The Beara Peninsula: Ireland’s Best Kept Secret

Before you read this you must promise not to tell anyone about The Beara Peninsula, because it’s a big secret. Seriously, it’s a gorgeous drive and no one seems to know about it. We want to keep it that way!!

The rugged landscape of Beara Peninsula was formed over 12,000 years ago. It is on the south-west coast of Ireland. The peninsula includes two mountain ranges which run down the center of the peninsula, the Caha Mountains and the Slieve Miskish Mountains. This area forms part of the beautiful Wild Atlantic Way.

Ring of Beara is a 92 mile road that circles the Beara Peninsula. It starts in the town of Kenmare, crosses Healy Pass, and through several quaint towns such as Castletownbere, Allihies, and Glengarriff. There are several archaeological sites along the way to explore, as well.

COVID TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS as of May 2022: Travel to Ireland by U.S. Citizens is currently allowed… with restrictions! See all Covid-19 travel restrictions for Ireland here .

Tips for Driving the Beara Peninsula

Ring of Beara vs. Ring of Kerry

Michael and I were staying in Kenmare at Virginia’s Guesthouse in June. Our hosts told us not to do the Ring of Kerry because everyone does it, and it’s terribly crowded!! They said to drive The Ring of Beara along the Beara Peninsula instead, because it’s much shorter than Ring of Kerry and much less traveled.

Drive Clockwise

Taking the advice of our B&B hosts, we headed out early the next morning driving the Ring of Beara. We took N71 clockwise from Kenmare toward the beautiful town of Glengarriff. The town of Glengarriff is the actual starting point of the Ring of Beara.

I have to say that our hosts knew exactly what they were talking about. We were pretty much the only ones out exploring this area – it was perfect!! AND we had perfect weather.

Take Healy Pass

Again, on our hosts recommendation, rather than driving the entire Ring we chose to take the Healy Pass road (R574) in the town of Adrigole. The Pass cuts through the Caha Mountains at almost 2,000 feet. This is a windy, narrow mountain road ending in the town of Lauragh. From Lauragh we would head south and back around to Kenmare.

We are so happy we did this little shortcut. The scenery along the Healy Pass is incredible! Lakes, sheep, mountains, and more sheep and their herders! Take your time and watch the road – the sheep walk right down the center of the road!

It was such a beautiful drive and I think I was driving Michael crazy asking him to stop so many times along the way so I could take photographs – I must have taken 200 pictures just in this area alone!! Thank goodness it wasn’t actual film!!

Stop in Charming Villages

We stopped at some of the little villages along the way. Some of our favorites villages were Glengarriff, Ardgroom, Eyeries, Allihies which is set in a beautiful amphitheater of mountains, and Castletownbere with its many great seafood restaurants. All of these little villages are quintessential Irish villages… colorful, friendly, and picturesque.

Explore Dursey Island

Our last stop before heading back to Kenmare was Dursey Island, which is a weather torn landscape island. A cable car (about 4 euro) will take you on a 10 minute trip across, but I’m warning you… it’s pretty old and rickety. The Cable Car will be closed for major maintenance from April 1, 2022 through November 30, 2022 .

At Dursey Island there is the Calf Rock which has the remains of an old lighthouse that was destroyed in an 1881 storm. The story is that 6 men were marooned on Calf Rock for 12 days by this storm. After several failed attempts by British gunboats to rescue them, 7 brave fishermen set out on rowboats to save them.

It is a gorgeous spot, one not to miss. And you can often see whales and dolphins off the Island.

Dunboy Castle

The Dunboy Castle are ruins near the town of Castletownbere. It was once a stronghold of a Gaelic leader, O’Sullivan Bere. It was built to guard and defend the Berehaven harbour. The castle ruins are open to the public.

Puxley Mansion

Near Dunboy Castle is Puxley Mansion, a 19th century Manor which was burnt in 1920 by the IRA. Some of the house has been restored recently to be opened as a hotel, but lack of funding halted the refurbishment.

Derreen Garden

The Derreen Garden sits on a point in Kilmakilloge Harbour near Kenmare. It was planted in 1863 by the 4th Marquess of Lansdowne, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice. But, his son, the 5th Marquesss of Lansdowne, is the one who gave the gardens its present state, and it now covers more than 60 acres and walking paths.

Hike the Beara Way

If you’d rather hike, If you want to hike the area, you’ll take the Beara Way. this is a long-distance trail, of about 128 miles, that goes in a circular direction along the Beara Peninsula. It begins and ends in the town of Glengarriff. You can compete the entire walk in nine days; however, you can always choose to just do part of it.

Shhhh, keep this place unspoiled… keep it a secret!!

Tours for Ring of Beara

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