Information for people visiting Kerry

oeb

Hey folks, this thread was inspired by IrishSerf

What I would like to do here is build up a list of places to eat, drink or visit (In any Kerry region) that boardsies recomend. This could be a nice central resourse that anyone who plans on visiting could check out if they will be coming down for a visit and would like a recomendation.

What I will do is keep a big list in this specific post. If you have a suggestion, reply to this thread with it and I will update this post with your suggestion. (And any comments you have about the place). I would ideally like to keep in verbose if possible, if people find a thread with 50 restraunts in each area it's no better than a google search. Towns and places in the towns will be listed in a STRICTLY alphabetical manner.

To anyone looking for a place to eat, drink or visit, please keep in mind that this post contains information contributed by (hopefully) lots of people recomendations are provided by people according to their own experiences and/or tastes.

Places to Eat | Places to Drink | Places to Visit

oeb

Ballybunion

Killarney

Jam
Old Market Lane, Killarney
064 6637716 - Website
It's my favourite place in town Nice staff, nice seats (some outside) nice food! They make great lunches and lovely scones! (celtic_muffin)

Milano
16 Main Street, Killarney
064 66 20620 - Website
Milano is part of the chain known as Pizza Express in the UK.

Molly Darcy's
Lakes of Killarney, Killarney
064 6631965 - Website
Very comfy looking pub, my favourite table is the one on the right that looks like it's in a little cave It is pricey but the BLT sandwich is the best I ever had! Don't like the banana cheesecake though, it has a weird texture. (celtic_muffin)

The Silver Fox
66 High Street, Killarney
064 6671831 - Website

Treyvauds
62 High Street, Killarney
064 6633062 - website
The dinner menu can be pricy enough, but in this case, you most certainly get what you pay for. The fare includes the likes of kangaroo, guinea fowl and ostrich (Don't worry, they do cow, chicken etc too). Highly recomended!

The Vanilla Pod
Old Market Lane, Killarney
064 6626559 - Facebook Group
Cafe/Restraunt


Listowel

Tralee

Bella Bia
1 Ivy tce, Tralee
066 714-4896 - Website
Very reasonably priced Italian restaurant

Indian Castle
Castle street Tralee
066-7103929
Tralee,never have I got a bad meal there either eat in or take away,phone orders take up to 20 mins highly recommend sag ghost! (siobhan.murphy)

oeb

Ballybunion

Killarney

Listowel
John B Keane's
37 William Street, Listowel
A great friendly pub. Only been out in Listowel once or twice, but always ended up having a great night here!

Tralee
The Abbey
2 Bridge Street
Late bar, a nice big spot with three bars, normally pretty busy.

oeb

Ballybunion

Killarney
Tomies Wood
(near the Gap of Dunloe (Fossa Road, towords Killorglin, turn off just after Fossa Village), its the turn to Lough Lane on the way!)
It takes about 2-3 hours (depending how fast you are) and gives great views onto the Lough Lane!Parking is extremly limited which is why I would do it during the week. And no dogs or bikes allowed because the access is through private land! (celtic_muffin)

Muckross Lake circle: Muckross House - Dinis Cottage (Meeting of the waters) - Torc Waterfall
Start at Muckross House, (Leave Killarney on the Muckross road (Kenmare direction), it's signposted) follow the signs to Dinis Cottage, have a scone (they are massive!), then you can check out the Meeting of the waters. From there the direct route around is along the road which is not really nice, so it's better to follow one of the walks along Torc Waterfall. From there you walk back to Muckross House and around the gardens (I love the pink bushes! ). I would plan a half day for all that since the shortest circle is about 9 km but over Torc it's a bit more. (celtic_muffin)

Sunrise at the Aghadoe Heights
(Head out of Killarney on the Tralee road, take the first left and head up the hill. Take the first turn to the left and follow that road along. Can't miss the hotel, it's just past the grave yard)
Across the road from the hotel is a field with benches. From there you can overlook the lakes and the town. My favourite spot (celtic_muffin)

Listowel

Tralee

Bowling Buddies
Mile Height Business Park, Manor East, Tralee
066 7197007
Decent size alley, also has a few video games, air hockey etc. IIRC prices are €7 per person for game, or alternitivly, you can rent a lane for €30 (Last time I was there, two of us played 3 games in an hour)

dmeehan

Restaurants in Killarney to add: Milano and Silver Fox. Sorry havent got any details for them atm

and we should lobby to make this a sticky thread

IrishSerf

oeb wrote: »

Hey folks, this thread was inspired by IrishSerf

Really?:o good idea though and gl. Looks like a lot of work.

http://www.kerrytourist.com/directory/nightlife/killarney_area/killarney/

Something like this ( if it links) could be used but customised to show which place specialises in what i.e. Youth, sports,food etc. Not computer savvy so can't help......anyhoo gl

oeb

IrishSerf wrote: »

Really?:o good idea though and gl. Looks like a lot of work.

http://www.kerrytourist.com/directory/nightlife/killarney_area/killarney/

Something like this ( if it links) could be used but customised to show which place specialises in what i.e. Youth, sports,food etc. Not computer savvy so can't help......anyhoo gl

That's missing the point. That is a general listing, if someone wants a list of restraunts in killarney they can use google. This is a list of places recomended by boardsies. Got any suggestions? A pub, restraunt and activity you would recomend to people?

IrishSerf

I get it....nice to see good guys here

siobhan.murphy

indian castle 066-7103929
castle street Tralee,never have I got a bad meal there either eat in or take away,phone orders take up tp 20 mins
highly reccommend sag ghost!:P:P

oeb

siobhan.murphy wrote: »

indian castle 066-7103929
castle street Tralee,never have I got a bad meal there either eat in or take away,phone orders take up tp 20 mins
highly reccommend sag ghost!:P:P

Thanks for the recommendation Siobhan! It's been added to the list.

celtic_muffin

"Jam" in Killarney for day time food.

It's my favourite place in town Nice staff, nice seats (some outside) nice food! They make great lunches and lovely scones!

Molly Darcy's (on the way to Muckross)
very comfy looking pub, my favourite table is the one on the right that looks like it's in a little cave It is pricey but the BLT sandwich is the best I ever had! Don't like the banana cheesecake though, it has a weird texture :P

And I could make a looong list with many, many places to visit in Kerry

The obvious: the "Gap of Dunloe" Tour, Ross Castle, the Demense, the Cathedral

"Tomies Wood" (near the Gap of Dunloe, its the turn to Lough Lane on the way!)
It takes about 2-3 hours (depending how fast you are) and gives great views onto the Lough Lane!Parking is extremly limited which is why I would do it during the week. And no dogs or bikes allowed because the access is through private land!


Muckross Lake circle: Muckross House - Dinis Cottage (Meeting of the waters) - Torc Waterfall

Start at Muckross House, follow the signs to Dinis Cottage, have a scone (they are massive!), then you can check out the Meeting of the waters. From there the direct route around is along the road which is not really nice, so it's better to follow one of the walks along Torc Waterfall. From there you walk back to Muckross House and around the gardens (I love the pink bushes! ). I would plan a half day for all that since the shortest circle is about 9 km but over Torc it's a bit more.

Sunrise at the Aghadoe Heights
Across teh road from the hotel is a field with benches. From there you can overlook the lakes and the town. My favourite spot

kerry4sam

celtic_muffin wrote: »

"Jam" in Killarney for day time food.

It's my favourite place in town Nice staff, nice seats (some outside) nice food! They make great lunches and lovely scones!

Molly Darcy's (on the way to Muckross)
very comfy looking pub, my favourite table is the one on the right that looks like it's in a little cave It is pricey but the BLT sandwich is the best I ever had! Don't like the banana cheesecake though, it has a weird texture :P

And I could make a looong list with many, many places to visit in Kerry

The obvious: the "Gap of Dunloe" Tour, Ross Castle, the Demense, the Cathedral

"Tomies Wood" (near the Gap of Dunloe, its the turn to Lough Lane on the way!)
It takes about 2-3 hours (depending how fast you are) and gives great views onto the Lough Lane!Parking is extremly limited which is why I would do it during the week. And no dogs or bikes allowed because the access is through private land!


Muckross Lake circle: Muckross House - Dinis Cottage (Meeting of the waters) - Torc Waterfall

Start at Muckross House, follow the signs to Dinis Cottage, have a scone (they are massive!), then you can check out the Meeting of the waters. From there the direct route around is along the road which is not really nice, so it's better to follow one of the walks along Torc Waterfall. From there you walk back to Muckross House and around the gardens (I love the pink bushes! ). I would plan a half day for all that since the shortest circle is about 9 km but over Torc it's a bit more.

Sunrise at the Aghadoe Heights
Across teh road from the hotel is a field with benches. From there you can overlook the lakes and the town. My favourite spot

I like the way you bring in the surrounding landscapes into the locations

oeb

Awesome, celtic_muffin, I have added some directions to your descriptions, hope you don't mind.

Keep em comming guys (and gals)!

coleen

Early bird in Ballygarry hotel €19 2 courses and a glass of wine time from 3 pm to 7 pm. Top class food. Early bird Station house in blennerville 3 courses 21.95

byhookorbycrook

Dingle-food
Fentons
Murphy's Icecream
Goat street cafe

drinks

Foxy Johns
Currans

oeb

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Dingle-food
Fentons
Murphy's Icecream
Goat street cafe

drinks

Foxy Johns
Currans

I don't know anything about any of those places. Would you mind writing a quick line about each of them? I can grab their contact details from the web.

440Hz

Good work here - nice of you to put the time into it >> STICKY

oeb

Just on another note to the others reading this thread, I have been compiling your suggestions and will get them updated when I have a few to do at once. (boards.ie does not allow non mods to edit a post after a certain period of time, but 440Hz has kindly agreed to update it for me if I send her through the changes.)

celtic_muffin

kerry4sam wrote: »

I like the way you bring in the surrounding landscapes into the locations

Well, he said places to visit and I think Kerry's biggest attraction is the surrounding nature. I would have added some mountains, too (Crohane, Mangerton, Carrantouhill) , but I have to climb them first and the freaking weather won't allow it

Oh, I forgot, Salvadors on High Street in Killarney has good food as well (I looove the Hot Stuff Pizza ), I recommend it for families but not so much for a romantic night out as it can be quite noisy when it gets busy

chupacabra

Places to eat in Tralee:

The Allegro | Castle street
The Best soup you will find in the town and they do a delicious chicken/tuna salad.

The Pagoda | Manor west behind McDonalds
Best chinese food in town, nice atmosphere in the place, staff are the friendliest around, i always get a gift when i go there.

Tequilas | Barracks Ln
Best steak place in town, the only place to find good mexican food too.

The Snackery | Lower Castle st.
A good full irish breakfast in the mornings and a very good lunch menu.

Meadowlands hotel | Oakpark rd.
Another nice cosy place to eat, great food, i recommend the BLT.

Galleys | Castlemaine rd.
On the edge of town but worth it for the seafood chowder and the steak.


Places to visit in Kerry:

If you like beautiful landscapes, mountains, valleys, lakes etc. then Kerry is the place to be. On the dingle peninsula you should definitely check out Glenteenasig forest park, to get there, take the dingle rd. out from Tralee through blennerville and go straight out through camp on the same road. Once you get to the Seven hogs restaurant keep going for about 100 meters and you will see a bunch of holidays homes and a sign post on the right of the road pointing up to Glenteenasig. Its a beautiful place with forest walks, lakes, barbeque areas and fishing (with a licence bought from the shop in camp)

Also if you are on your way to Dingle, definitely take the Connor pass road. It offers majestic views over the Brandon valley and mountains and if your up for a tiny bit of climbing you can climb up to the Corrie lake at the first car park with the waterfall, its worth it.

On the other side, if you take the road through camp village itself and into anascaul, make sure you visit Anascaul lake. You can get there if you find the cross roads on the way out of anascaul, there will be a small green sign pointing you in the right direction. The lake is situated in a deep green valley with a walking trail right up to the top, past a really nice waterfall. Once at the top you can see right over into Cloghane and Castlegregory. A really amazing place.

Once in dingle, i recommend the Slea head drive. Tons of scenic views of the blasket islands, the iveragh peninsula, the skellig islands and there is a nice small beach in dunquin you can get to via a car park and a sloping path down. Its where they filmed the movie Ryans daughter. At the same car park you can walk up to an old WW2 era concrete bunker and further down to the coast, might not be safe in high winds tho.

Around Killarney there are TONS of places to go to. The aforementioned Muckross house and gardens have some forest walks that take you around the edge of the lakes, you can also rent boats and take boat tours of the lake from this area. Nice cafe too.

Past muckross house Torc waterfall is worth a visit, Mangerton mountain is spectacular on a nice day, and if you bring binoculars you can often see deer grazing in the valley. If you are there at the right time, Frank King a naturalist and bird expert takes groups up to mangerton mountain and offers good information about the area and its bird and wild life.
Along the road through the national park youll come by Ladies view, Molls gap and various walking trails that cut off from the roads and into the forests and mountains. There is also a horse trekking place on that road.

Always take the time to explore.

tl;dr Killarney, Dingle.

Sorry for the long post, but i could write a book about the amount of scenic places there are in Kerry, theres just so much to take in.

Tipsy7

The Allegro and the Snackery are horrible everything is smothered is grease.

The Station House is fabulous lovely food, great atmosphere and Bella Bia is good value.

oeb

Tipsy7 wrote: »

The Allegro and the Snackery are horrible everything is smothered is grease.

The Station House is fabulous lovely food, great atmosphere and Bella Bia is good value.

Bella Bia is a great spot. There is another place though, it's near there. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it. I think there is a karate dojo upstairs or something. It's another Italian kinda place.

chupacabra

oeb wrote: »

Bella Bia is a great spot. There is another place though, it's near there. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it. I think there is a karate dojo upstairs or something. It's another Italian kinda place.

Il pomo doro. And yeah the Station house is a nice spot alright.

byhookorbycrook

Dingle-food
Fentons long established, on Green street, excellent ,asty food, my favourites there are the mussels in white wine, local rack of lamb and the chocolate indulgence


Murphy's Icecream Locally made gourmet icecream, also have a cafe in Killarney,not cheap but divine.

Goat street cafe
Tiny place, emphasis on fresh food sourced locally.

Foxy Johns is an old style pub on mainstreet, hardware on one side, pub on the other, worth a visit.

Currans is on the top of mainstreet, it was with this family that Peig spent time in service. Don't let that put you off the old style pub, not too tourisy, thankfully

Davidth88

Foxy Johns is everything Dick Macks used to be before it became the total tourist attraction that it is now.

Defo worth a visit

Oliverdog

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Dingle-food
Fentons long established, on Green street, excellent ,asty food,

Bit of a typo there. Did you mean 'Tasty' or 'Nasty' ?

Just so we know

byhookorbycrook

Oliverdog wrote: »

Bit of a typo there. Did you mean 'Tasty' or 'Nasty' ?

Just so we know

ooopppsss...tasty.
Not a fan of Dick Mack's either.

siobhan.murphy

Just had lunch there,
1 small pizza (9inch)
2 fanta oranges
1 small chip with a sprinkle of grated cheese
1 glass of milk

€25 stay away from the place.
had to wait 25 mins for the food.
total rip off and not a smile out of the staff,
tell ya I wasnt smiling when I got the bill.:mad:

baubl

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Dingle-food
Fentons long established, on Green street, excellent ,asty food, my favourites there are the mussels in white wine, local rack of lamb and the chocolate indulgence


Murphy's Icecream Locally made gourmet icecream, also have a cafe in Killarney,not cheap but divine.

Goat street cafe
Tiny place, emphasis on fresh food sourced locally.

Foxy Johns is an old style pub on mainstreet, hardware on one side, pub on the other, worth a visit.

Currans is on the top of mainstreet, it was with this family that Peig spent time in service. Don't let that put you off the old style pub, not too tourisy, thankfully

In Dingle
Lord Bakers = brilliant
Half Door = brilliant
Old Pier House (6 miles west of Dingle) world beater, fantastic, best I have ever been, any one know the place

boomkatalog

In Listowel, the Royal China and Wangs do fabulous Chinese food, the Royal China being my favourite.

truthflyer

Well I am voting with my feet and staying well clear of Listowel!

Trojan911

Can't beat the views on a good clear day....

Caught this one on the way to Molls Gap, just as the sun was setting...

siobhan.murphy

looking for somewhere in dingle to eat Sunday lunch ,pref seafood.

HereIGo

celtic_muffin wrote: »

Oh, I forgot, Salvadors on High Street in Killarney has good food as well (I looove the Hot Stuff Pizza ), I recommend it for families but not so much for a romantic night out as it can be quite noisy when it gets busy

Was in Killarney for a few days last week and ate in Salvadors. Very disappointed. Had pan fried chicken, which was lovely, but served with chips, never even gave me a choice. Asked for a baked potato, and was served pretty quickly. What a spud!!! It was so wet, it was unedible. Husband had chowder for starters which was okay, and steak which was only okay also with pepper sauce which tasted of oxtail soup. Would not recommend this restaurant. Othewise enjoyed my trip to Killarney. Great spot always.

siobhan.murphy

:mad:went to the station house in Blennerville,got the oxtail hot pot.
it was disgusting full of grissle and far to tomatoey I didnt eat it and said it to my waitress she said oh it either one of them things you either love it or hate it ! thought it was cheeky of her and still was charged I think €21.50
I wont be going back :mad:

Oliverdog

You don't have to put up with this. Just ask for the manager, and if he/she won't give you satisfaction, tell them the meal was inadequate and offer them half the price. If you're not going back - well, it might make them think about their quality control and service in these hard times.

Trampas

Playing to head to Kerry this weekend for 3 nights.

Anyone recommend places to stay and go?

Thinking along the lines of Dingle, ring of kerry.

Thanks

siobhan.murphy

Trampas.there is a festival in kenmare this weekend,dont know anything bout it but might be worth a look

sheesh

out of the blue in dingle is meant to be brilliant

allos in listowel is well worth a visit too.

Tayshty

baubl wrote: »

In Dingle
Lord Bakers = brilliant
Half Door = brilliant
Old Pier House (6 miles west of Dingle) world beater, fantastic, best I have ever been, any one know the place

Old pier is good spot. I never get a starter there because the portions are huge.
They're not open all year round so a phone call ahead is advised.
Probably the best steak I've had anyway.
http://www.oldpier.com/

BroomBurner

Cucina Italiana, off East Avenue Road (I think)

Best Italian food I've had, and definitely the tastiest of the many places in Killarney. A little expensive, and not great for families, but perfect for couples or groups of adults.

Every time we're in Killarney, we eat there. The dark choc mousse with warm burnt orange sauce is nom nom nom

xxyyzz

sheesh wrote: »

out of the blue in dingle is meant to be brilliant

Agreed, one of the best fresh seafood restaurants in the country. Its on the seafront across from the carpark - looks like an old shed painted blue from the outside.

byhookorbycrook

Out of the Blue is serious fish, they don't do chips or anything like that. If greasy caff is more your thing(think deep fried mars bars)Harringtons nearby is your best bet. For posher fish and chips tak away "Reel Fish" up near Flahertys is your best bet.

Out west of Dingle I love Gormans Cliff top house- just down from the Old Pier already mentioned.

blindsider

Hi all - driving from Youghal to Caherciveen on Saturday (7th July) but I see the Kerry Charity cycle is on and Killorglin Main St is closed for a festival.

Any advice? Would I be ok going Killarney, Killorglin Caherciveen, or would I be better going via Kenmare and Waterville (even though it's a longer trip?

Thanks!

PS Can ye sort the weather out for 2 weeks also please??

555guy

there are some temporary closuresbetween killarney / killorglin / caherciveen early in the day , but otherwise you should be fine.
http://www.kerrycoco.ie/en/allservices/roads/roadclosures/title,7277,en.html

blindsider

That's perfect -just the info I was looking for!

Thanks 555guy!!!

joeKel73

Hi all,

I'm looking for somewhere cheap to stay on 31/8 and 1/9 in Dingle. Two people. We don't have a car so ideally close to the town.

The marathon is on that weekend so everywhere seems to be booked. Anyone know any hostels etc that might not be appearing online for me?

Thanks

brodsy

Have you looked at this site http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/accom5.html or ring the tourist office there on 066 9151188

Kerry Gooner

Irish rail august special offer Dublin -Tralee family return ticket (2 adults & up to 4 kids) €99

blingrhino

Best holiday village that is suitable or a family of five but not in the middle of no where for summer time ?

kn

blingrhino wrote: »

Best holiday village that is suitable or a family of five but not in the middle of no where for summer time ?

Ballybunion or Ballyheigue might suit if you are looking for easy access to the bigger towns of Tralee/Listowel and for travelling around Kerry. Otherwise I would have recommended Dingle but the Dingle Peninsula is isolated from the rest of the County it being circa 50km from Tralee.

Between Ballybunnion and Ballyheigue there is a bit of a trade off. Ballybunion would have a greater holiday lettings availability but would also have a 'racier' reputation for the nightlife during the summer than Ballyheigue. By 'racier' I only mean that it has late night bars during the summer that attracts a Limerick crowd in particular so you might find Ballyheigue to be more family friendly in that respect although its really only minor stuff here. So if you are going for Ballybunion make sure that you get a house that is not very central to the village, thats all.