When visiting Killarney, Ireland, there are several nearby attractions just outside of
town that make an easy half-day excursion, including 500-year-old Ross Castle, Muckross
House mansion and it's beautiful flower gardens, Torc waterfall and it's raging river, and
one of the best hotels, the four-star Lake Hotel.
These are all located within four miles, or seven kilometers, of Killarney town, very
easy to reach by horse cart, tour van, bicycle, or even walking.
Ross Castle is in County Kerry on the edge of Killarney's lower lake, Lough Leane, which
makes a tranquil and picturesque setting, even on a rainy day, you can rent rowboats
and go out in the lake or go off on an excursion boat ride as well. When you see a friendly
tour guide hanging around. Feel free to ask a question.
You know that this castle. This castle in Kerry, County Kerry, one time
was for the clans, like you had clans in Scotland. And the people in this part were called the
O'Donoghues, so this is an O'Donoghue's castle.
There is a helpful sign that's provided by the National Heritage Service that summarizes
the history of the castle, which began about the year 1500.
Built by the O'Donoghue family who ruled the Killarney area at the time. The castle was
originally contained inside a strong stone wall, and outside this there was probably
an earthen bank and wooden palisade which enclosed an area called the bailey.
The castle is quite famous because it was amongst the last to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's
Round Heads, who invaded during the Irish Confederate wars and was only taken when artillery
was brought here by boat, along with 4000 invading English foot soldiers.
By 1700. The castle had changed hands twice. The O'Donoghue's were allied with the Earl
of Desmond during his failed rebellion and so the castle fell into the hands of the MacCarthy
Mór family. This is probably when the larger windows and
barbizon's were added. The castle was subsequently granted to an English land surveyor, Sir Valentine
Browne, who became the Earl of Kenmare, and owned an extensive portion of the lands that
are now part of Killarney National Park. This drawing shows the castle shortly after
the 1798 rising at a time when the English were expecting a French invasion.
By the mid-18th-century, the castle had become a garrison. Most of the walls had been removed,
Valentine Browne's house had been demolished. And it had been necessary to support the northwest
corner of the castle with a substantial buttress. A new barracks block was built, as well as
additional accommodations on the west side. Legend has it that O'Donoghue still exists
in a deep slumber under the waters of the lake and once every seven years, he rises
from the lake on his magnificent white horse and circles the lake.
Six kilometers away from Killarney you'll reach Muckross House located between Muckross
Lake and Lough Leane. Open to the public daily. Originally it was
a private mansion, built in 1843, for Henry Arthur Herbert, built in the Tudor style with
sixty-five rooms. It is surrounded by one of the most beautiful floral gardens in the
country. During the 1850s the Herbert's undertook extensive
garden works in preparation for a visit from Queen Victoria in 1861.
It is said that these improvements for the Queen's visit were a contributory factor in
the financial difficulties suffered by the Herbert family, which resulted in the sale
of the estate. Early in the twentieth century, the Bourn
Vincent family continued this gardening tradition. It was at that time that the sunken garden,
rock garden, and the stream garden were developed. Bourn was a wealthy California mining magnate
and retained the house as a private residence until the 1930s when they decided to present
Muckross House and its 11,000 acre estate to the Irish nation. It thus became the first
National Park in the Republic of Ireland and formed the basis of the present day Killarney
National Park. In later years the park was substantially expanded by the acquisition
of land from the former Earl of Kenmare's estate.
As a National Park, the admission to the gardens is free and there's also free parking. You
can visit inside the mansion by arranging to join one of their guided group tours.
Another attraction here is the traditional farm with three separate working farms, complete
with farm animals, and dwellings in the traditional style.
The Garden Restaurant is next to the old Victorian walled garden area, and it's a great venue
to enjoy a relaxing meal with a view out across the gardens.
Open every day from 9 to 5, and then in the summer from nine till seven.
You can also take a ride here in one of the horse carriages, the famous jaunting carts
of Killarney, which we did not see on this rainy day in May, but normally there are plenty
of drivers waiting to take you for a ride. Our next attraction is just two kilometers
away, the famous Torc Waterfall. We are seeing the sights as a small private
group guided by a company called My Ireland Tour.
Let me introduce you to the falls. Torc Falls is another one of your scenic highlights
in the Killarney area. You don't want to miss it. It's only about 100 yards walk off the
road, and it's free, and wonderful. Finally, we have a benefit of being out on
a rainy day, typical of Killarney. It rains a lot, of course. The waterfall is booming
when it rains. There is always some water, but it's especially wonderful today.
The walk from the parking area to the falls is just 200 meters along a fairly level and
well-maintained walkway. And you have the beautiful sight of the raging
river on your right side as you walk along, it's even as exciting as the waterfall itself,
especially on a rainy day. The twenty meter high waterfall is formed
by the Owengarriff River as it drains from the Devils Punch Bowl, a lake high above the
Mangerton Mountain. There are a number of loop trails that you
can hike around the Torc waterfall of varying lengths called the blue, yellow, and red trails.
Steps lead up the side of the waterfall to those upper paths.
If you kept going on one of them you would get back to Muckross House, in part, walking
along the shores of the lake. There are quite a few other trails in this
national park, all part of what's called the Kerry Way, a long distance walking route,
although most visitors are happy to reach the falls, take a picture, and head back to
the parking lot. Of course, the lakes of Killarney are world-famous
and offer a variety of ways to see them by hiking, or by boat, by horse cart, or by driving.
Which makes them accessible to everybody. For the most-hardy you could walk to the top
of Torc Mountain, 530 meters high. Soon enough you're back at the parking area,
and you'll notice there are restroom facilities here.
We are getting back in our My Ireland Tour van with our excellent driver Charlie, who
is taking us on to our final stop of the excursion, the legendary four-star Lake Hotel, which
has been welcoming guests since 1820, and has been operated since the 1940s by the Huggard
family, and so there's a long tradition of warm Irish hospitality that awaits you here.
They claim an emphasis is placed on quality, attention to detail, first-rate customer service,
a warm welcome, and a determination that all visitors become friends as well as guests.
The Castlelough Restaurant is open to the public, where you might look out the window
and observe while deer strolling across the lawn amid the peace and tranquility imposed
by the lakes – truly a spectacular, unrivaled location with all-encompassing views of Killarney's
world-famous scenery. They've gotten several national quality awards
for cuisine, service, and hospitality. There are also excellent hotels in town that
we have showed you in our other programs about Killarney.
We have many more movies about Ireland, including another one about Killarney, and we covered
Dingle, Galway, Connemara, Dublin and other places, so be sure to look for them in our
collection. We frequently upload new movies, so please
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