Killarney - any positives?

I enjoyed Kilarney. It was very convenient place to stay to visit the Muckross House and the Traditional Farm as well as hike to Dinis Cottage and Weir Bridge. I also hiked the Gap of Dunloe; you can bike or ride a horse drawn jaunting cart as well.

The city didn’t seem especially crowded in early June; I enjoyed walking around in the early evening and ate at a nice Indian restaurant and listened to some traditional music and enjoyed Murphy’s Ice Cream.

I stayed in a nice guest house in walking distance to the city.

https://www.kingfisherkillarney.com/

Kenmare is more scenic, so it depends on what you want to do and visit. It is closer to the start of the Ring of Kerry drive, but not as close to Muckross and the National Park.

Raymond

We were there this past July. The town itself is very crowded and lots of traffic.
We stayed in Agrahdoe (sp) just outside the town at Killeen House hotel, which was great! We did the jaunting cart to Gap of Dunloe, Muckross house etc.
You will love Ireland!

We went in July and did not find it crowded. We loved it. We rented bikes and biked in the National Park. We did the jaunty car ride and also took in a sheep herding and shearing demonstration at Kissane farms nearby. It was a great jumping off point for a tour of the Ring of Kerry.

Rick has it as a top ten tourist traps in all of Europe and in my mind for good reason. To each their own but we found it a place dedicated to milking tourist dollars with tacky leprechaun-y shops, over priced everything and a vibe that didn't come close to matching the rest of Ireland. Of course there are excellent restaurants, probably good hotels and B&B 's and its perfectly possible to really enjoy it I'm sure.....but it's far from the experience you can get in most of the rest of the area.

I'd stay in Kenmare, Castlemaine or Kilorglin to be near the wonders that are NEAR Killarney but avoid the rampant hucksterism of the city itself. You can experience great music, scenery, history, the people and the real magic of Ireland any number of other places.

Some may have enjoyed it and that's great.....but in this I'm 100% with Rick and urge skipping this and Blarney and instead experience the real Ireland old and new - which is filled with the wonder of this amazing country not an overrun city designed for grabbing every last tourist dollar. In large measure it is what one person described as "a stereotyped amusement park view of Ireland as close to the real Ireland as a box of Lucky Charms".

I was there in April a few years ago and quite enjoyed it. Are there some tourist shops? Yes, but you don't have to go in. I found lots of good music in the town, and people were friendly, including the tourists. If you don't want to rent a car then Killarney is a very convenient place to stay as it is fairly close to some popular attractions, and offers a wide range of guided day tours. It's not really a very big town, and it's easy to walk to places in town. I was staying in hostels and using the train to get around so ended up staying not far from the train station. You really are only going to be in the town long enough to catch a tour in the morning, and then in the evening to have dinner, maybe listen to some music, and sleep. I spent four days there doing tours to Dingle, and the park and Gap of Dunloe.

I also enjoyed Killarney, more than I thought I would. I found good trad music there and really liked walking trough the National Park to Muckross House on the lake. It was a base for Ring of Kerry. If I had to do it over again I'd do Dingle instead of Kerry (but I wasn't in charge of my last trip) and stop a night on the peninsula. We went in May and it didn't feel overly crowded, not sure about other times.

Thanks everyone for your input. Haven't decided yet. Have been emailing back and forth to a man who does small group tours to Ring of Kerry and Dingle, both out of Killarney. We like the pricing and his tours get good reviews, so will probably stay in Killarney.

Can I have the name of the man who gives the tours? I am planning a solo trip to Ireland in May, and doing my research. No set plans yet. I just have a plane ticket in and out of Dublin Airport.

Thanks,

Amy

Hi Sue.

Killarney is CRAZY busy. I would suggest Tralee instead. It's only a short drive from Killarney, it's beautiful, and not near as busy!

Just my opinion.

Mike.

My father and I were just in Killarney for two days last month. If you can find a reasonable place to stay, it’s worthwhile. Touristy? Yes, but the pubs were nice, and if you don’t have time to go out to Aran, they have a huge Aran Sweater market (free shipping if you spend €100). There’s another in Dublin, but I didn’t have a chance to go in and compare prices. I did a lot of my Christmas shopping there. I’d say that as long as you’re not expecting a quaint, quiet little town, you should do fine if that’s the most convenient center for the sites you’re interested in.