Kenmare or Kinsdale ... or both ;-)

Both are very nice and worth an evening or two.

Both are very nice and worth an evening or two.

Hi
I think that by "Kinsdale", you probably mean Kinsale?

I've spent some time in that area, and did use the RS book with great success.

We spent two nights in Kinsale and LOVED it. The walking tour was amazing. There are two forts that we did not have time to see, streets were fun and beautiful, wonderful harbor... only good things to say.

We drove from Kinsale up to DINGLE, but along the way stopped in Kenmare. Kenmare is a cute town, with the best scones that I think I've ever had btw. Not really sure that I would want to stay there, does not seem that there would be much to do.
We continued traveling north and passed thru Lady's View, and saw the waterfall, and then to Ross Castle. It was a GREAT ride.

We took RS advise and then stayed in Dingle. It was great... a FUN town with lots of music and pubs. From there you can do the Dingle Peninsula, and even drive Connor's Pass....
careful.... it's very steep, but it was fun, many sheep and amazing views.

Good luck
Stu

thank you .... that actually answers the question.... well, actually 2 questions. What's the correct spelling for Kinsale ? for 1 .... and wasn't sure if we should plan on 2 nights in Kenmare. Was leaning toward Kinsale and will be re-adjusting the trip .... thanks again !

Stay in Kinsale and stop in Kenmare for lunch and, if memory serves, a look at a stone circle just outside the downtown area. And do take Barry’s walking tour of Kinsale.

Stay in Kinsale and Kenmare if you can swing it. Kenmare is perfect starting point for Ring of Kerry (Just try to get to Waterville for lunch - Beachcove Cafe is fantastic -and then turn there for the Skellig Ring to avoid the tour buses) Kinsale is an wonderful town to visit. Highly recommend Fishy Fishy in Kinsale for dinner and the Lime Tree in Kenmare for dinner. This was our trip routing except we added a night in Waterford in between Kilkenny and Kinsale. And we did the ring in two days but that was because we stayed in Portmagee for easy access to our tour boat and trip to Skeillig Michael.

I would stay in both, but like Kenmare better. It is a great starting point for the Ring Of Kerry. Previous commenters are correct - Be sure to take the loop to Portmaggee. If you want to go to Skellig Michael, I would try to make reservations in advance, but don't be intimidated if you can't get one. The tour operators don't like to commit (or even answer their phones) until they are sure the weather is good enough to go out. We couldn't get an advance reservation, so just went to the docks in the morning, asked around and we were in.

One more thing. The Beara Peninsula is an oft overlooked quiet, scenic gem. If you have time a tour of the area, with an overnight would be well worth it.

Hello,
Kinsale was a nice place to visit, but feel one full day and a night is plenty of time to see all the sites.
Kenmare is perfectly situated to be a home base for day trips to drive the ring of Kerry one day, then to visit Killarney national park and the gap of Dunloe on day 2. I completely agree with giving consideration to a day exploring the Beara Peninsula. Driving through the Healy pass was breathtaking and was a great place to get out of the car and hike. Also plenty of small towns with lots of character.
Good Luck,
BT

Thank you all for the tips ... this is a very good forum !