Instead of Killarney?

I’m not sure why Killarney gets such a bad rap, but I suspect its the town itself, not the park. We are going to be staying 3 nights just outside Killarney, and yes, we are tourists!
However, many others like Kenmare as a base for exploring the ROK.

To quote Rick Steves on Killarney....
"Killarney (Ireland): This is a place where most tourists wear nametags — a traffic jam of tour buses. If you have the misfortune to spend the night in Killarney, you’ll understand what I mean. The town is a sprawling line of green Holiday Inns and outlet malls littered with pushy shoppers looking for plastic shamrocks."

Wonderful things outside of town but the town itself is a congested, tour bus home filled with McDonald's and other corporate, tourist centered malls and outlets. UGGH.

Anyway - Kenmare is a great spot for seeing the ROK also a great jumping off spot for the beautiful Beara Peninsula. It has wonderful pubs, restaurants and shops and is close to all the great spots near Killarney and the insanely beautiful southern part of the ROK.

If you would like a base for exploring both the ROK and Dingle you might want to look into Castlemaine. We enjoyed it and it's central to both areas. Very pretty area with plenty to do.

Definitely wouldn't stay in Killarney - especially with excellent options close at hand.

Good luck ! Have a great trip !

Killarney was nicer and less crowded in June than I expected from Rick Steve’s description. I stayed in a pleasant B&B just a few minutes’ walk from the town center, and I enjoyed my stay there. The host was pleasant and personable, and the town was busy, but nothing like an American tourist town (say Gatlinburg).

I chose a night in Killarney because I wanted to hike the road from Kate Kearney’s Cottage to the top of the Gap of Dunloe, and my B&B was only a 15 – 20 minute drive from there instead of over an hour from Kenmare. I also explored and hiked several short hikes in the National Park and around Muckross House.

I also spent a night in Kenmare before beginning my drive along the Ring of Kerry.

There are less touristy options than Killarney nearby as others have noted, but if it suits your plans, it’s a nice place to stay.

Loonie, Ewe, and Raymond76, thank you for your replies. Rick's description does make it sound as if It is a Sunday in the Summer visit to Disneyland!
After going back and forth, I made reservations for a B&B in Adare that will be my base for visiting the National Park, Dingle, Cobh and the RoC. And I'll look into the Kate Kearney's Cottage hike and possibly the village of Gougane Barra outside of Macroom.
Looks like I'll need another week at least...

Adare is beautiful but it too gets pretty congested around midday. Suggest starting your days early to be out of town before the tour buses start to roll in around 9 AM - it's quite popular with day trippers thanks to all of the quaint thatched roofs and associated photo ops.
Once everyone leaves around 4 PM or so it's much more mellow and will be pleasant for strolling or pub hopping.

Thanks, Robert - yes, that's our plan. Adare is mainly just a home base while we explore, although we'll spend dinner in town and walk around

Killarney is a great jumping off point for many great day tours, and although it is touristy it’s really not a bad place to stay. I spent four nights there and certainly didn’t hate the place. You aren’t going to spend all day wandering around the town as you will be off seeing the sights and probably just returning for dinner and sleep. I had lots of fun in Killarney as it was easy to find places to eat and listen to music and meet other tourists. Because it caters to tourists it might be easier find accommodations, also. So, don’t discount it too quickly, just understand that it’s a town that makes its living off of tourists.

Thanks, Anita !

Just in case you are going between May 4 and 7
There is the Rally of the Lakes in town and around Killarney.

So stay away from Killarney at that time if you are not in to motorsports.

Kenmare would be a good alternative and hiking in Gougane Barra and Gleninchaquin Park

uew - thanks a bunch for that tip!