Week 488 · Ring of Kerry · Killarney · Skellig Michael · Dingle · Inch Beach
County
After leaving Blarney Castle, we drove to Killarney — the gateway to the Ring of Kerry. "Kil" in Gaelic is spelled "Cill" and means church — thus all the towns with "Kill" made sense. We did a quick walk about Killarney and then went into Killarney National Park and Ross Castle and started down the south side of the Ring of Kerry.
Very hilly with tight roads — I was a little rough on the clutch. Jet lag was starting to hit a bit so we stopped in a little town called Sneem where Alexandra did her work call and I got a caffeine infusion — and it was at this point that we started to transition to the ocean.
The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometre circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, one of the most scenic drives in Ireland. Skellig Michael — the rocky island visible from the Skellig Ring coastal road — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a remarkably well-preserved 6th-century Christian monastery built by monks on a 230-metre sea stack. It became internationally known when used as the filming location for Luke Skywalker's island retreat in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017). The island is only accessible by boat in fair weather and permits are strictly limited. From the Wild Atlantic Way near Ballinskelligs, Skellig Michael is visible on clear evenings at sunset.
As we continued on the Ring of Kerry, we diverted onto the Wild Atlantic Way (which we didn't know about) — a coastal road going up the entire west coast of Ireland — and ultimately ended up in our very small town of Ballinskelligs, on an eastern-facing bay. After a quick and successful check-in to our AirBnB, we went to the recommended restaurant about 15 minutes across the hills to the Atlantic Ocean side. The recommended restaurant was the only restaurant for miles but new and had a great view of the sunset and Skellig Michael of Star Wars fame — where Luke ran to hide. After some very good fish and chips, we headed back to our village and did make a quick appearance into the local pub.
The next day the plan was to continue on the Wild Atlantic Way (specifically the "Skellig Ring") until we got back to the Ring of Kerry and maybe have a side-trip to Dingle. But on the drive we saw a sign for a farmer advertising the "best cliff hike in Kerry" — so we stopped. Well worth it and even a better view of Skellig Michael.
On the drive we saw a sign for a farmer advertising the "best cliff hike in Kerry" — so we stopped for a bit. Well worth it and even a better view of Skellig Michael than we had the night before. It wasn't a lie — Kerry's Most Spectacular Cliffs from private property off the side of the road.
We thought about a boat trip to Skellig Michael but it was going to be a most-of-the-day endeavour, so we decided to drive out to Dingle instead.
We came across a huge white sand beach — Inch Beach — and on an 80-degree day it was pretty packed, so we stopped for a bit before ultimately going to Dingle. In Dingle we visited a couple of places, but luckily found a pub that had been recommended to us — a couple of hundred years old — and relaxed for a bit before heading to Limerick for the night. We missed the top portion of the Ring of Kerry by being more focused on the coastal areas but it was worth it.
"We missed the top portion of the Ring of Kerry by being more focused on the coastal areas. It was worth it."