Ireland 4 - Kenmare, Uragh Stone Circle, Muckross House & Killarney

July 29, 2025

Ireland 4 - Kenmare, Uragh Stone Circle, Muckross House & Killarney

When we stepped outside in the early morning of Day 4, the sky looked fine. However, we were in Ireland. Just as we started driving toward Kenmare, a small town on the Ring of Kerry, which we didn't visit on the day before, it started to rain. Ah, we should appreciate the full Irish experience, including its moist climate.

Kenmare is located near Kenmare Bay, on the southeast of the Ring of Kerry. The town was small but more commercialized than most of other towns and villages we saw on the Ring of Kerry. We explored the town, which was still sleeping before 8am.

Holy Cross Church, a 19th century Catholic Church also had not opened yet. The church building was actually much larger than what it appeared from the front. We have no idea what the interior looked like.

We entered Maison Gourmet, a coffee shop on the main street at their opening time, 8am to have a breakfast and escape from drizzling. A staff was busy to arrange various baked goods on the counter. Unfortunately they didn't serve hot meals until 9am. Sorry, J! He had scones as I did. They offered two kinds of scones: raisin and pear&almond. We both had one of each. The scones were served with generous butter and a little cup of raspberry jam. The jam was actually pretty good. We didn't order clotted cream, so I don't know if clotted cream, or alternative like whipped cream, was available. Their scones were nice but kinda dry. A good amount of butter and jam as well as tea were needed. The size was generous. Two were too much at once.

After we filled ourselves with the maximum amount of scones (and butter), we decided to step into the Beara Peninsula. The Beara Peninsula is located to the south of the Iveragh Peninsula, and Kenmare sits on the junction of the two peninsulas. There was a stone circle on the Beara Peninsula that I was interested in seeing. Although the weather wasn't perfect, we were already in Kenmare and it was the best chance for us to get there. Via a narrow, winding, unpaved road, we arrived at a lush greenery place in the astonishing natural setting. The stone circle, known as the Uragh Stone Circle, was situated on a small hill overlooking Lough Inchiquin, surrounded by mountains. That was one of my most favorite places of the trip. It was foggy and lightly raining, plus very windy. The condition enhanced the mysterious atmosphere but I would love to come back there when it's clear. It would be a lovely picnic spot.

By the way, the Uragh Stone Circle is believed to have been built during the Bronze Age, likely between 3,300 and 1,200 BC.

The area around the stone circle was truly beautiful. I hope we have a chance to explore there when we visit Ireland in the future.

After being soaking wet (luckily we were wearing a rain jacket and pants), we thought an indoor activity may be better. Visiting Muckross House was a great option. The victorian manor house was built for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife Mary Balfour Herbert in 1843. The Herberts had held land in Kerry since the 17 century, principally in Kilcow and Muckross.

First we explored the gardens around the house since it wasn't drizzling anymore. The very large estate is situated on a peninsula between Muckross Lake and Lough Leane, being a focal point of Killarney National Park. The shore of Muckross Lake was close to the house. All of a sudden the blue sky peeked through a gap in the clouds over the lake!

We kept walking the edge of the lake. I thought we came there to stay indoor, but somehow we found ourselves on lake shores and in woodlands...

Eventually we came back to the house. It was a wonderful nature walk actually. There were several trails and we could have gone further. However, it was good time to switch to an indoor activity finally since it started to drizzle again.

That was the second time we've seen antlers of the Great Irish Elk on the trip. They were proudly placed over the fireplace in the Entrance Hall.

- The Main Hall, where visitors were greeted before being shown into the Library or Drawing Room

- The Dining Room with the opulent curtains that are believed to have been woven in Paris and were installed for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1861, and the large imposing walnut sideboard carved in Italy.

- The Library with the oak bookshelves and the 18th century copper plat engravings and aquatints on the walls

- The Drawing Room with the pole screens near the fireplace, which were raised and lowered when nessessary to help protect the ladies' make-up from the heat

- Gentleman's Dressing Room, where the valet organized the master's clothes and assisted him while dressing

- Master Bedroom with the half-tester bed

- Children's Bedroom

- The Nursery Quarters (today a picture gallery, including a portrait of Emily Keane Herbert, and some landscapes by Mary Balfour Herbert, Emily's mother-in-law and a very talented watercolourist)

- The Boudoir, Dressing Room and Queen's Bedroom, which form part of a suit of rooms reserved for Queen Victoria's use in 1861

- Basement, where servants were bustling around and engaged in a wide variety of tasks

The Muckross House was worth visiting no matter what the weather was like. It was already in the afternoon. We headed to the town of Killarney. It was the largest town that we visited on the Ring of Kerry. There were many shops and restaurants there as well as many people, most likely tourists. We walked around the town, window-shopping and looking for a place to eat. It was still cloudy but not drizzling anymore.