The Ring of Kerry
- hollymathwriter
- Aug 14
- 2 min read
July 2, 2026
From Killarney, we went around the Ring of Kerry.
In Killorgin, they celebrate the Puck Fair, one of Ireland's oldest festivals. In this unique festival, they capture a wild mountain goat. The goat is then crowned king and reigns over the 3-day festival. This statue honors "King Puck".
We stopped at the Red Fox Inn for some Irish Creme Coffee (I had hot chocolate.)
This artisan with his donkey and little dog are a common site on this scenic spot. He makes St. Brigid crosses for travelers who stop to see his dog and donkey.
We saw a sheepdog herding demonstration.
As we waited, the resting dogs kept a close eye on the sheep.
Once the demonstration began, the sheep dog listened to different whistles for directions. Basically if the dog was on the right, the sheep moved left and vice versa. If the dog laid down, the sheep could relax. (Although that was the one command that sometimes needed to be repeated.)
First the sheep were herded down the hill towards us.
The he separated the sheep into two groups.
FInally it was time to take them up the hill again.
His job done, he returned downhill for his reward of pats and praise.
We continued our drive around the Ring of Kerry, passing by the patchwork of farms that lined the hills.
In Waterville, we got to enjoy a walk along the beach.
While there, we admired the giant sundial
and the statue of Charlie Chaplin.
We then enjoyed more beautiful scenery along the Iveragh Peninsula.
Our next stop was in Sneem for lunch.
I had my best lunch on this trip at the Blue Bull, an Irish lamb stew.
After leaving Sneem, we headed towards Killarney through the Killarney National Park to complete the Ring of Kerry.
These are some scenes from the "Ladie's View," a viewpoint from which Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting would paint when she visited the area.
We arrived back in Killarney in time for some of the people on our tour to take a "jaunting car" ride through the park.
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