The gardens are absolutely beautiful and so nicely maintained. There are trails everywhere and so…read moremuch to see and so many gorgeous views. Take the ferry to this island and you will not be disappointed. The ferry ride is also part of the wonderful adventure, keeping in mind that it's not always the 'destination' as the 'journey' can be equally amazing. (You'll encounter a seal colony on the way!) The Italian Gardens were memorable and we wandered around there the longest; however, the entire island with it's beautiful walks and plant life is gorgeous. This is a great spot for an afternoon outing! Note: Discounts for families of four!

One of the best little islands and gardens to visit on the wild atlantic way.its probably not the…read morebest in the world.but it is unique to have Italian style garden on a small island on the atlantic

Derrynane House Park encompasses 120 hectares (nearly 300 acres) of land and Derrynane House, home…read moreof one of Ireland's most well-loved heroes, Daniel O'Connell, aka "The Liberator." Dun dun dun! He was a pacifist (in Ireland! gasp!) who lobbied for equal rights for Catholics. He was instrumental in the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act, essentially granting Catholics equal rights in Ireland. Easy to understand why he is much beloved. The Historical Park is definitely worth a visit if you are on the Ring of Kerry or staying in or near Caherdaniel (itself a ridiculously charming and non-touristy town). The House now serves as a museum of O'Connell's early, later, and political life. The furnishings are well-kept and the house well-maintained, providing a glimpse of upper-scale Irish life from the early 19th century. The cherries on the cake here, however, are the grounds which are much like botanical gardens here in the States. There are lovely manicured gardens, more Romantic and wild gardens, woodlands, and an incredible expanse of beach at Derrynane Bay...with ample warnings about not venturing too near the surf for fear you might get sucked in, sucked out to sea, and never be heard from again. A highlight of the Park is the Druid stone monument featuring the Ogham "language," which you come across on your walk up to the Park grounds. Admission to the whole park is also a real deal at under 3 Euros. A nice way to spend a few hours on your trip to the Ring.

While the house tour is fine, it was really the gardens that won me over here. They are so…read morebeautiful that I regretted not packing a picnic and spending my day here. It was so lovely to wind my way through the beautiful woods of Derrynane. And to think, I didn't even make it to the beach! I'd definitely recommend visiting the botanical gardens here. Stop in the Blind Piper on your way out for yummy food!

Highly recommend when in Killarney. We walked from our hotel to the Park and made a day of it…read more Entrance is free! Many paved and unpaved trails to follow. Park was lush and green and surrounded 3 lakes. We hiked to MuckRoss house (didn't take the paid tour), the Abbey, and Torc Waterfall. Lots of history. Torc waterfall was quite a distance away, you'll pass a botanical garden that is gorgeous. Upon arrival to Torc, you'll have access to a variety of either strenuous, moderate, or mild hikes. We chose the tourist route for pics and easy access to the waterfall. A decent size waterfall and worth the trek. Lots of tourist buses park here. Many horse carriage rides available in the park. Not a supporter of that business. But, you'll see beautiful cows grazing the pastures near the MuckRoss house . All in all , we hiked approximately 10 + miles that day! Always be prepared for a little bit of rain and wind. Bring water or a picnic lunch : )

I absolutely recommend coming here if you're ever in Ireland. There is no entrance fee. We saw the…read moreTorc waterfall and it was beautiful. There's much more to see but to be transparent we didn't go to them all. Absolutely gorgeous. A definite MUST!

Acres of beautifully landscaped walks around the estate. I didn't have any expectations when…read morevisiting the first time last week and was really surprised at how well kept it is. The old Oak/Beech trees are enormous, they must be hundreds of years old.

Doneraile Wildlife Park is beautiful park, full of rolling hills and secluded trails. There's a few…read moredeer herds on site, and the excellent playground to keeps the smallies busy as well. There's plenty of great spots for a picnic. There's also a tea room, just make sure to check the Heritage Ireland site for opening hours as these change seasonally.

Everything was excellent. Great tour, great, and very verbose, tour guide. All tours are guided,…read morefive euro. No pictures allowed inside the tall house!

I've visited Ross Castle twice now - once in 2017 and once today - and it is just as beautiful now…read moreas it was then. The castle itself dates back to the 15th century but has been renovated a couple of times since then, most recently in the 1980s and 90s. There is a guided tour that runs frequently throughout the day, it's €5 per person (cash or card) and runs about 30 minutes. It's very much worth it! You can't take pictures inside the castle but you can outside. The castle is about a 30-40 minute walk from the Killarney town centre. You can pay €20 per person per way for a jaunting car ride to the castle, but I preferred to walk there and get a ride back since it started to rain. Our guide's name was Noreen and she was very knowledgeable about the castle's history. She was able to answer all of the questions that our group had. If you have some time and cash, I also highly recommend getting a boat ride to Innisfallen Island. The boats depart from the castle and it's about a 20 minute boat ride through the lake to the island. You'll then get 30 minutes to explore the island on your own. There is a monastery ruins there that dates back to the 11th century and the grounds are absolutely beautiful. They are so peaceful and you'll likely encounter some deer.

It was cold rainy and windy our week in Ireland..if that is summer id hate to see winter. I read…read moremuch debate over tours or renting a car. We rented a car and the driving especially a ring of kerry was scary. Highly recommend you do much research of what stops are worth doing. I liked 3 ladies stop and torc falls. Definitely wear non slippery comfortable shoes. Liked the abbey ruins and quick look outside formal house near the ruins. It was cold windy and miserable so boat trips were not of interest. Kerry cliffs are gorgeous but be prepared for the wind ..chin straps on hats are a must. Biggest disappointment was the rock circle .. that was waste of time. We took drinks and snacks but there are a few towns to stop and eat. Getting ice in Europe is Tricky... but we took a small collapsible cooler. Their cheese is nice so might pack cheese slicer and crackers. Hope you can do skellig ring and Dingle ... personally I don't care about castles ... Europe is covered with them but the scenery and colorful buildings . Landscape looks like green quilt.. all shades and a billion sheep.

This is a great drive and way to see the beauty of Kerry County. There are tons of great places to…read morestop and see along the way.

Cute little playground within walking distance of the main street in Charleville. There are lots of…read moreactivities - see saw, roundabout, slides, swings, climbing frames, along with a really great, fenced mini basketball court. The park has a very small parking lot (6-8 spots?) but there is a public parking across the road. The park, aside from the playground, is lovely, expansive grass area, great for letting the kids run around or play football. Additionally, tucked in a corner opposite the playground, is an adult training area with an elliptical, benchpress and other workout activities, with a paved walkway all around the park perimeter. Well worth stopping to let the kids run free if you're driving through Charleville to Cork/Dublin or even if you're from around here and your kids need to run their sillies off. I took 1 star away because of the lack of parking, along with there being no toilet facilities. As someone traveling through the town, this is a must and sadly not a common occurrence in Irish playgrounds.

I spent some time at this park after walking miles through Cork. My feet were throbbing and I was…read morein desperate need of a break. I found a bench by the river and sat for a while. The wind was lovely and it wasn't raining and the bench was in the shade so I got to sit for a good long while. I popped in my earbuds and listened to an audiobook and it was peaceful bliss. There are public bathrooms but they are paid so I avoided them. There are lots of benches and trash cans around so the park is fairly clean. Once you move away from the playground there aren't too many children and it's not too noisy, so it's the perfect place to relax for a bit.

A lovely little park (a mile or so outside the centre of Cork) which flanks the River Lee, well…read morelooked after and very green and full of flowers (in season of course)! Daly's Bridge is worth walking over and you'll realise why its other name is the Shaky Bridge - it moves slightly when you walk or run.

Torc Waterfall is a 20-meter (70-foot) high waterfall in Killarney National Park, where the…read moreOwengarriff River cascades down Torc Mountain. It was named after the Irish word for "boar," a local legend involves the warrior Finn McCool killing a mythical wild boar on the mountain. It was an easy maybe 4-10 minute walk from the parking (with restrooms) lot off the N71 Road. The path was well maintained and the lush green forest along the way projected and air of solitude. The map near the road shows other paths, with maybe one going to the top. The waterfall itself was pleasant and I did walk down to the water to get a closer look. It's impressive enough, but not quite what Gayle and I have experienced in the past back in the Sierra Nevada or even Iceland. And it's definitely worth a mental health stop.

We spent the day exploring Killarney National Park. Torc Waterfall was a lovely little stop. We…read morefound the parking lot easily. From there it's about a 5 minute easy walk to the falls. The forest is incredible. It was almost like being in a surprise tropical rain forest. It was amazing how the landscape of this immediate area is so different from other parts of the area. The trees are covered with moss. There are giant ferns all over the place. I think there were about a hundred different colors of green. It was glorious. The falls themselves are beautiful. Lots of visitors but people were very polite.