RING OF KERRY
The Ring of Kerry is a world-renowned scenic driving route that follows N70 around a loop, or ring, to the best of County Kerry and the Iveragh Peninsula.
I have just written two previous blogs about The Ring of Kerry that lead to where we start in this one:
Part 1: County Kerry, the Ring of Kerry, and Killarney National Park and
Part 2: Kenmare, Sneem, Caherdaniel, & Derrynane.
Check those out, if you like, and then come back here!
WATERVILLE
Waterville is the first major town you will reach when driving clockwise on the Ring of Kerry from Caherdaniel. It is famous for sea trout and salmon fishing, especially at Waterville’s Lough Currane. You can rent a boat or hire one of the guides on this page.
Cables & Telegraphs
Waterville made its first major mark on history with its accomplishments in the telegraph and cable communications field, as it was once one of the largest stations in the world.
The town is full of historic sites related to the Commercial Cable Station Company and its operations during the 1880s. The Waterville Heritage Trail has a lot of great info about that.
Chaplin’s Getaway
Charlie Chaplin put Waterville back in the books again in 1959 when he started making the The Butler Arms Hotel his home base and spent a lot of time there each year in his later life.
Chaplin loved to fish at Lough Currane, and I learned that Walt Disney did as well.
There are several nods to Chaplin throughout the town from life-sized monuments and murals, to tiny little shadow figures and street names.
For serious fans, plan your visit around the Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival that is held every August in Waterville.
Butler Arms Hotel
Speaking of the Butler Arms Hotel, this hotel is owned by the same family who runs our beloved Lake Hotel over in Killarney, so you know it has to be good. Butler Arms was built in 1884 and overlooks the gorgeous Ballinskelligs Bay.
The hotel gained international fame in 2014 when the Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the Star Wars Episode VII cast and crew began filming at Skellig Michael, and they all lodged within.
Butler Monument
James Butler was a close friend of the Commercial Cable Company’s Superintendent and a favoured member of the Waterville community. In 1889, his friends commissioned a large Celtic cross in his honour, by a sculptor named A. P. Sharp.
Sharp collaborated with a widely praised architect named James Fuller who was known for creating the Kylemore Abbey, Sneem’s Parknasilla Hotel, Kenmare’s Park Hotel, Dublin‘s Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park, the Ashford Castle in Mayo, and many other famous landmarks.
Mellerick Memorial
Within shouting distance of Butler Arms and the Butler Monument, there is an homage to another late resident of Waterville. Dr. Thomas George Mellerick made a name for himself by helping everyone who needed him despite their illness or ability to pay, and he helped educate the community about fishing and harvesting, which enabled them survive the worst of times in this geographically vulnerable location.
He died suddenly when he was just 33 years old, and locals created a seaside memorial to preserve his legacy.
Árthach Dána
The striking figure of a spike cuts through the skyline at an odd angle against the sea, serving as a sundial that displays the Standard Irish Winter Time. The monument’s website also dedicates it to “generations of seafarers that navigated Europe’s Atlantic seaboard since Mesolithic times.”
You can see these and other monuments along the shore near Butler Arms Hotel and the town center.
Food & Drinks
Waterville is flush with great places to eat and drink local fare.
The Lough Bar, Waterville Inn, Dooley’s Waterfront Bar, McGill’s Brewery, and the Fishermen’s Bar @ Butler Arms are just a few of your options.
We opted for dinner at The Lobster Bar and started off with seafood chowder.
For mains, I had the Irish stew with mash, and my friend had steak with pepper sauce and onion rings. Everything we ate was perfect, and I would love to return again.
Outdoor Adventures
While in Waterville, stop by the Skellig Experience Heritage Center and observe the fascinating outdoor Heritage Gallerye at the Skelligs Gift Store.
Check out the Sea Synergy Marine Awareness Centre or a helicopter tour of the greater Waterville area. Also consider visiting or booking a tour of Portmagee, Valentia Island. Church Island, and the Skellig Islands.
The Skellig Islands are two small, steep, and rocky islands that have been a UNESCO site since 1996 and served as filming locations for the Star Wars enterprise.
CAHERSIVEEN
Driving clockwise from Waterville on the Ring of Kerry, the next major town you reach is Cahersiveen. It is also spelled “Caherciveen” and is pronounced like “KAH-her SIGH-veen.”
The first shots of the Fenian Rising of 1867 were fired against British rule, here in Cahersiveen.
Hugh O’Flaherty, known fondly as “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” died in Cahersiveen back in 1963 and was laid to rest at its Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church. Learn more about O’Flaherty and his monument in Killarney in my Ring of Kerry Part 1 blog.
Daniel O’Connell
As I mentioned in my Ring of Kerry Part 2 blog, Daniel O’Connell was born in 1775 near Cahersiveen. He was adopted by his uncle Maurice who owned the Derrynane House and became one of Ireland’s most famous and influential politicians,
O’Connell was known as “The Liberator” and the “Uncrowned King of Ireland” who worked tirelessly for equality and full political rights for Catholics. He was the first Catholic to sit in the the House of Commons and the first Roman Catholic Lord Mayor of Dublin.
The 1888 Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church was the first Catholic church in the world to be dedicated to a “lay person” or someone who had not been canonized.
Things to Do
Attractions in Cahersiveen include the Cahergall and Leacanabuaile Stone Forts, the ruins of Ballycarberry Castle, The Old Barracks, the 9.5-mile Beentee hiking loop trail, and Kells Bay House & Gardens in the town of Kells en route to Glenbeigh.
GLENBEIGH
This very small village is home to the Kerry Bog Village Museum, Glenbeigh Faery Forest, and to Rossbeigh Beach, a Blue Flag beach with over six miles of dune-filled sandy coastline.
The Coomasahran Lake and Scribed Stones (Rock Art) consist of loads of prehistoric rock features dated as far back as 2300 BC in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods.
Sadly, we did not have a lot of time to spend in Glenbeigh, but we made the most of our drive and taking in all the views.
KILLORGLIN
Killorglin is the next major town driving clockwise on the Ring of Kerry, and it is situated on the northern half of the general route.
I really enjoyed walking around Killorglin and ogling all of the street art and murals I found, in addition to the two K-Fest murals I mentioned earlier.
Killorglin is most famous for a different festival though, its annual Puck Fair.
A dying 150-year old oak tree was given a second chance at life when sculptor Will Fogarty petitioned Killorglin officials to allow a carved sculpture to be salvaged from the healthy parts of old Oak, not only to preserve the tree itself, but to commemorate the tale of emigration from rural Irish towns.
The 20-minutes drive from Killorglin back to our base in Killarney seems to fly by each time, like the first ten minutes are for getting used to being back in the car, and then all the sudden we are greeted with the familiar sites of Killarney once again.
Maybe next time we will find a hidden gem somewhere along this route, but do drop me a line if I have missed something.
In the area for a while? Follow me back to Killarney or County Galway, or to Dublin and the Wicklow Mountains!
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