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Learning about Killarney
Malcolm Rogers
MALCOLM ROGERS explains everything you've always wanted to know about
Ireland's oldest tourist destination.
** So why might I want to go there?
++ Because Ryanair are now flying to Kerry Airport every day from London
Luton and London Stansted. You could leave London early morning and be
on the golf course by lunchtime, with the Lakes of Killarney as a backdrop.
www.ryanair.com
** Killarney's a nice spot then?
+++ You could say. Cill Áirne, meaning "the church of the
sloes", is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern
shore of the Lough Lein, part of Killarney National Park.
** So there's plenty to keep you occupied?
++ I'll say. They've been entertaining the tourists here for the best
part of 250 years, so they know a thing or two about it. Fishing and golfing
have kept the visitors coming for centuries, with sight-seeing trips to
some of Ireland's most iconic scenery an added bonus.
Originally part of Lord Kenmare's estates, the Killarney Golf and Fishing
Club www.killarney-golf.com on the shores of Lough Lein, is one of the
finest golf establishments in the world. Three courses will test all your
shots, and even if you adhere to the maxim that golf gets its name because
all the other four letter words were taken, you'll be wowed by the scenery
- the Lakes of Killarney and the MacGillycuddy Reeks.
Oh, and by the way, Lough Lein is the generally accepted location of Tir
na nOg, the Land of Eternal Youth. It seems that the Ireland's ancient
warriors the Fianna were hunting on the shores of the lough one day when
Oisin, the son of the leader Fionn, fell in love with a beautiful blonde
riding a white horse - Niamh of the Golden Hair. She invited him to her
land under the waters, where nobody grew old and spring was eternal.
** Anything of note in the town?
+++ Well, apart from numerous pubs, restaurants and shops, we have the
very fine St. Mary's Cathedral, in the diocese of Ardfert and Ahadoe.
Designed by Edward Pugin, it's noted for its beautifully majestic proportions.
It is regularly mentioned amongst the church-fancying cognoscenti as the
finest specimen of revised Gothic in these islands.
Other must-sees in the vicinity of the town include Ross Castle, Muckross
Abbey, Torc Waterfall and Gap of Dunloe.
* Ross Castle (Caisleán an Rois) is the ancestral home of the
O'Donoghue clan, on the edge of Lough Lein. Built in the late 1400s by
the local ruling clan, it was amongst the last to surrender to Oliver
Cromwell's Roundheads during the Confederate Wars.
According to our old friend legend, once the artillery moved in O'Donoghue
himself leaped out of the window of the grand chamber at the top of the
castle and disappeared into the waters of the lake - taking with him his
horse, his furniture and his library. It is said that the Bould O'Donoghue
now lives in a great palace at the bottom of the lake where he keeps a
close eye on everything that he sees. So what with the Land of Eternal
Youth being down there too, it must get pretty crowded.
* Muckross Abbey is one of the major ecclesiastical sites in Killarney
National Park, founded in 1448 for the Observantine Franciscans by Donal
McCarthy Mor.
A violent history then ensued, with the Friars persecuted and subjected
to raids by marauding groups. Today the Abbey is largely roofless, but
otherwise well preserved.
In the 17th and 18th centuries it became the burial place for the prominent
County Kerry poets, O'Donoghue, O'Suilleabhain and Aogán O Rathaille.
It was the latter who wrote the less than complimentary lines addressed
to Valentine Browne, Lord Kenmare. He felt that 'Valentine Browne' was
the kind of ludicrous name which an arriviste might call himself - someone
inappropriately installed in a demesne of the great McCarthy family, now
dead or dispersed. O Rathaille wrote, in Irish but later translated by
Frank O'Connor:
"That my old bitter heart was pierced in this back doom
That foreign devils have made our land a tomb
That the sun that was Munster's glory has gone down
Has made me a beggar before you Valentine Browne."
** And do they have that piece of verse written up at the golf course?
++ Eh, no.
** Anywhere you could recommend to stay in the town?
++ Accommodation is no problem in Killarney. Top of the range is the
five star Killarney Park Hotel in the town centre. This is where the likes
of Pierce Brosnan or Bill Clinton stay when they're in town. Until the
end of March the hotel is offering two nights B&B plus one dinner
for euro 275 per person sharing. Which ain't too bad for a hotel that
was recently voted no 7 in "Top 100 Luxury Hotels in the World"
by Trip Advisor. www.killarneyparkhotel.ie
tel 00 353 (0) 64 35555
The Malton may be more familiar to you as the old Great Southern Hotel. It's
now a four star deluxe establishment with spa, gym, swimming pool, Jacuzzi.
During February and March a two night stay for two people costs euro 360
www.themalton.com tel 00 353 (0)
64 38000
The three star International Hotel in Kenmare Place is offering double rooms
during March for euro 75 for two people. www.centralr.com
** And for dining?
++ Again, no shortage of places. But you could scarcely do better than
Lord Kenmare's Restaurant in College Street, just above Murphy's Bar and
Squire's Pub. Barbary duck is their signature dish, but seafood also stars
in this busy, buzzy, friendly restaurant.
Tel 00 353 (0) 64 37245
About euro 40 per person including wine.
** Anywhere to have a drink, then?
++ A few places - there are reputedly 52 pubs in the town, so if you decide
to stay the whole year, you could have a different place to drink every
week. Recommended for traditional music and ballad singing are The Laurels,
Tatler Jack and the Danny Mann.
** What about transport from Kerry Airport to Killarney?
++ If you're not hiring a car then try O'Callaghan's 00 353 (0) 64 31095.
For two people it's euro 30. |
