Region Highlights: The South West

Southwest Ireland features some popular visitor destinations, including Cork and Killarney, in Co. Kerry. This region is filled with both coastal and scenic mountain beauty. The south is famous for its beautiful, scenic fingers - The Beara Peninsula, The Dingle Peninsula and the Iveragh Peninsula (Ring of Kerry) landscapes that rival any in Western Europe for beauty.

Cork, is renowned for friendly and accommodating locals, is Ireland's second largest city. The city center is an island bordered by the Lee River - it is compact, with most attractions within walking distance.

Also, located in Southwest Ireland is the world-renowned Blarney Castle, where visitors can kiss the Blarney Stone and receive the "Luck of the Irish."

In County Cork, you will find beautiful coast towns, such as Cobh, Kinsale, and Roscarberry. West Cork, from Castletownbere in the far South West to Kinsale, south of Cork City, is a world apart, with lazy villages, small bustling towns, and unspoiled beaches. Irish and international visitors alike have long known the area to have a wealth of quiet places to fall in love with. Magical sunsets, enchanting walks, bountiful scenery and a unique pace of life are experiences you can only truly cherish by spending time here.

The Kingdom of Kerry, as it’s referred to, is a visitor’s paradise, with much to see and do. With its spectacular scenery, including Killarney with its magical lakes, the rugged Atlantic coastline where superb beaches await discovery, Tralee with its annual 'Rose' festival, mountains, lakes, and rivers to delight the walker or angler and a range of world-class golf courses sure to challenge the golfer. The Dingle and Beara peninsulas offer dramatic scenery and beautiful places to visit. Kerry is the magic place - come discover it for yourself.

When making this region your “hub” – be sure to include some of these great sites;

• Blarney Castle: site of the famous Blarney Stone The Ring of Kerry
• Killarney National Park: with the famous Lakes of Killarney
• The Dingle Peninsula
• The Cobh Heritage Centre: a memorial to the millions of Irish emigrants
• Muckross House and Gardens: one of the most popular visitor attractions in Ireland
• Ross Castle: an imposing building dating from the 15th century
• Inch Strand: more than a mile of golden sand, and the setting for movies including Ryan’s Daughter and The Playboy of the Western World
• Fota Wildlife Park: a place to enjoy animals in their natural habitat
• Beara Peninsula: an area of outstanding unspoiled beauty
• Skellig Michael: this island monastery is a World Heritage Site
• Ilnacullen Gardens: an enchanted garden island in a sheltered inlet of Bantry Bay
• Kenmare: a beautiful haven of tranquility, gourmet food, and unspoiled scenery
• Crag Cave: Ireland’s leading show cave, thought to be over one million years old
• Charles Fort, Kinsale
• Crawford Art Gallery, Cork