills, on sections of the Kerry Way (Click here) and Beara Way.
Sleeping
B&Bs abound, especially on Henry St.
BUDGET
Ring of Kerry Caravan & Camping