We will be in Ireland at the end of August into the beginning of September. We will be staying in Dingle for and night and then heading to Cork/Blarney.
We want to do the Ring of Kerry on our way from Dingle to Cork... any advice or tips?
Thanks!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Will you have a car? Will you drive the full circuit of Dingle peninsula (recommended) before moving on? Your premise above has some words missing, as well as it may help to make the question more specific.
Posted by
12 posts
If you don't have a car, you can take Corcoran Tours from Killarney. It is a one day tour, and they have room for your luggage. It is a 16 passenger coach, with about 5 stops, a sheep herding demonstration, a model village, lunch, and several picture stops. They dropped us off on the Ring of Kerry at our B and B, and then picked us up two days later so that we could continue the tour and then dropped us off at the Killarney train station.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Yes, we will be renting a car and driving around the country. Our one big concern, everything being backwards... lol
Posted by
Canada
36 posts
We started in Cork and did the Ring of Kerry before heading to Dingle. It was certainly beautiful! We stopped in a little village in the Ring of Kerry, I can't remember the name, and ate lunch at a little pub and the patrons were all locals speaking gaelic. It was great!
Posted by
3 posts
We drove the Dingle peninsula a couple of years ago and the Ring of Kerry last March. While both are terrific, the Ring of Kerry is a much easier drive. The chocolate factory was fun. The house at Derrynane was closed the day we were there, but we were able to walk the grounds and get a feel for it - recommend. The Skellig Michael exhibit on Valentia was small but interesting and also recommended. Killarney to Cork is about an hours drive, so you should have plenty of time, but the Blarney Stone will probably have to wait until the next day.
Dave
Posted by
3 posts
About the driving, let me add that some people have a great deal of difficulty adjusting to it. My wife had a terrible time with it and it took me a while to get the knack. On arrival, we spent a couple of days in Dublin before renting a car, just to get used to the traffic. It certainly helped. I would recommend getting an automatic transmission and a GPS. We are planning our third trip to Ireland in January. I feel very comfortable driving there now, but still insist on an automatic, even though I've driven standards off and on all my life. The GPS is a must for us. The one we got last time from Dan Dooleys even had a speed limit warning that was very handy.
Dave