Killarney Ireland and its history

Praised by writers from Tennyson and Thackeray to Boucicault and Behan, Killarney is undoubtedly the best known of Ireland's tourism centers. After the capital of Dublin, it is the most visited tourist destination in all of Ireland. Yet, compared with cities like Cork, Galway, or Limerick, Killarney is relatively small and lacks any unique architecture, major cultural outlets, or immediate access to a major airport or seaport. In terms of historic importance, Killarney cannot be ranked with cities like Cashel, Kells, Kilkenny, Wexford, or Waterford, or even with other small towns.

Killarney was not the seat of Irish kings as was Tara, nor does it have great Viking or Norman legacies. Killarney is Killarney, and in many ways it is in a class by itself. Just off the Atlantic in County Kerry, not far from Ireland's southwest coast, Killarney is essentially a sheltered Camelot like town, surrounded by 23 square miles of idyllic lakes, mountains, floating islands, castles, waterfalls, and parklands.

Unlike Camelot, however, the rains and mists come often to Killarney, but then the natives say that the moisture is what keeps Killarney such a naturally verdant paradise, worthy of its sobriquets Beauty's Home and Heaven's Reflex. The rain also provides Killarney with a mild and moderate climate that varies relatively little in temperature.

The place name of Killarney is believed to have come from the Irish or Gaelic name eill Afrne, meaning church of the sloe. This is well supported by the fact that there are many sloe (afrne) or blackthorn woods in the area.

Things to do in Killarney Ireland

Visitors come to Killarney not just for the town itself but also for its surroundings. The lakes of Killarney and the mountains that hold them reside in a boulder and rock-strewn land of unrivaled natural beauty, sculpted by the Ice Age and trimmed with gentle woodlands. Ireland's highest range of mountains, MacGillicuddy's Reeks, are a part of this panoramic tableau. To tell the truth, the ‘scenery surrounding Killarney is by far the most compelling reason to visit; tourism's assault on the city proper has turned it into the most commercial (and occasionally tacky) town in the Republic.

Unlike most areas in Ireland, not a great deal is known about Killarney's early days, although some links to a Bronze Age civilization have been found. Earliest historical accounts go back to various monastic sites founded around the lakes during the 7th century and to the rule of early Irish chieftains called McCarthy, O'Donoghue, and O'Sullivan surnames that predominate still. It was not until the mid-18th century, however, that Killarney began to make an impact and to draw visitors to its beautiful scenery.

Killarney history and car hire

Modern day visitors to Killarney usually arrive by hire car from the airport at Dublin or Knock. Thanks to Lord Kenmare, a local landowner, major roads were built from Killarney Town toward Tralee, Limerick, Cork, Kenmare, and beyond. The mid19th century brought the railroad to Killarney and the subsequent building of the Great Southern hotel. The Lord Kenmare of that time, following his predecessor's lead, gave Killarney another boost in 1861, when he invited Queen Victoria and members of the royal family to visit his Lakeland paradise.

The people of Killarney spruced up the town in a big way and prepared suitable accommodations for all who were expected to come to see the queen. Following the queen's visit, Victorians became the most enthusiastic travelers to Killarney.The area's purple glens, silent glades, ruined castles, and fairytale isles on misty lakes appealed to the Victorian imagination, and the journals of their travels are breathless with wonderment at what they saw. Even then there was disdain for the traveler on too tight a schedule.

William Makepeace Thackeray, in his Irish Sketch Book, had little good to say of the man coming from his desk in London or Dublin and seeing 'the whole lakes in a day.' Thackeray admonished visitors to look at these wonderful things leisurely and thoughtfully; and even then, blessed is he who understands them.

Twentieth century visitors can take heart. The enthralling scenery around Killarney hasn't changed at all, even if the parking lots of the town's hotels are filled with tour buses and the streets are lined with pony traps and jaunting cars for hire.' Commercial, yes, but just as the Victorians would be swaddled in lap robes and stashed in the back of horse drawn carriages, so can today's jet age sojourners still approximate the feeling of being tucked in and trotted out of town in the turf scented morning or rain bowed afternoon.

Killarney Lakes

Basically, Killarney's lakes are three in number. Nearest the town is the Lower Lake (also known as Lough Leane, lake of learning). This is the largest lake (5,000 acres), with about 30 islands, including Innisfallen, site of a medieval monastery and an early seat of learning. On the eastern shore of the Lower Lake are two other popular Killarney historic sites, Muckross Abbey and Ross Castle.

The wooded peninsula of Muckross eparates the Lower Lake from the Middle Lake (680 acres), sometimes called Muckross Lake. On the eastern shore of this body of water is the manor home and folk museum called Muckross House, and close by is the 60foot natural cascade known as Torc Waterfall.

A narrow strait called the Long Range leads to the slender, fingerlike Upper Lake (430 acres), which is almost embedded in mountains. The Upper Lake is the smallest but, in the opinion of many, the most beautiful of the lakes, with MacGillicuddy's Reeks rising to the west.
Added to the spectacle of the three main lakes are many other, smaller lakes in the folds of the mountains as well as numerous picturesque cascades and waterfalls.

Plant and animal life is also part of Killarney's landscape. The woodlands thrive with a luxuriant medley of oak, birch, yew, ash, cedar, and juniper. Of the smaller native trees are holly, fern, rhododendron, and arbutus (the strawberry tree), the special botanic glory of the area, recognizable by its small, glossy, dark leaves, white flowers in the spring, and brilliant red berries in autumn and winter.

All of this is natural habitat for the unique Killarney red deer, the only deer herd of any kind in the country that is of native stock, other animals ranging from Japanese sika deer to black Kerry cattle, and no less than 114 species of birds.

It is not surprising that Killarney is definitely on the beaten tourist track takes advantage of it. By Irish standards, the town is fiercely commercialized, with an abundance of souvenir and gift shops and visitor services.

Places to visit in Killarney Ireland

The local folk scramble to woo visitors to see the sights by motor coach minibus, private taxi, boat, bicycle, horseback, and, most of all, by jaunting car, the traditional Killarney mode of transport. This is a one horse drawn side cart on which riders sit facing the scenery while the driver (known as a jarvey) tries to beguile them with commentary laced with a story or song. Even in the most peaceful Killarney surroundings, expect a photographer to appear in the most unlikely spots along the lakeshore, capture the moment on color film, and then eagerly attempt to sell the prints to travelers by mail order.

A polite No, thank you will be heeded by jarveys, tour operators, and photographers, but you might think twice, since all this commercialism is designed to provide a memorable visit to Killarney, and that isn't all bad.

Be comforted with the knowledge that the very active Urban District Council in the town sets and monitors the prices of all tours and other tourism activities.To be sure, the town has its detractors who point out that Killarney is more of a tourist center than a representative Irish city and none the prettier for this transformation. Its fans will answer that this spot has long been a tourist attraction and that there is no denying the beauty of the surroundings. Quite simply, you just haven't seen all of Ireland until you feast your eyes on Killarney.

Great places to go in Killarney

Although the ancient abbeys, stately buildings, manor homes, and castles of Killarney are well worth seeing, the real attraction of this lakeside paradise is the natural beauty of its surrounding parklands and lakeshore countryside. To appreciate the town at its best, allow enough time to see a blend of indoor and outdoor sights.Kerry Glass Ireland - This is Killarney's own glassware factory, where distinctive colored glass designs in vases, bowls, ashtrays, paperweights, and figurines are produced. Visitors are welcome to watch and photograph the craftsmen firing, blowing, shaping, and coloring the glass.

Next to the Franciscan friary, opposite the Great Southern hotel at Fair Hill. Kerry Poets Monument Located at the east end of town in a section known as Fair Hill, this statue was sculpted by Seamus Murphy to depict a speir bhean (beautiful woman) as a personification of Ireland. It was erected in 1940 as a tribute to County Kerry's four bestknown poets Pierce Ferriter, Geoffrey O'Donoghue, Egan 0'Rahilly, and Owen Roe O'Sullivan. East Avenue Rd. at Fair Hill.

Knockreer Estate Killarney - Once the home of the Kenmare family, this splendid parkland stretches from Killarney Town to the shores of the Lower Lake. A walk around the grounds includes access to the Knockreer House and the gardens, a mix of ancient trees with flowering cherries, magnolias, camelias, rhododendrons, and azaleas.

St. Mary's Church Killarney - Today belonging to the Church of Ireland, the present struc ture was built in 1870 in neo Gothic style. Of more interest is the fact that a succession of churches can be traced to this spot, worship having been continuous here for at least 7 or 8 centuries.
According to one theory, this religious place goes back even further and the medieval church from which Killarney takes its name.

National Museum of Irish Transport Housed in a huge hall near the heart of town, this is the home of a permanent exhibit of antique and veteran cars. Visitors of all ages are fascinated by displays ranging from the world's rarest car (a one of kind 1907 Liver Stream, built in Kildare), the car of the century (a 1904 Germain), the world s first bicycle (designed by James Starley in England in 1884), and penny-farthing bicycles and tricycles to vintage carriages and more than 2,000 other transport-related Items as well as a reference library.

Muckross House Killarney - Built in 1843 by the Herbert family, this splendid Elizabethan style residence IS a showcase of 19th-century architecture, with locally made furniture needlework, mullioned windows, stepped gables, and 62 chimneys.

Today it is also folk museum with exhibits of County Kerry life, history, cartography, geology, plants, and mammals. A cluster of basement workshops recreate the crafts of earlier days, with artisans demonstrating weaving, pottery making, bookbinding, spinning, basket making, and blacksmithing. As delightful outside as it is inside, Muckross House is surrounded with mature and manicured gardens and is also the focal point of the Killarney National Park.

Ross Castle Killarney - Now a ruin, this 15th-century structure is one of the finest examples of castle building In County Kerry. The remains include a 16thcentury tower surrounded by a bawn (rampat) with rounded turrets.

As a stronghold of the O'Donoghue chieftains, the building s main claim to fame is as the last castle in Ireland to fall to Cromwell's army, in 1652. Standing on a peninsula jutting into the Lower Lake, about 2 miles from the center of Killarney off the Kenmare road, the castle today is the ideal gateway to the lakes and serves as a rendezvous point for rental boats and boatmen.

Innisfallen Island is a 21-acre island floating in the northern end of the Lower Lake, this was once the site of a flourishing abbey, founded about AD 600 by St. Fallen. The Annals Innisallen, a chronicle of world and Irish history, written in Gaelic and Latin, was compiled here at intervals from the 10th to the 14th century by a succession of 39 monastic scribes (the manuscript is now housed at the Bodleian Library, Oxford).

Although the monastery lasted until the 17th century, all that remain today are the ruins of 11 the and 12thcentury structures and a remarkably varied terrain of heights and hollows, headlands and bays, woods and open spaces. It is said that many greats from Irish history have visited the island, from Brian Boru to Daniel O'Connell. Boats and boatmen can be hired at Ross Castle.

Muckross Abbey Killarney was founded in the 1440s by the Franciscan friars, this abbey flourished on the edge of the Lower Lake for more than 300 years, until it was suppressed by the Penal Laws. The present well preserved remains include a church with a wide belfry tower and beautifully vaulted cloisters, with an arched arcade surrounding a square courtyard whose centerpiece is an imposing and ancient yew tree, said to be as old as the abbey.

Through the years, the abbey grounds served as a burial place for local chieftains and, during the 17th and 18th centuries, for the famous Kerry poets. Now a part of the Muckross estate, the abbey is in excellent condition. Three miles from Killarney on the Kenmare road, a favorite route for jaunting car drivers.

Tore Waterfall Killarney - A footpath winds its way up beside 60 feet of cascading waters, affording magnificent views of the lake district. This impressive waterfall, in its sylvan setting, is about 4 miles from Killarney. The area is well sign posted and has its own car park. Off the main road to Kenmare.Gap of Dunloe A winding and rocky gorge of Ice Age origin, it winds between MacGillicuddy's Reeks and the Purple and Tomies mountains, 9 miles southwest of Killarney.

The best way to experience the Gap is to take one of the full day tours, which usually depart each morning by bus or jaunting car from the various hotels. Disembarkation is at Kate Kearney's Cottage, a former coaching inn turned snack bar, pub, and souvenir shop at the entrance to the Gap.

From here, the energetic can walk the 7 miles through the Gap to the shore of the Upper Lake; those less ambitious can opt to ride the route on horseback or with several other passengers via traditional pony and trap. For the first 4 miles, the scene turns extraordinarily remote and gloomy, with massive rocks on either side and an accopanying narrow stream widening here and there into a sullen lake.

One of these Lough Black, or Serpent Lake is where St. Patrick is said to have drowned the last snake in Ireland. Emerging from the Gap, the wooded Upper Lake, still 3 miles away, comes into view, and Black Valley stretches off in the distance to the right.

A popular stop for a picnic lunch (sometimes included in the price of the day's trip) is Lord Brandon's Cottage, near the lakeshore, after which everyone boards open boats for the return trip via the Killarney lakes.

From the Upper Lake, the boats turn into the Long Range, which grows progressively swifter unil the boatmen shoot the rapids at the Old Weir B,ridge into a beautiful calm spot called the Meeting of the Waters. Next is the Middle Lake, in the shadow of Torc Mountain and then under Brickeen Bridge into the Lower Lake. The tour ends at 15th-century Ross Castle, where jaunting cars are lined up to take passengers back to Killarney Town. The total price of this daylong, multi conveyance excursion is set and regulated by the Urban District Council, so be sure to check with the tourist office for the current rate.

Crag Cave Killarney - Fifteen miles north of Killarney, this underground wonder is believed to be over I million years old, although it has been open officially to visitors only since late 1989. One of Ireland's largest cave systems (it is a total surveyed length of 12,510 feet and a depth of over 60 feet), its passageways are spiked with the largest stalactites In Europe, and there are many unique rock formations.

Special lighting produces a haunting effect, showing off dark caverns and obscure crevices that would otherwise go unnoticed. Guided tours are available, and there are exhibit areas, a craft shop, and a restaurant.