Wild Atlantic Companion · Kerry
Kenmare — Neidín, 'the little nest' — sits at the head of the Kenmare River where the Beara and Iveragh peninsulas split off into the Atlantic. Founded in 1670 by Sir William Petty, laid out in the unusual X-shape of Henry Street, Main Street and Shelbourne Street. A market town that became a food town, with one of the prettiest stone circles in the country a few minutes' walk from the square.
The pivot point. Where the Beara and Iveragh peninsulas begin.
First things first
Tell us once and we'll shape the rest of the page around it.
The essentials
Locally chosen, not algorithmic. In rough order of "if you only do one thing".
History
Bronze Age, around 2200 BC. Fifteen stones in a flattened circle around a central boulder dolmen — one of the largest stone circles in the south-west. Five-minute walk from the square, in a quiet field beside the river. Honesty box on the gate.
Good to know · Off Market Street, signposted from the Square. Small donation. Always open.
Nature
A privately-owned valley with a 140-metre cascade waterfall and several waymarked walks. The hanging valley scenery — corries, glacial lakes, the falls themselves — is the headline. Not on most itineraries; that's the point.
Good to know · 20-minute drive south of Kenmare on the Tuosist road. Entry fee. Café in season.
Drive
A high pass on the N71 between Kenmare and Killarney, cutting through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks. The Avoca shop and café at the top is the postcard stop; the views back down towards Kenmare and out to the Black Valley are the reason to drive it.
Good to know · 20 minutes north of Kenmare. Avoca café open daily in season. Use the lay-bys, not the road.
History
A small Bronze Age circle on a low knoll between two lakes — Lough Inchiquin and Lough Cloonee — with a 3-metre standing stone at one end. Possibly the most photographed stone circle in Ireland, and deservedly so. Reached by a short walk through a farmer's field.
Good to know · 30-minute drive west of Kenmare on the R571. Park where signposted, walk uphill 5 minutes.
View
A short walk from the square down to the old stone pier on the Kenmare River. Boat trips run from here for seal and white-tailed eagle spotting in season. The view back across to the Beara mountains at sunset is the town's quiet trick.
Good to know · Free parking at the pier. Seafari boat trips in season — book ahead in summer.
Town
The town's three main streets meet at a triangular green called the Square. Henry Street is the food street, Main Street is the shops, Shelbourne Street is the quieter side. A small but serious market on Wednesdays. The Star of the Sea church on the Square is worth a look in.
Good to know · Pay-and-display in the Square. Wednesday market 10am–4pm.
Local businesses
Hand-picked, not paid for. The ferries, the beds, the pubs and the bike hire that make a visit work.
Thumbnails are illustrations — businesses can claim their listing and upload their own photo.
Eat
Henry Street seafood institution since 1981. Slate floors, art on the walls, and a chowder you'll measure other chowders against.
Eat
Main Street restaurant by Dermot Brennan — lamb from his brother's farm, premium pork from Champion Brothers. Death-row dining, said the Indo. They weren't wrong.
Drink
Henry Street institution — small, low-ceilinged, properly trad. The session pub. If there's music in Kenmare on a wet Tuesday, it's here.
Drink
Henry Street pub-with-rooms-and-a-kitchen. Open turf fire, locals at the bar, the safe steady pint when you don't want to plan.
Stay
Five-star at the top of the town since 1897. The grande dame — afternoon tea, walled gardens down to the bay, the kind of bar that swallows an evening.
Stay
Five-star country house on a 300-acre estate over the Sheen waterfalls. Two-Michelin-star restaurant downstairs. Two miles east of town — total escape.
Stay
Boutique four-star a short walk above town. Run by the Hayes family. The everyday Kenmare hotel — modern, comfortable, no airs, brilliant breakfast.
Do
Bronze Age stone circle five minutes' walk from the square — fifteen stones around a central boulder dolmen, the largest of its kind in south-west Ireland. €2 honesty box.
Run a place in Kenmare?
Our directory is curated, not pay-to-play. If we'd recommend you, you can be on here.
See how to get listedGot a window or a counter?
Download a free A5 QR card for Kenmare — print it, stick it up, and visitors land straight on the Kenmare guide.
Ask a local
The stone circle at dawn
It's five minutes from the square and lots of people drop in during the day. But before 8am the gate's open, the honesty box is yours, and you'll have fifteen Bronze Age stones in dew-wet grass to yourself.
Gleninchaquin Park waterfall
A 140-metre cascade in a private working farm 20 minutes out the Beara road. €6 honesty box at the gate. Walk all the way to the top of the falls — barely anyone does.
Know a Kenmare spot worth sharing?
Hidden gems on this page are written by locals, not us. The right time for the stone circle, the trad session that's still going, the Beara loop pub — tell us and we'll add it.
Practical