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TRALEE |
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TRALEE ( Trá Lí ) has had quite a facelift of late, and chief among
its new attractions is the excellent Kerry County Museum in the Ashe
Memorial Hall, Denny St (daily: mid-March-July; Sept & Oct 10am-6pm;
August 10am-7pm; Nov & Dec 2-5pm; £5.50/¬6.98), which uses interactive
media and lifesize models in tracing Irish history back to 5000 BC.
Other attractions include the Tralee to Blennerville Steam Railway
(May-Oct; daily £2.75/¬3.49; occasional closures so call ahead to check
tel 066/712 1064), which is part of the famous Tralee-Dingle line
(1891-1953), and the largest working windmill in Ireland and Britain,
the Blennerville Windmill , about half a mile southwest of town along
the N86 (April-Oct; daily 10am-6pm; £3/¬3.81), which has its own
exhibition, craft workshops and the usual tourist trinkets.
The bus station (tel 066/712 3566) and train station (tel 066/712 3522)
are located next to each other, about a five-minute walk northeast of
the town centre. The helpful tourist office (May, June, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat
9am-6pm; July & Aug Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-6pm; Nov-April Mon-Fri
9am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 066/712 1288) is in the Ashe Memorial Hall. Tralee
has innumerable B&Bs , among them Denton (tel 066/712 7637;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79) and Ardroe House (tel 066/712 6050;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79), both on Oakpark Road in the centre. There's no
shortage of hostels either: try the friendly and cosy Lisnagree Hostel (tel
066/712 7133), out towards the general hospital, or Finnegan's Hostel on
Denny St near the tourist office (IHH; tel 066/712 7610), which also
rents out bikes. If you want to camp , Woodland Park , Dingle Rd (tel
066/712 1235) is a short walk from the centre of town. You can rent
bikes , including mountain bikes, from Tralee Gas Supplies in Strand St
(tel 066/712 2018), part of the Raleigh rent-a-bike scheme.
Finding a cheap place to eat in Tralee isn't a problem: for bar food try
The Mall, Kirby's Brogue Inn , Rock St, which also serves seafood and
steaks, or Val's , Bridge St which also does good bar food at lunchtime
and inexpensive bistro meals in the evening. Tralee is a lively town and
there are plenty of pubs which form the hub of evening entertainment;
for traditional music try McDaide's , Castle St (every night, year
round), Baily's Corner , Ashe St (Tuesday), Seán Og's on Bridge St (four
nights in summer, weekends in winter) or, for a mix of ballads and folk,
Kirby's Brogue Inn (almost every night in summer, weekends in winter) on
Rock St - the tourist office will also have plenty of other suggestions.
The Folk Theatre of Ireland has its home at the Siamsa Tíre Theatre
beside the tourist office (tel 066/712 3055), though their excellent
performances don't draw the same crowds as the Rose of Tralee
International Festival . Held in the last week of August, with much
accompanying merriment, this is a beauty contest in which women,
including foreigners who can demonstrate some credible Irish connection,
compete for the dubious honour of being Rose of Tralee; details are
available from the Festival Office, Ashe Memorial Hall, Denny St (tel
066/712 1322).
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