The Southwest occupies the Atlantic tip of County Kerry and extends into western County Cork. Here, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks range culminates at 1,038 m at Carrauntoohil, the island's highest peak. Three peninsulas jut in parallel into the Atlantic: Dingle to the north, Iveragh in the centre, Beara to the south. Between them, Dingle Bay, Kenmare Bay and Bantry Bay carve shallow fjords bordered by sheep pastures and fuchsias that flower until October.

Killarney, with 14,000 inhabitants, serves as the obvious logistical hub. The town has lived from tourism since the 1750s, when Lord Kenmare developed the first trails around the lakes. The national park extending from it covers 102 km²: sessile oaks, ancient yews around Muckross Abbey, and Ireland's only native red deer herd, approximately 900 heads recorded. Ross Castle, on the shore of Lough Leane, and the Victorian Muckross House complete the visit. To reach the Gap of Dunloe, a glacial pass between the Reeks and the Purple Mountain massif, you take a jaunting car (local horse-drawn carriage) or walk the 11 km from Kate Kearney's Cottage.

The Dingle Peninsula, an hour's drive to the northwest, is a Gaeltacht zone: approximately 30% of inhabitants speak Irish daily. The loop around the peninsula via Slea Head Drive is 47 km and runs along remnants of the Blasket Islands, evacuated in 1953. At Dunquin, a landing stage carved into the cliff descends zigzag toward the sea. The town of Dingle itself has 52 pubs for 2,000 inhabitants; you eat brown crab from Brandon Bay and fish pie at Out of the Blue, a daily stall depending on the catch. The great dolphin Fungie, present in the bay from 1983 to 2020, has not been replaced, but boat trips regularly cross paths with grey seals and, in summer, puffins on the Skellig Islands.

Iveragh is the Ring of Kerry: a 179 km circular road route from Killarney, usually driven clockwise to avoid meeting tour coaches. The stops worth the detour are Kenmare and its Wednesday market, Sneem and its painted houses, Waterville where Chaplin came to fish for salmon, the Coomakista viewpoint, and especially Portmagee, the departure port for Skellig Michael. This 7th-century monastery, perched 218 m above the Atlantic on a rocky pinnacle 12 km offshore, is UNESCO-listed and limited to 180 visitors per day from mid-May to late September. Booking essential three to four months in advance.

The Beara Peninsula, shared with County Cork, remains the most discreet of the three. Its circular road, the Ring of Beara, passes through Allihies and its copper mines abandoned in 1962, Eyeries and its pink facades, and the Dursey Island cable car, the only one of its kind in Europe, which crosses 250 m of sea strait to reach an island of 6 km². To the south, Bantry and Glengarriff provide access to Garinish Island and its Italian gardens laid out in 1910.

On the culinary side, the Southwest has its own identity: oysters from Kenmare Bay, Durrus cheese aged since 1979 on the Sheep's Head Peninsula, buttermilk soda bread, and the black pudding of Clonakilty just to the east. The N71 road between Glengarriff and Kenmare passes through five tunnels carved by hand in the 1830s, the last opening onto the panorama of Moll's Gap.

To discover

Skellig Michael from Portmagee. 45-minute crossing to the monastic islet, then 618 steps carved in the 7th century up to the dry-stone cells. Season limited to mid-May - late September, sea often rough.

Slea Head Drive on Dingle. Coastal loop of 47 km with stops at the beehive huts of Fahan, Coumeenoole beach, and views of the Blasket Islands. Everything is signposted in Irish first.

Gap of Dunloe on foot or by carriage. Crossing of the glacial pass between MacGillycuddy's Reeks and Purple Mountain, followed by a return by boat across Killarney's three lakes. Allow a full day.

Dursey Island cable car. A 6-person cabin that crosses 250 m of sea strait, put into service in 1969. The island has about a dozen permanent inhabitants and a single path that loops around it in 4 hours.

Traditional music pubs in Dingle. Impromptu sessions from 21h at Dick Mack's or O'Sullivan's Courthouse Pub, where local musicians come to play for themselves more than for tourists.

When to go

The best window runs from mid-May to late September. Temperatures oscillate between 14 and 19 °C during the day, seawater reaches 14 °C in August, and boats to Skellig Michael run only during this period. June and September offer the best compromise: daylight until 22h in June, fewer crowds in September, and heathers still flowering on the Beara passes. July-August concentrate visitor numbers, especially on the Ring of Kerry where tour coaches pass every ten minutes between 11h and 15h.

From October to April, the Southwest receives between 150 and 200 mm of rain per month on the west-facing slopes of the Reeks, compared to 90 mm on Killarney. Roads remain passable, but boats to Skellig Michael, the Blaskets and Garinish stop running. Winter temperatures rarely drop below 4 °C on lowlands, harsher at altitude. We advise against November and January for the combination of horizontal rain, wind and daylight closing in at 16h30.

Practical advice

We recommend four to five full days to cover the region without driving continuously. Roads are narrow, often single-track with passing places, and actual average speed is around 50 km/h rather than the 80 or 100 posted. Kerry Airport (Farranfore) receives flights from Dublin, London and Frankfurt; otherwise, count 3h30 driving from Dublin Airport and 1h30 from Cork Airport. Killarney is the most convenient base to explore the three peninsulas; Kenmare works better for those wanting to avoid the hustle and combine Iveragh and Beara.

The most coherent combination is with the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren to the north, working up through the Shannon (Tarbert to Killimer ferry, 20 minutes, saves 130 km of detour), then toward Connemara. Conversely, you can head south toward the Southeast via Cork and the Boyne Valley. The region suits both hikers (Kerry Way in 9 days, Dingle Way in 8 days) and contemplative travellers who appreciate distinctive accommodation, converted manor houses or stone B&Bs. High comfort level throughout, careful dining. Families will find their way on the Dingle Peninsula, more compact and gentler than the Ring of Kerry.