Gap of Dunloe Logistics

That is a beautiful area (Killarney/Dunloe/Kenmare/Dingle) and Dingle is one of our favorite places to visit. I can't help with the Gap of Dunloe question other than to say you can drive there and take one of the tourist "jaunting car" rides through the Gap. It is a bouncy ride but it's a beautiful area. Kate Kearney's Cottage is pretty much just that, a cottage family restaurant and gift shop that is the starting point for people hiking or taking the cart rides into the Gap.

We did go to the Kissane Sheep Farm 3 years ago, having booked a demonstration ahead of time. We did not know there would be 50 German tourists there, and so much of the explanations and dialogue seemed to be in German. That and a monsoon that hit us there on our mid-May visit made the demonstration a little less than we desired. But, the dogs were great to watch, even if we didn't understand what we were being told by the demonstrator. After watching the dogs chase sheep you get ushered into the shearing barn for a demonstration of sheep shearing that we found interesting. It was my wife's birthday and so I paid to "adopt" one of the lambs for her, which gave her a nice certificate, and a couple updates months after our visit that her baby lamb was growing up into a nice woolly thing and not likely to wind up in the lamb chop cooler at the local market.

A friend of ours went to another sheep farm in Kerry and they loved the demonstration there. It might have been near Glenbeigh in Co. Kerry, I'm not sure how far off your planned route that might be if you can't get an English-speaking time at Kissane.

Muckross House is interesting unless you are bothered by lots of animal heads on walls, and they have the 20-minute jaunting car rides to a small but scenic waterfall right there, so if you do that pony cart ride along with the Muckross visit that may add a little extra time there.

Ross Castle is scenic not far from Muckross and I remember seeing some tour boats in one of the Killarney lakes pulling up for a view of Ross Castle; I don't remember if you can embark/disembark the boats at Ross.

I don't know if you've been to Ireland before but driving around the Killarney and Kenmare area can be very slow -- winding hillside curves, tourists admiring the view while driving, and Killarney traffic can be slow (we ran into traffic there once for a hurling championship that kept us stop and go all the way through town.

It's a beautiful area, but hard to rush through for those who over-schedule. Have a great trip, and I hope someone else can help you with the Gap of Dunloe questions you have.

Cindy, It seems to me that by trying to include the boat trip across the lake you're overly complicating what should be a relaxed and enjoyable day. The pretty part of the Gap of Dunloe is the 3.5 mile walk to the car park and lookout point at the other end of the Glen. The additional 3 miles to get to Lord Brandon's cottage isn't nearly as picturesque. I'd therefore suggest walking only the Gap itself or, for an even more memorable and fun day for the 4 of you, maybe combine it with a ride on one of the jaunting cars. Though you'd have to pay for the round trip, why not hire the jaunting car to take you to the end of the road, then return on foot taking photos as you go. Then drive around to Muckross House at a leisurely pace. Time permitting, there are several very nice strolls from there too, including one out to a feature called the "Meeting of the Waters" that's quite pretty.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such detailed replies! They were very helpful!