Pro: great Irish gifts, authentic Irish wool products, fabulous customer service…read more Con: wool products are a bit high priced, but it's well worth it. I would say this is not really a con because the price was reasonable compared to other Irish wool products. The wool seems like it was of higher quality too. I loved this store and the town!!!!!! Quills has friendly staff, and a very big store. There's lots of items for sale, knitted Aran goods from sweaters to beanies to scarves. They also sell traditional Irish gifts. They sell clothing and boots. I had the best experience shopping here. The staff are very knowledgeable about all the knitted goods, and explain the history behind it. As a tourist, this was my best shopping experience in all of the Republic of Ireland! Whenever I make it back to Emerald Isle, I plan on spending the day in Kenmare and visiting this lovely store! I only wish I took pictures of the inside. If you are looking for Irish knits, nice clothing, or other Irish gifts, Quills is the place to be! You can pay with your Visa or Euros.

Awesome selection of great quality wool! A little expensive but no worse than any other wool store…read more A ton of great gifts and great customer service.

Must stop when you're in Killarney! The Wishing Bridge was a short 20 minute walk from Kate…read moreKearney's Cottage. This area can get a bit misty and rainy, but if you wait it out there is often a perfect break. Skip the horse drawn carriage guys and enjoy the short, flat walk. The views are incredible!

Amazing breathtaking hike of about 7km. Truly an experience no matter which way you go. You can…read morechoose to start at Ross castle and hike first followed by a boat tour of the three lakes or do it the other way round. It's a must do in Killarney and has so much natural beauty to offer!!

This is just part of a park really but it's a nice little place to walk to and there are some great…read moreviews if you manage to walk through some of the rambling paths among the trees and bushes! The main tarmac walkway into this area leads to a little pier (don't know if I can call it a pier exactly!) where a ferry stops to take on passengers, it's just a small little ferry that takes you out to an island called garnish island in the bay. When you walk down and see this little inlet you would not believe that any sea going vessel would make it in there really but this little ferry goes in and out of here regularly. This is also a great place for a picnic or just for a little paddle if you can make it over the rocks to the water. I remember being small and seeing boys sliding down a waterfall that empties into the inlet, looked like great fun but I'm still a bit scared to try it even though I'm way older now! As i said above there are nice views from here, you won't see them initially but if you go up any of the little walkways, (you will see gaps in the trees with some steps), you will eventually come out beside the see but on higher ground and you will have a good view of the bay. Really nice photo opportunities and you might even get to see a seal or too!

This place is such a treasure! I and my bf visited here after a trip to garnish island. If you…read morego..and you like a bit of adventure, explore the forest to the right of the entrance. There's a rough trail off the path which isn't sign posted that meanders through the forest and leads you to open water with tree ropes for swimming. The tide would need to be in to be deep enough for swimming but if so you're in for a treat. It's so tranquil and beautiful. Garnish island is so nice aswell, such a surprising place!

Great city very walkable with lots of bars and good shopping street. They have a Starbucks in town,…read moreand several chain hotels, and several places to take in a high afternoon tea service. The nearby University College Cork is a beautiful castle-like setting and nice to wander around and then back down the river. Cork is a good launching port to visit Kinsale (by bus), Cobh (by train) as well as a nearby Zoo (by train) which was worthwhile.

Cork is one of my favorite cities to visit in one of my favorite countries to visit. It's a…read morerelaxing place with a homey feel. There are things to do by day and then you can kick back and have a pint while listening to some Irish music by night. Its imminent walkability adds to the charm. Add to that some of the friendliest people you'll meet anywhere and it's a must-visit. It's a city of 225,000 with small town friendliness and a comfortable vibe. There are a handful of places to see in Cork inside the city. The most interesting one in my mind is the well-preserved Cork City Gaol. This is a place where you can immerse in history and imagine what it was like to be a prisoner or a guard in 19th-century Ireland. The English Market in City Centre is a fun place through which to walk. You can find treats while immersing yourself in an historic atmosphere. You can imagine what it must have been like a century-and-a-half ago to shop for your wares. The quirkiest option might be the Butter Museum where you can have fun while learning about this important Irish commodity. Of course, the most popular sites to visit might be outside the city but within easy reach. Blarney with its famous Castle and Kissing Stone is a short bus or taxi ride away. And Cobh, the site of the Titanic launch, is a short train ride away. A visit to the museum in Cobh commemorating that fateful voyage is worthwhile. My wife's favorite activity in Cork is shopping and there is plenty to keep shoppers occupied. City centre is a great place for this, especially along St. Patrick St. and surroundings. There are stalwarts such as Penney's and Dunne's where you can do some bargain hunting among the many things they offer. There are also wonderful small shops such as Pinocchio Toy Store where my wife loved shopping for the grandkids. There are not many chain hotels in Cork. The Radisson on the outskirts of town may be the only one along with the principally Irish chain, the Clayton hotel, which is in town. But what Cork does offer are some terrific local options that make you forget about not earning hotel points. My favorites are the Lancaster Lodge on the south side of the river and the Hotel Isaacs on the north side. They're both nice and are walkable to the main part of the city. The Hotel Isaacs has the added benefit of being nostalgic. I've also had experience with the Kingsley and the Montenotte (when it was a Best Western) and they are both reasonably nice, though their locations are not as desirable since they're outside the core. Eating in Cork is a treat. It's not a gourmet city but that doesn't mean there aren't terrific places to try with down-to-earth fare paired with pleasant ambiance at decent prices. Spitjack and Market Lane might be my favorites. The Bread Pudding at Spitjack is fabulous while the Fish Stew at Market Lane is the best I've ever tasted. Thormond also gets an honorable mention for their traditional Irish fare of Guinness Beef Stew as well as their Bacon and Cabbage. SinE is a great pub where you can get a drink and listen to music. The Priory is a nice coffee shop where you can get a sandwich to accompany your java (try the Chicken Flat Bread with a cappuccino or Americano). Gourmet Burger Bistro is a taste of home for those of us visiting from the US. Getting to and from Cork is fairly easy also. The wonderfully modern Cork Airport is about 6.5 km outside the city. It's small but quite nice with more destinations than you might think. If you're headed to Cork from within Ireland, the train is a good option. Cork Kent Station is on the edge of the core, not quite walkable to most of city centre but it is a very short taxi ride or bus ride away. If you want to land in the middle of Cork upon arrival, the Bus Station at Parnell Place is riverside in the core. And intercity bus rides are really not that unpleasant in Ireland. Overall, Ireland's second city is a great place to spend some time. If you like being laid back on vacation amongst a group of friendly people in one of the best cultures on earth, this is the place to be.

Getting the boat out to garnish island is very exciting, especially in the summer time, you are…read moresitting on a little boat making your way out to an island and all of a sudden a seal pops out of the water and then you notice lots and lots of seals all over the place, swimming along, lolling on rocks and dong whatever it is that seals do. Eventually you have to leave the seals behind however and you land on Garnish Island. It's basically an island that is like a big garden where you can relax or really take an interest in all the tropical rare plant life around you. There is a tower that you can climb up to in order to get some spectacular views of the gardens and of Glengarriff harbour; you might even see more seals! It's not a cheap trip, you need to pay for the boat to get there and then you need to pay to get into the gardens, unless you want to sit on the pier and wait for the next boat to come and bring you back! It's a nice thing to do on a sunny afternoon all the same!

This is one of the coolest things near Glengarriff in my opinion and I don't use the term "cool" in…read morethat sense very often! So you drive out the village and up along a really windy road that has really spectacular views, you wont see sights like these anywhere else, just pray for a clear cloudless day when you go here otherwise my promise doesn't really work! Anyway, forget about the views, you turn a corner (or ninety corners more like) and then you are faced with a big rock tunnel, have a look at my picture, thats exactly what I am talking about) its not a very long tunnel really but it is impressively carved out of a rock and has been there for a very very long time so there was no giant drill making that tunnel, it was done by hand! Driving through make sure you look up the whole time (this is good for the passenger,maybe not for the driver and ti works better if you have a sun roof!) half way through you will see a hole in the ceiling of the tunnel and once you see that you know you are in Kerry (you were in cork before just incase you didn't know!) i always thought that was amazing when i was a kid. Coming out the other side of the tunnel are some more gorgeous views but even more exciting are the other three rock tunnels that await you. I love a good tunnel!

It was April when I came to visit, but the castle doesn't open for visitors till May 2nd! :(…read more Regardless, you are still able to enter the small park and see it from the outside, which is still pretty impressive. Pro Tip: This is a very small castle and we couldn't see it from our car. Once you drive into the lovely town center just park as soon as you can, then walk and follow the signs.

The free tour was amazing. We learned so much, not only about that castle, but also others in…read moreIreland. It's definitely worth the time. We actually preferred it to King Johns Castle.

We were visiting the Butter Museum, which is just next to the Shandon Bell Tower. After visiting…read morethe Butter Museum, we stepped into the church and found that, for a small fee, we could climb to the top of the tower and even ring the bells. The church chapel itself is quite nice, but the climb to the top of tower and the bells was definitely the best bit. We had walked up to the tower and the Butter Museum from the city center and had been hearing the bells ring at random times - which seemed puzzling. It was not until we stepped into the church that we learned the reason. It should be noted that the climb to the bells and the top of the tower is not easy, requiring a few contortions, a ladder, narrow and uneven steps and a narrow stair corridor. If that does not put you off - you will be well rewarded with a great view of the city. The Bells: About half way up the stairs there is a room with eight ropes connected to the bells. There is also a little book next to the ropes showing the order that the bells should be played. No doubt we annoyed the locals by playing several short tunes on the bells.

This review is for the Shandon bells at the St. Anne's church in Cork. I never thought I'd be able…read moreto ring bells at a church, but at St. Anne's you can! This church was super close to the hostel where we stayed, so we heard the bells often (during the day, they only have specific hours you can ring them). They never got annoying or anything, though. Anyway, it's definitely neat to ring the bells! Basically you go in to the church, pay a couple euro (I forget how much, but less than 5 per person I think) and climb one flight of stairs to the bells. You can decide to ring them (there are 8 of them) in a pattern so you play a song (there's a song book w/ numbers) or you can just free-style it. We played a few songs together (my sis, husband and I) and had a blast! Then you get to climb a few more flights of stairs (SUPER narrow/dark staircases that are really vertical), and you climb through an area w/ the bells & up to more stairs that lead to the viewing deck up top. Phew! It's quite a climb, and does get really narrow (so if you're claustrophobic, maybe this isn't the best idea for you), but it's so worth the views of Cork from the top! Be sure and wear the protective ear gear they give you, because those bells are LOUD! Anyway, I was a bit skeptical, but this experience was definitely worth the money & climb :). Check it out if you're in Cork!

I am so so happy that my visit to the Great Blasket Island is also my 800th review on Yelp!! We…read moretook the ferry over and arrived on an amazing paradise, full of sheep and ruins and maybe about only 100 other tourists. (This is for over 1,100 acres of unspoiled largely mountainous terrain!!!) The Great Blasket Island is home to an abundance of wildlife and fauna, and I spotted so many seals on the bay and the beach. Plus wandering the peaks I spotted hares and of course, the obitiquious sheep! The Island also has a rich Irish history and was inhabited from pre-history, up to 1953. It's also got a great scuba diving rep as a number of the Spanish Armada ships were wrecked around on the rocks back in the 1600s. The chain of Islands is also touted to be the most westerly point in Europe (next stop Boston!) , In the past few years a number of the houses have been restored and amenities provided for visitors to the island. The main island is know for the following things to do: - Great Blasket Island Wildlife (Dolphins and Seals) - Superb walks on the mountain tracks - Amazing flora and fauna plus the herb gardens of the settlers have now run wild so cool to suddenly encounter a random wild basil bush - Pre-historic remains - Extensive bird life A word of caution- Extreme care on this island is needed when walking around as the terrain is so unstable (there are no paved roads, anywhere) plus tits open cliff side with no barriers. Also water is a limited commodity on the Island, so you might have to go to the loo au natural!! Also bring your own water bottle if you can. We meet with the bloke talked about in this article (http://www.independent.ie/life/i-quit-banking-to-work-on-a-secluded-island-30580859.html) and it was amazing seeing living really cut down to its very basics! If you are interested in staying over on the island, the info about the minimally basic self-catering accommodation (only available in five restored houses) is on Airbnb. I loved my 3.5 hrs on the island - it was a magical, peaceful and relaxing getaway. Note: #272 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016 Note nos 2: 800th review!! Woot!!

Great trip. Saw so much wildlife and the island is spectacular. Captain Billy offers some great…read moreinsight into the wildlife and history of the islands. Great value for money and the best part of our trip to Dingle. Don't miss!