Kenmare and Kinsale -- 2 or 3 days in each?

I'm certain there are many folks more expert on Ireland on this forum than I am, but since we just visited in the last two weeks, I would like to offer that we found Kenmare to be pretty boring and best used as an overnight stopover, whereas Kinsale as far more interesting and worth two days at least.

Perhaps Kenmare becomes more interesting closer to the main tourist season. Perhaps not.

I agree that Kenmare is very small. It'll only take you an hour or two to "do the town."

It's a good home base for exploring the Ring of Beara and the Ring of Kerry, though, so you could definitely occupy yourselves if you want to drive both peninsulas. (That would be a lot of driving, though.) You might want to do one peninsula or the other, but not both. It might be peninsula overload. ;)

For me, even Kinsale was worth only two days tops. And that would be doing absolutely everything in and near the town.

Killarney National Park might be a good alternative. Lots of great hiking, and biking. Just a thought.

You'll have a wonderful time!

I would do three nights in Kenmare....arrive after a full day somewhere on the way west and then do a full day of the ROK. We hired a driver for the ROK and it was awesome, gave me a chance to see the sights and relax. We hired Paul Brown from http://www.kenmaretaxitours.com/home.html for a full day. He then helped us work out a self drive schedule for the next day for the Beara Peninsula and it was very enjoyable, laid back, beautiful. Paul's suggestions were right on track! He will also suggest Killarney Park advice and that would be a good day on your way to Galway. That's my advice, we loved ROK, Beara and enjoyed Kenmare's food and music. In Kenmare we enjoyed our stay at Ashfield Kenmare B&B. http://ashfieldkenmare.com/ Here is a good link for Beara as well. http://www.bearatourism.com/bearaway.html

Kinsale is a very pretty area and is rich in history. I'm not a fan of the city of Cork but the rest of the area has a lot to offer. So much depends on what you like and what you bring to the enjoyment of the area.

Kenmare and the surrounding area is not remotely boring. We are in the area now and that description is inconceivable. Kenmare itself is a little large for our taste, we prefer a more quiet setting, but it offers great restaurants, spots to stay....B&B 's, hotels, cottage rentals, great trad music, shopping, an extremely rich history that only takes minor effort to tap into and access in the surrounding areas to utterly fantastic wonders of scenery, history, culture and the amazingly warm people of the area.

A very short drive gives you the opportunity to explore all the great sites near Killarney without having to go into that absurdly touristy city. You can see Ladies View, Molls Gap, Gap of Dunloe, Ross Castle, Torc Waterfall, go hiking, bike riding, horseback riding or tour in a horse cart. You can use Kenmare as a base for the beautiful Beara Peninsula or explore the south side of the incredible Ring of Kerry from Kenmare to Sneem through Caherdaniel and Waterville while seeing some of the most stunning scenery in Ireland. Visit ring forts, standing stones, great beaches, ruins of castles and Abbey or be daring and drive the Bally Beama pass for an otherworldly experience.

You could spend a week in Kenmare and only just begin to plumb its depths and the very close nearby area. If you like history, scenery, great trad music, real Irish culture and some of the warmest, funniest, nicest people anywhere it's a great spot to stay.

Kinsale is not a bad option at all but is more limiting due to location. The Kenmare area of Kerry is an absolute goldmine if you are willing to look.

Have a great trip. We sure are !!!!

If you stay in Kenmare, don't miss Gleninchaquin Park on the Beara Peninsula. It has amazing hiking opportunities. The Gap of Dunloe is also a great place to either hike or bike. The town of Kenmare itself is fairly small, but has great restaurants and pubs. We also drove the Ring of Kerry from there, which also offers many opportunities to hike.

Thank you, all, for taking the time to share your perspectives, thoughts, and advice in response to my query. It's greatly appreciated. I will use your insight to make our final plans, and look forward to our time along the Wild Atlantic Way this fall. Sláinte!

If you can manage three nights in each that would be Ideal. Of the two towns, Kinsale has more to offer but Kenmare is a great base for touring that area. En route, I suggest that you consider and excursion to Garnish Island, and also visit Bantry House. We did both of these en route from Kenmare to Kinsale on our 2016 trip (two years ago just about now). For me the star fort in Kinsale was spectacular.