A Picture-Perfect Postcard: County Kerry, Ireland

County Kerry is a must-see area in Ireland. It is the picture-perfect postcard that so many of us dream of.

I chose the bustling town of Killarney as my home base. My bed-and breakfast, Earl’s Court House, warmly greeted my husband and I with traditional Irish tea and scones in their antique-filled lounge.

Refreshed with full stomachs and caffeine, we immediately began our exploration of Killarney National Park. Torc Waterfall beckoned us to this photo opportunity.

Torc Waterfall is about 65 feet high and an easy walk from the parking area. You can extend this visit into a daylong hike inside Killarney National Park (be sure to pack snacks and drinks and wear appropriate hiking gear) after you sit by the waterfall and observe red deer. My husband and I had quite the adventure hiking in the park. You can read about that in my previous article, "Destination Unknown."

Muckross House and Gardens

This Victorian mansion is the focal point of the park. You can follow in the steps of Queen Victoria who visited the house in 1861. Since then, it has been turned into a museum demonstrating County Kerry folk life. Wander through enjoying the restored, fully furnished rooms of period style. You can feel the elegance of what it was like for the 19th century landowning class. Afterwards, take a leisurely stroll through the nearby gardens or stop by one of the craft workshops and see traditional demonstrations of weaving or pottery. Also nearby are the ruins of Muckross Abbey, a Franciscan friary built in 1448.

Muckross Traditional Farms

This park is a wonderful treat for both children and adults. Stop by and visit farmers and their animals at very authentic-looking buildings. You may even catch them plowing their fields or picking potatoes. Watch a blacksmith or a carpenter practice their trade. Observe women draw water from wells and cook traditional Irish meals. You can also purchase items in one of the artisan’s shops.

Ross Castle

This fortress was recently restored to its former 15th century glory. The guided tour through the magnificently furnished rooms is very interesting and informative. For example, while walking up the narrow, curving stone stairway I learned that they intentionally made their steps slightly different heights so intruders would trip. From the top of Ross Castle, you can see a lovely view of the surrounding lakes and islands.

Innisfallen Island

Outside Ross Castle we took a small motorboat to Innisfallen Island. We were dropped off and told that when we were finished, a passing boat would pick us up if we waited on the dock. We had the entire island to ourselves. It was fascinating to walk the hallowed grounds and explore the ruins of the 7th-centruy monastery. Obviously, this serene island was the perfect place for reflection and prayer. We also learned that for a while the island was a leper colony.

Gap of Dunloe

I definitely recommend a stop at the scenic Gap of Dunloe. This gap was excavated by ice floes during the last ice age. You can leave your car at the famous Kate Kearney’s Cottage and take the short hike amid green rolling hills, fluffy white sheep, and crystal streams.

Skellig Islands

This tour is perfect for the adventurous - and for the ones that don't get seasick. The Skellig Islands are a Unesco World Heritage Site. There are two options to visit, an eco tour that includes a bouncy boat tour around the islands and a landing tour where you have the opportunity to step onto the island. After opting for the eco tour, which took two and a half hours, we circled both islands getting right up close to Skellig Michael and the Little Skelligs to see both the wildlife and the historical sites.

If you choose to do the landing tour, be prepared physically, as there are 618 steps climb to the monastery. These steps were constructed by the monks who lived there between the 6th and 12th centuries. If you think they look familiar, it's probably because two Star Wars movies have been filmed on the Skellig Islands. This created some controversy however, as some people have misgivings about using the historic site for commercial filming due to the ancient structures and nesting birds. As only 180 visitors are permitted a day, it currently attracts many more people due to the movies.

Nobel Prize winning author and playwright, George Bernard Shaw, visited Skellig Michael in 1910. He was so awestruck that he wrote to a friend describing the experience.

“…the most fantastic and impossible rock in the world: Skellig Michael, or the Great Skellig, where in south west gales the spray knocks stones out of the lighthouse keeper’s house, 160 feet above calm sea level. There is a little Skellig covered with gannets – white with them (and their guano) – covered with screaming crowds of them… both the Skelligs are pinnacled, crocketed, spired, arched, caverned, minaretted; and these gothic extravagances are not curiosities of the islands: they are the islands: there is nothing else.

The rest of the cathedral may be under the sea for all I know: there are 90 fathoms by the chart, out of which the Great Skellig rushes up 700 feet so suddenly that you have to go straight up stairs to the top – over 600 steps. And at the top amazing beehives of flat rubble stones, each overlapping the one below until the circle meets in a dome – cells, oratories, churches, and outside them cemeteries, wells, crosses, all clustering like shells on a prodigious rock pinnacle, with precipices sheer down on every hand, and lodged on the projecting stones overhanging the deep huge stone coffins made apparently by giants, and dropped there God knows how.

An incredible, impossible, mad place… I tell you the thing does not belong to any world that you and I have lived and worked in: it is part of our dream world…”

From Shaw’s letter to Frederick Jackson: Parknasilla Hotel, Sneem, 18th September 1910.

Another worthwhile excursion while visiting County Kerry is a drive around the Ring of Kerry to see the breathtaking scenic views. Finally, after the sun goes down, sip some ale and listen to some local music at the myriad of pubs in the town of Killarney. All in all, it will be a trip you’ll never forget.