Killarney

by Becky Sees

I’m one of those kids who grew up listening to the likes of Bing Crosby. So, being in Ireland, how could I in good conscience NOT venture out to Killarney? (Even if it’s not Christmas with all of the folks at home.)

That being said, one fine weekend in October, I found myself on a westbound train to county Kerry. The train was pleasant and didn’t take long – about three hours from the Dublin Heuston station. Not bad, especially considering that some friends who took the bus (which has to connect through Limerick) had a seven hour journey.

We came out of the train station, located on the edge of the town, and had only to go just around the corner to reach our hostel, the Killarney Railway Hostel. It was a nice place, especially for the price, and conveniently located; but then, as we quickly realized, Killarney is small enough that almost anywhere you stay is conveniently located.

Our first venture was a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry, arranged through Deros tours. The bus picked us up just outside of our hostel at about 10 am, and after a few more stops at other accommodations in the town centre, we were on our way. It was a beautiful, sunny, clear day, and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. When we started, we had the picturesque Macgillycuddy’s Reeks to our left, and as we kept driving, Dingle Bay was on our right. When we circled back around, we got a great view of the mountains on the left. (I would recommend sitting on the left side of the bus in a window seat, if possible; there are so many stops along the road to see the bay, but none to get a good look at the mountains.) It was a standard tour with the usual stops: the traditional Kerry bog village, a few little towns (like Waterville and Sneem), some off-road stops along the way for photo ops, and finally Ladies’ View, which presents an excellent landscape of the mountains and lakes of Killarney National Park. The tour ended in Killarney at about 5:30 pm.

The next day, we walked around Killarney National Park. A lot of people rent bikes at decent rates (about 12 euro for the day) to see the park, but we opted for a leisurely stroll instead. It was a good decision; we were able to take some of the smaller trails off the beaten path, and that’s where we discovered some of the most beautiful scenery. My favorite was our trek through the woods along a stream down to the lakeshore, where we were rewarded with a panorama of mountains, trees, and sky, perfectly reflected in the lightly rippling waters. We ventured up to the Torc Waterfall – a definite must-see for anyone who makes it out to Killarney – and walked down to the Muckross House.

Of course, natural beauty is the emphasis in Killarney, but the little town itself has a lot to offer as well. Very much a tourist town, there’s always live music in at least three places (per street!) in the town centre. Pubs will start getting busy around dinnertime, and nightlife kicks in around 11:30 pm when the bars and pubs begin to close. A few of the places we visited were Cronin’s (for dinner – delectable food at really reasonable prices), Murphy’s (they make a mean beef and Guinness casserole, and if you’re as lucky as we were, you’ll find yourself sitting in on a session by old Irish gentlemen), Danny Mann’s (a great venue for live trad), McSorley’s (if live rock is more your thing), and Mustang Sally’s (for those of you who just want to dance).

All too soon, we were on another train, this one heading back to Dublin. Killarney is a beautiful place, and it was a wonderful experience; the weather held up beautifully, and as we were riding the coattails of tourist season, we got to experience the area as both a tour centre and a sleepy winter town. I would go so far as to suggest that a stay in Ireland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Killarney… Bing Crosby fan or no.