Central Location for Exploring County Kerry

Gally's Bar & Restaurant

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Restaurant | "Good Choice After a Long Day"

Galley's Bar & Restaurant Photo - Gally's Bar & Restaurant, County Kerry, Ireland

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When we arrived in Tralee, it was shortly after 5:00p and we'd been busy sightseeing all day. We were looking forward to a relaxing dinner before checking into our hotel. As we arrived in Tralee, we drove past the road that led to Ballyseede Castle Hotel in hopes of finding something for dinner close. Not really seeing anything immediately, we turned to the Garmin for assistance. With Gally's Bar & Restaurant identified as less than two miles away, we all agreed that sounded like a good choice.Pulling up into their parking lot, there were several cars which was a good indication of a popular place. When we entered and asked for a table for three for dinner, they said their restaur...Read More

When we arrived in Tralee, it was shortly after 5:00p and we'd been busy sightseeing all day. We were looking forward to a relaxing dinner before checking into our hotel. As we arrived in Tralee, we drove past the road that led to Ballyseede Castle Hotel in hopes of finding something for dinner close. Not really seeing anything immediately, we turned to the Garmin for assistance. With Gally's Bar & Restaurant identified as less than two miles away, we all agreed that sounded like a good choice.

Pulling up into their parking lot, there were several cars which was a good indication of a popular place. When we entered and asked for a table for three for dinner, they said their restaurant wasn't open yet but that we could sit in the bar area and order from their full menu there. It was fine with us, as we looked for a decent table (and not something with the high backless bar stools). A corner booth was clearing out so we waited for that space. In the meantime, we took a look around to see what the locals were eating. Seemed that fish and chips was on the menu (again). I must say, the Irish sure love their fish . . . and so did we!

We all decided to go with their three course early bird special (just €15.95 per person). Salads were the popular opening dish, although I choose the fried brie which came a large bed of salad with a raspberry dressing. For dinner, Ellie had the Irish stew, while I had the chicken and David had fish. All of our entrees were very good. The dessert options looked better than they were. The apple tart (pie) was flat and not very sweet, while the Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake seemed a bit less than fresh. Ellie's three flavor ice cream served in a waffle style dish was very good and enough for us all to share.

This was the home of the best priced pint of Guinness at €3.30, which may have also been an early bird special price. Diet cokes were the typical €2.50 for a 500ml bottle, which seemed like highway robbery, but they were expensive throughout Ireland.

We left Galley's full and feeling good about our overall dining experience. The early bird special was a good value for us since we did arrive rather hungry from our full day. Once we checked into our hotel, we were all ready for jammy clothes and some lazy TV time. I think David was in bed and asleep by 9pm.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2012

Gally's Bar & Restaurant
Castlemaine Road, Tralee
County Kerry, Ireland
+353 066-7192250

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Ballyseede Castle Hotel

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Hotel | "Living Like Royalty"

Ballyseede Castle Hotel Photo - Ballyseede Castle Hotel, County Kerry, Ireland

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The Ballyseede Castle dates back to the 16th century as an Irish manor. If you talk with people who live in Ireland, they may debate you as to whether or not these "manor homes" are really castles. They tend to argue that people today take the liberty of referring to such estates as "castles" for their marketing value. BAH HUMBUG I say! If it looks like a castle, why not call it a castle?Ballyseede Castle Hotel is about as opulent and stately as this American would expect when traveling to Ireland in hopes of staying in a castle. As I started planning for this trip more than a year ago, my mother-in-law had one simple request . . . "Can we spend one night in a castle?" Not really sur...Read More

The Ballyseede Castle dates back to the 16th century as an Irish manor. If you talk with people who live in Ireland, they may debate you as to whether or not these "manor homes" are really castles. They tend to argue that people today take the liberty of referring to such estates as "castles" for their marketing value. BAH HUMBUG I say! If it looks like a castle, why not call it a castle?

Ballyseede Castle Hotel is about as opulent and stately as this American would expect when traveling to Ireland in hopes of staying in a castle. As I started planning for this trip more than a year ago, my mother-in-law had one simple request . . . "Can we spend one night in a castle?" Not really sure what such a splurge might cost, I bit my tongue and said "Sure!".

It was interesting learning about the Irish history and culture. Today there is the Kylemore Abbey (in County Galway) which was actually the "castle home" built by Mitchell Henry in 1867. He called it a "castle" although by today's standards in argument, it is really just a manor home.

Regardless of what you call Ballyseede, it provides the atmosphere and ambiance as though living in earlier times as Lords and Ladies. Situated on over 30 acres of natural wooded beauty, Ballyseede Castle was the home to the Blennerhassett family and heirs for nearly 400 years. Today there are 23 sleeping rooms providing accommodations and intimate service one might expect in such regal times.

We were in the Moore Room, which ironically was my paternal grandmother's family name. Located on the third floor, we had quite the distance to take our bags. Thankfully, there were a couple of young men available to assist. As we ascended the grand staircase, we stopped at each landing to see the sitting rooms that were at the mid-level between the main floors of sleeping rooms. On one such stop, there was a full medieval suit of amour. How cool is that?

Once to the top floor, completely out of breath, we made our way into our room. It was amazing! The furnishings were rich and bright; the view from the two large windows overlooking the gardens and mountains off in the distance. We had a very nice sitting area with a big overstuffed couch along with a stately looking desk and chair.

We spent two nights at Ballyseede and thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast that is included with all accommodations. They have a full continental set up for those choosing to eat light, as well as a short hot menu to choose from for those seeking a bit heartier meal. I enjoyed a small bowl of fruit as I awaited my eggs benedict the first morning. For the second, I had the traditional Irish breakfast sans the black & white pudding. David was a trooper and tried the black & white pudding, but said it really wasn't very tasteful so we all took his lead and passed the next day.

Ballyseede Castle does offer gourmet dining for dinner, by reservation only. In looking at the menu, however, we opted to have dinner in their pub. Soup and sandwiches really hit the spot after our full day of touring the Ring of Kerry.

Throughout our stay, the service and attention paid to guests was exceptional. Even the least whimper of displeasure had someone working to make things not just right, but perfect. I could get spoiled by that attention to detail and service!

In terms of cost, I was very pleased at the €149/night rack rate which with the exchange rate worked out to a little under $400 for the two nights. Given their limited number of rooms, they do not discount although they do have some packages that include dinner. I felt that the breakfast would have probably cost $50 for the three of us each morning, so the value to stay in the luxury of a castle was definitely a delight. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 11, 2012

Ballyseede Castle Hotel
N21 in Tralee
County Kerry, Ireland
+353 66 7125799

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Dingle Peninsula

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Farms on Dingle Peninsula Photo - Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

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Saturday April 28th marked the half-way point in our vacation in Ireland. It would be the day that we transition from County Kerry (Tralee) to County Galway (Recess). The AA Ireland route planner had the direct route mapped at roughly 160 miles and just under 4 hours. This would be the day that would make the most sense, taking the detour to self-drive the Dingle Peninsula and perhaps part of the Slea Head if the weather looked decent. With the absence of significant cloud cover and rain, we did take advantage of our location and added the extra miles (approximately 75 miles) and time (2 hours) so that we could see what many say is the best driving tour in all of Ireland.Jutting 30 mil...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2012

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Shannon River Car Ferry

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Attraction | "A Pleasant Unexpected Surprise"

Shannon Ferry Arriving in County Kerry Photo - Shannon River Car Ferry, County Kerry, Ireland

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Often when on vacation, unexpected surprises can be disastrous, especially when they end up costing you money not budgeted for. As we were making our transition away from County Kerry to our timeshare in County Galway, we let the Garmin (aka "Toots") do the routing. After a week, we were feeling more confident in her ability to give us the best direction to our various destinations. Not since the route taking us the wrong way on a one-way street in Cobh had we been given reason to question her. Imagine our surprise when as we cruised along merrily she blurts out "Continue 1.5 kilometers and board ferry."Ferry . . . what ferry? We immediately stopped the car so that I could dig out the...Read More

Often when on vacation, unexpected surprises can be disastrous, especially when they end up costing you money not budgeted for. As we were making our transition away from County Kerry to our timeshare in County Galway, we let the Garmin (aka "Toots") do the routing. After a week, we were feeling more confident in her ability to give us the best direction to our various destinations. Not since the route taking us the wrong way on a one-way street in Cobh had we been given reason to question her. Imagine our surprise when as we cruised along merrily she blurts out "Continue 1.5 kilometers and board ferry."

Ferry . . . what ferry? We immediately stopped the car so that I could dig out the OSI Atlas of Ireland to figure out where we were and more important where Toots was taking us. As it turned out, she had routed us the most direct way, completely by-passing the city of Limerick (which on a Saturday afternoon was probably a blessing).

The Shannon Ferry from County Kerry (Tarbert) to County Clare (Killmer) would be a 20 minute ride, saving us some amount of time and petrol. The fare was €18 for autos plus passengers. So this unexpected surprise just became part of the adventure.

They operate two different boats, capable of carrying 52 or 60 vehicles and up to 350 passengers. While they do not transport vehicles with hazardous materials, they do carry just about everything else . . . RVs, motor coach tour buses and other commercial vehicles. As we were waiting in line for the arriving ferry passengers to disembark, we even saw a farm tractor hauling a trailer get off at County Kerry.

On our trip across the River Shannon estuary we had a good mix of passengers including trucks, an RV, a motor cycle and a lady with her two dogs as foot passengers. Their website (www.shannonferries.com) states that the fare for foot passengers is €5 but I wonder what the price was for her dogs. Hehehehe.

Upon arrival to County Clare, I commented about how beautiful the countryside was on this side of the river and how happy I was to be doing more rural driving than through another big city. David agreed.

For anyone making a similar trip, I would recommend considering the route utilizing the ferry between County Kerry and County Clare. This was Toot's best routing of our trip!

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2012

Shannon River Car Ferry
County Clare, County Kerry
County Clare, Ireland

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O'Connor AutoTours

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Attraction | "Leave The Driving to Them"

On the Ring of Kerry Tour Photo - O'Connor AutoTours, County Kerry, Ireland

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Having been in Ireland nearly a week, a guided motor coach tour seemed to be a good idea to let David have a break from the driving on the opposite of the road. I booked the Ring of Kerry tour with O'Connor Auto Tours largely for that reason. The added bonus of doing such was that we got to learn first hand about some of Ireland from the local guiding (and driving) the tour coach.Our day started by driving to Killarney from Tralee, about a 30 minute ride. We arrived in plenty of time to take care of the details before our trip. We arrived especially early so that we could have our choice of seats in the bus, which proved to be very fortuitous. We were in the first two rows which provi...Read More

Having been in Ireland nearly a week, a guided motor coach tour seemed to be a good idea to let David have a break from the driving on the opposite of the road. I booked the Ring of Kerry tour with O'Connor Auto Tours largely for that reason. The added bonus of doing such was that we got to learn first hand about some of Ireland from the local guiding (and driving) the tour coach.

Our day started by driving to Killarney from Tralee, about a 30 minute ride. We arrived in plenty of time to take care of the details before our trip. We arrived especially early so that we could have our choice of seats in the bus, which proved to be very fortuitous. We were in the first two rows which provided for some of the best viewing and "drive-by" photography. Given that our bus was barely half full, space was not a problem so it was equally nice to be able to spread out and have a seat each to ourselves.

The Ring of Kerry tour takes in the full circle drive of the Iveragh Peninsula, which is a mix of waterfront and mountain view trip. The weather on our day was partially overcast with rain coming later in the afternoon. For some parts of the trip it was glorious but at the end, not so much. We made the most of it, enjoying not getting wet at the various stops we made along the way.

As part of the tour, we did stop at two sites that charge an additional admission fee of €5 per person at each. The Kerry Bog Village and Kells Sheep Centre (see separate reviews on each in my "Ring of Kerry" journal). These are optional tours along the way, but frankly are an important part of the Irish culture in County Kerry. We were fully aware of the additional fees, while several in our group were not and could be heard grousing about it. For a family of four, the extra €40 is not a small matter. My opinion is that O'Connor would be better served to negotiate a deal and wrap the cost of these two stops into their ticket price. At the very least, this information should be on the main page of their website describing this tour, and not buried back in the FAQ's. Like I said, I found and knew about the added costs . . . but others didn't.

Something else that was a bit of a frustration for other folks in our group was the lunch stop. It was a nice restaurant with a wonderful view. But contrary to their website, there were no other choices. This was a place pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Their FAQ states "Can you get lunch on the tour? Yes. Lunch stop is at Waterville where there are a number of reasonable family restaurants and snack bars."

The irony of this is that some people read the FAQ's and knew about the lunch stop and were not happy and some of the others who didn't read the FAQ's seemed fine about lunch but unhappy about the added fees for the two optional tour stops. Maybe this can be chalked up to "You just can't please everyone". I don't know . . . we were happy with both situations.

One other comment to make about the tour and the stops made has to do with the "shopping" stop. Throughout the tour our guide told us that if we kept on schedule, we'd have plenty of time to do some shopping. He used this as the motivation to get people back on the bus on time when we did stop. Well the shopping stop was the last of the day and we had about 30-45 minutes there. It was at Avoca, which is a small chain (around 0 store locations around Ireland) of boutique stores and cafes. We enjoyed our breakfast the first two mornings in Ireland at the Avoca near Glendalough, but the prices for merchandise were very high. I felt badly for anyone who use this as their primary shopping stop during a trip to Ireland. This stop was better served being the afternoon tea and snack stop.

With these comments you may get the impression that we didn't enjoy our time taking the Ring of Kerry tour with O'Connor. That would not be the case, however. We did enjoy it and perhaps I've just noticed more than others would take in during the day. A lot of people self-drive the Ring of Kerry and relatively speaking, the roads are wide enough to easily navigate on your own. The number of stops provided were about right and we learned a lot during our time with John O'Neill (our guide/driver).

The price for this tour was €23 for adults, with discounts for seniors and children. Additionally, there is a 12.5% discount if you book on their website.

O'Connor Auto Tours does offer other tours including one of Dingle Peninsula. Frankly, if you really want to leave the harrowing driving to someone else, perhaps consider that tour. It is a little more expensive (€25) and only offers a 10% discount, but in my opinion having doing the self-driving of Dingle Peninsula and some of Slea Head, this would be money well spent. To really maximize your booking savings, take both of these tours (Dingle and Ring of Kerry) and get a 20% discount online. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2012

O'Connor AutoTours
Ross Road, Killarney
County Kerry, Ireland
+353 64 6631052

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Ross Castle

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Late Afternoon Visit - Bonus Stop"

Ross Castle Photo - Ross Castle, County Kerry, Ireland

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Throughout our travels around Ireland, we found that often we did not have time to squeeze in everything that we had penciled in for the day. On several occasions we made impromptu stops along the drive which resulted in running out of time later. The number of lovely villages and stunning scenery was just too much to ignore.On the day that we took the Ring of Kerry day tour, we got back to Killarney a bit earlier than we expected. Given that Ross Castle was less than five minutes away from our drop-off point, we hustled to get there before their last admission at 5:00pm.We lucked out and got there just as they were closing out the group for the last guided tour of the day. ...Read More

Throughout our travels around Ireland, we found that often we did not have time to squeeze in everything that we had penciled in for the day. On several occasions we made impromptu stops along the drive which resulted in running out of time later. The number of lovely villages and stunning scenery was just too much to ignore.

On the day that we took the Ring of Kerry day tour, we got back to Killarney a bit earlier than we expected. Given that Ross Castle was less than five minutes away from our drop-off point, we hustled to get there before their last admission at 5:00pm.

We lucked out and got there just as they were closing out the group for the last guided tour of the day. Not realizing that this OPW Heritage site was by guided tour only, we really felt fortunate to catch the last tour. David and Ellie took the full tour of the interior of the castle, while I took time to check out their exhibition area and the outside areas of the castle.

Located on Lough Leane in the Killarney National Park, the tower house was built in the 15th century. It not only served as a castle home site, but also as a military barracks when additional buildings were added in the 18th century. Today, the tower house has been restored and contains original oak furniture dating back three to four hundred years.

Photos were not permitted inside the building here, but I was able to take several of the exterior walls and the tower house. While here I enjoyed a short walk around the near-end of the lake. It was fun watching a young family feeding the ducks and swans, as well as a couple of fly fisherman looking to catch supper (most likely brown trout) for the evening.

There is also a boat dock near Ross Castle, available to take visitors to Innisfallen Island where a 7th century monastery and additional 11th & 12th century church ruins are available for touring.

Ross Castle is an OPW Heritage site so the OPW Heritage Card will gain entrance without an additional fee. More information, including hours of operation, may be found at http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/south-west/rosscastle/ .
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2012

Ross Castle
Ross Road
Killarney, Kerry
+353 64 35851

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