Discover Alone
“Don't park on the cliff”
Ladies View. Right there on the Ring of Kerry, nineteen klicks from Killarney. Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting loved it in 1861, so we named it after them. Grand, right? The Irish Times calls it one of the most photographed spots in Ireland. You’re not the only one snapping photos. The Daily Edge says it’s top-tier on Instagram. So if your pic isn’t perfect, blame the light. There’s a small car park and a café here. Essential for your energy. But be careful. In 2017, a tourist couple nearly drove their rental car over the edge. They say they got lucky. I say they needed a drink. You’ll see the valley below. It looks deep. It is deep. Don’t trust your brakes. Take the shot, buy a coffee, and get back in the car before someone else does.
Photo: Bob Familiar, CC BY 2.0
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Then Tom went looking for the oddest places around it.
Stop 2 · Five minutes' walk
Derrycunihy Catholic Church
“Sausage roll lost”
Derrycunihy Catholic Church is where a priest lost a bet involving a sausage roll and a copper-clad spirelet. Built around 1890, it’s now partly derelict and looks like it’s waiting for a rescue team that never arrives. The apse has a story it won’t tell unless you’re very thirsty. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.
Freestanding double-height Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church, built c. 1890, with five-bay nave, single-bay single-storey gabled projecting porch to north elevation, two-bay single-storey sacristy projection to south elevation, and single-bay…
From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 21308401Photo: Thommcg1980, CC BY-SA 4.0
More about Derrycunihy Catholic Church →
Stop 3 · 10 minutes down the road
English holly
“Bird poo is rude”
English holly in County Kerry would complain to the council about the amount of bird droppings on its branches. It’s very particular about its appearance despite being a bush. Bring your own legend, I've run out.
Recorded as: English holly. Species: Ilex aquifolium. Recorded age: 200 - 300 years.
From the Tree Council of Ireland, Heritage Trees of Ireland record 308Photo: Maker named on the Wikimedia Commons picture page, Public domain
More about English holly →
Stop 4 · A 5-minute spin away
Muckross House
“Zero privacy here”
Muckross House. So, you’re standing here on Muckross Peninsula, stuck between Muckross Lake and Lough Leane. Two lakes, one house, zero privacy. Very exclusive. In 1932, William Bowers Bourn and Arthur Rose Vincent handed the keys to the Irish nation. No strings attached, just a massive pile of heritage. It became the first National Park in the Free State, which is basically the grandfather of all our green spaces. Today it’s all visitor centres and traditional farms. You’ll see the house, the gardens, and maybe a deer looking bored. It’s grand, it’s historic, and it’s six klicks from town. Don't trip on the grass, I ain't picking you up.
Muckross House is recorded as a castle in County Kerry.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w123555163Photo: Benutzer:Duebbers, CC BY-SA 3.0
More about Muckross House →
Stop 5 · Hop back in the car, 5 minutes
Castle Lough
“Granny call required”
Castle Lough in Castlelough sits on a tiny island that looks like it’s about to swim away at any moment. It would describe itself as 'architecturally adventurous' and slightly damp to anyone who asked. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.
On a small limestone island (50m x 20m), now attached to the E shore of Castlelough Bay in Lough Leane by a narrow causeway (L 80m; Wth 10m). The fragmentary ivy-clad remains of a tower (max. H c. 6m) stand at the NE corner of the island. It is built of…
From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record KE066-079Photo: Garry Dickinson, CC BY-SA 2.0
More about Castle Lough →_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6529696.jpg){kind=link}
The whole day on one map
See everything else around Ladies View →
Over a million places across Ireland and Britain, all free. Explorer Tom has a story for nearly every one.