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CAHERSIVEEN, PORTMAGEE AND
BALLINSKELLIGS |
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At Kells Bay , eight miles west of Glenbeigh, the road veers inland
for CAHERSIVEEN , giving you an opportunity to take a detour. On the way
you'll pass Caitín Baiters pub, beside which is the clean and bright
Kells Ring of Kerry Hostel (closed Nov-Feb; tel 066/947 7614). Any of
the turnings right will lead eventually to the sea, past bright fuchsia
hedges, with little or no traffic. "One wonders, in this place, why
anyone is left in Dublin, or London, or Paris, when it would be better
one would think, to live in a tent, or a hut, with this magnificent sea
and sky, and to breathe this wonderful air, which is like wine in one's
teeth," wrote J. M. Synge of the Kerry landscape; and here, for the
first time, you begin to understand how the Ring inspires such hyperbole.
Cahersiveen ( Cathair Saidhbhín ; pronounced Caher-sigh-veen , stress on
the last syllable) was said by Daniel O'Connell, its most famous son, to
be the only town established in Ireland after the Act of Union. It is a
long, narrow street of a town and the main shopping centre for the
western part of the peninsula, giving itself over cheerfully to the
tourist trade in summer. A laid-back, unremarkable place, it has more
relaxed attitudes to shopping hours than anywhere else on the peninsula.
Worth having a look at is the community-funded Barracks heritage centre
(June-Sept Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 1-6pm; tel 066/947 2777; £3/¬3.81),
which contains a concise history of the town and a gallery of paintings
and sculptures by local artists. The tourist office (June to mid-Sept
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; tel 066/947 2589) is also in the heritage centre. Not
far from here is the magnificent Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church ,
highly unusual in that it is dedicated to a statesman rather than a
saint, an indication of the high regard in which the liberator was held
.
On Valentia Road you can get B&B at Castleview (tel 066/947 2252;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79) or San Antoine (tel 066/947 2521;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79). If you also fancy galloping along a beach or
trekking through the countryside, try The Final Furlong Farmhouse
Accommodation and Riding Stables (tel 066/947 2810;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79), just over a mile out on the Glenbeigh road. There
are two small independent hostels , the cosy Sive Hostel , 15 East End (IHH;
tel 066/947 2717), with camping facilities, and the laid-back Mortimer's
, West Main St (tel 066/947 2338). As for food , you can get all-day
breakfasts at An Cupan Eile and bar food at The Town House . For good,
though expensive, evening meals, try O'Donoghue's fish restaurant. There
are plenty of friendly bars , such as The Anchor Bar or Mike Murt's ,
both of which are full of character. The Cudgel Stout has music sessions
during the summer, as do Cráineen's and The Skelligs Rock .
REENARD POINT , three miles west of Cahersiveen, is the departure point
for the ten-minute ferry crossing to Knightstown on Valentia Island (tel
066/947 6141; cars return £4/¬5.08; cyclists return £3/¬3.81; last
sailing from Reenard Point 10pm, last sailing from Knightstown 9.50pm).
It's also a departure point for trips to the Skelligs , and there's
excellent, reasonably priced seafood here at The Point Bar - it's hugely
popular, so you may well have to wait to be served. If you need B&B ,
Sea Breeze (tel 066/9472609; £33-40/¬41.90-50.79) has stunning views
over the island.
Beyond Cahersiveen, the main road takes the bulk of the traffic inland
again towards Waterville, giving you an opportunity to explore the quiet
lanes that lead out to Valentia Island and the peninsula's end.
PORTMAGEE nestles beside a small harbour, its handful of bars and coffee
shops providing welcome refuge on a blustery day. The village's
much-hyped Skellig heritage centre (March-Oct daily 10am-6pm; £3/¬3.81)
provides information on Celtic monastic life, lighthouses and
lighthouse-keeping, seabirds and aquatic life, and an audio visual show
on Skellig Michael, which is interesting enough, though no substitute
for a visit to the rock itself. The often single-track, and very steep,
road south of here signposted the Ring of Skellig , affords spectacular
views out to the Skelligs and Puffin Island, and eventually winds down
to the tiny village of BALLINSKELLIGS . Monks from the Skellig Islands
retreated to Ballinskelligs Abbey in the thirteenth century; today the
place is a focus of the Kerry Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area), drawing
large numbers of schoolchildren and students of Irish in the summer. The
village is tiny - there's a pretty basic An Óige hostel (closed
Oct-Easter; tel 066/947 9229) and shop, a similarly basic pub, which
seems to be full at any time of the day or night, and a lovely sandy
beach with fabulous views across Ballinskelligs Bay to the Kerry
Mountains. Trips to the Skelligs can be arranged from here .
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