It doesn't get better than this... Really…read more. We have been to ireland 3 times and this was the best experience ever. This isn't a theme hotel or a drywall mock up... This is a REAL castle, made of stone, with all the authenticity you would expect. Everything you need to do to reserve it is here: http://www.ballyhannon-castle.com/ Its expensive, so do it with a group, but if you have kids of any age (im 46) they will remember this for the rest of their lives.

Defo worth a look if you are interested in going on a fishing holiday. You have your own pier to go…read morefishing and loads of room in the houses and in the gardens. Really nice place.

This was the perfect place to stay! Nice villa, walking distance to the pub. Good location, good…read moreprice, good people!! When we checked in and made our way to our villa, the manger (Nora) found out that while I was in Ireland, my clothes went to London (yes, my clothes had a different idea of what it wanted to see!) Nora came to our villa with Night clothes & some other items that would hold me over till my bags wanted to join me!! How cool is she, I can't even express how nice every was!

Definitely a would revisit. It was clean, the hosts were very nice and accommodating. Breakfast was…read moredelicious. Louie (the Corgi fur friend) was super cute. The house is a bit on the old side so you do hear your upstairs neighbors. If you're sleeping on the second floor just be respectful of those below. About a 15 minute drive to downtown Killarney. You can park and then walk around while you get your bearings and shake off any jet lag.

The previous review is very interesting......This location is GORGEOUS! It is 'self catering' so…read moreyou should expect to 'do for yourself'. It is cozy, warm, beautifully furnished, CLEAN. The view....gorgeous Irish farmlands. My husband booked this for us and our daughter -we are here for a family reunion in Kinsale. I can't speak highly enough of the place and the owners! (As for the shoes, we have stayed in other places along our journey I Ireland. It seems the CUSTOM to take your shoes off to not track 'farm dirt' in. I think it's a brilliant idea! Book it. You WONT be disappointed. (Yes, if you cannot do stairs, this building may not be good for you. There are other buildings on the property - maybe check them out.)

Outstanding guesthouse / holiday rental. We spent a week here, two adults and our two boys, and…read moreall of us absolutely fell in love with it. My younger son actually sobbed as we left. The cottage is a converted farmhouse, and it is 300 years old, but fully updated. With three bedrooms and three full bathrooms, everyone had plenty of room, and there was a nice living room, dining room, and eat-in kitchen. We cooked most of our own meals, and the kitchen was thoroughly furnished with everything we needed. The washer/dryer were also great, as the boys got very dirty running around in the muck (which they loved to do!) For the parents, the highlights were the lazy days, the peace and tranquility after a day of sightseeing, and the absence of wifi or cell phone service. While this might be a deterrent for some, we found it quite refreshing to unplug ourselves (and our kids) from all of the electronic gizmos. For the kids, the highlight was certainly the farm. Both boys got into the action, waking up by themselves every morning at 7am to help milk the cows, running around with the dog and the calves, then hurrying back from sightseeing to milk the cows again at 5pm. I had no idea that the kids would take such a liking to this, but they actually go up on their own at the crack of dawn to "do their chores" with the cows. The couple who manage the farm and the self-catering cottage, Brigid and Dan, were absolutely delightful hosts. They made themselves available whenever we needed anything, and they were happy to tell us stories of the area and give us tips for where to go, but they were by no means intrusive. They were wonderful with the kids, showing them how to help out with the chores on the farm and making the kids feel so special. This is truly a one-of-a-kind holiday experience that you won't soon forget. We can't wait to go back.

We had a marvellous time aboard the 'Spirit of Kinsale'! The departure point is found not far from…read morethe tourist office. It was a very pleasant, professionally run, trip around the harbour and beyond, with a great commentary of what to look out for, the history of the area, and there were wonderful views too. The boat was comfortable and not overcrowded. Also, Kinsale is twinned with Mumbles, which is near to where we live in Wales so we were particularly interested to come here.

This is as much a review of a walking tour around historic Kinsale, Cionn tSáile, and the famous…read morepromontory The Old Head of Kinsale, as it is for it's friendly tourist office. Housed in an imaginatively designed modern structure, it manages not to look out of place with the towns vast majority of pretty heritage buildings, and is situated on what was the original quayside of this once important garrison town. I'd come on the 249 bus the 27km from Cork, as I wanted for personal reasons to make a pilgrimage to the Old Head of Kinsale, where within sight of land in 1915, a tragic sinking close to the scale of loss of life on The Titanic took place, more about this at the end! Suffice to say I'd called in the Tourist Office essentially for information on how a non-car driver might get there. The staff were helpful beyond the call of duty, and although as you will see despite the best advice, and considerable effort, I was eventually thwarted in my attempts to get there, they told me about a local historian & guide called Dermot. Dermot Ryan as well as conducting a regular early evening walking tour around the atmostpheric narrow & winding hilly streets, starting from the tourist office, is an absolute gold mine of information. Like the best tour guides I have listened to, he never feels the need to over sell his subject, and has a wonderfully subtle delivery that leaves you hanging on his every word, and wanting more. He takes small groups around the historic town, telling you about everything from Spanish allies helping the locals to fight the English, through wine trade in what was once one of the most important harbours in Europe. Even the 'Kinsale cloak', a famous hooded cloak worn by local ladies from medieval to more recent times, puts in a humorous appearance, with remembrance of the women who wore them being the feared hoodies of their day!. All the time Dermot compellingly managed to put little old Kinsale right in the heart of much bigger history. Dermot was very pleased I asked him about RMS Lusitania, once the worlds largest liner, which brings us neatly back to The Old Head of Kinsale! It was within easy sight of here on a bright sunny afternoon in May that the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat, and took just 18 minutes to disappear beneath the calm waters, robbing 1198 men, women & children of their lives. There is a memorial to this tragic event close to the R604. Sadly however this is no easy place to get to get to, particularly if you don't have a car for the around 13km journey from Kinsale. Anyway the day I chose to get a taxi to view the memorial, the road was closed. Also after I'd settled on walking, it seemed that the elements in the form of an incredibly strong & long lasting downpour of rain, were conspiring to keep me away. Next time remind me to bring a bike & oilskins! Controversially this beautiful headland point which stretches out into the sea for almost 2 miles, complete with it's dramatically situated lighthouse is now dominated by Irelands costliest Golf Course. Here non members are denied access, although the Golf Courses website tauntingly boasts of it's beautiful natural habitat & perfect vantage point for viewing Whales & Dolphins. Another reason why I hate golf!