Places & Travel
Four Roads from Kenmare
A town to settle into, four roads to wander, and the makers you meet along the way.
Co. Kerry & West Cork · Ireland
The four roads · Kerry & West Cork
Settle into Kenmare, then take one road a day. Every name is a link: tap to visit their website.
Visit a door on the road
Ships home to the US
Regional a little off the road
Begin in the town
Makers to meet in Kenmare
Kenmare Lace & Design Centre
A revived tradition, still made in Kenmare. The town’s famous needlepoint lace, taught and worked by hand to this day. Seasonal, so check opening dates.
PFK Gold & Silversmith
Paul F. Kelly’s own gold and silver jewelry, made in his Henry Street workshop, alongside pieces by other designers.
Norman McCloskey Gallery
Fine-art landscape photographs of Kerry and beyond, in his gallery on Main Street, with prints framed to carry home. Check hours before you go.
Kenmare Courtyard Gallery
A maker co-operative on Henry Street, where members show and sell their own work: painting, ceramics, jewelry and more from the south-west.
Markus Jungmann Ceramics
Wheel-thrown porcelain, from everyday tableware to collector pieces, made in his studio at Ballygriffin, ten minutes from town. Email or phone ahead to arrange a visit.
West road
Toward Sneem
A winding road along the north shore of Kenmare Bay. This is the day for the view itself, and for a long lunch at the end of it.
Along the way
Kenmare Bay
The N70 keeps the water close for much of the drive. Stop where it’s safe, and let the bay set the pace.
Sneem
A small village gathered around two squares, joined by a bridge over the Sneem River. Walk it end to end, then settle in for lunch.
The way back
Return along the same coast. The light will have moved, and the view now faces the other way.
North road
Toward Killarney
A road of lakes, forests and historic estates through Ireland’s best-known scenery, where weaving and pottery are still made at Muckross.
Along the way
Mucros Weavers
Heritage weaving on the Muckross estate. Scarves woven at Muckross House, alongside a collection of tweed caps and accessories.
Muckross Pottery
Margaret Phelan throws and hand-decorates stoneware at the Muckross craft centre, including her honey-and-blue range. Ask the potter about shipping.
Brian de Staic
Ogham jewelry from one of Kerry’s best-known goldsmiths, at the brand’s own shop at 18 High Street, Killarney.
Kerry Woollen Mills
A historic working woolen mill at Beaufort, just beyond Killarney. Tours show dyeing, carding, spinning and weaving; book ahead, for two or more.
Southwest road
Into Beara
A wilder, quieter road, with mountains on one side and the Atlantic on the other; a place of ancient history and a creative spirit.
Along the way
Cormac Boydell
One of Ireland’s most respected ceramicists, a former geologist whose work is drawn from the landscape. His studio is in Allihies, near the far end of the peninsula, so make it a longer Beara day, and arrange your visit in advance.
Also worth the stop
Derreen Garden
A 150-year-old woodland garden above Kilmakilloge Harbor at Lauragh, with tree ferns and giant rhododendrons. A lovely pause on the way out.
South road
Toward Glengarriff
A mountain crossing through Bonane and the Caha Mountains, by way of the old road tunnels, down to Glengarriff and its harbor. A place to linger before the drive home.
Along the way
Lorge Chocolatier
Benoit Lorge’s handmade chocolates, from his shop and factory at Bonane on the N71, and on Henry Street in Kenmare.
Also worth the stop
Molly Gallivan’s Cottage
A rural heritage experience at Bonane: a traditional cottage and farm, with Irish crafts and food on site. Open mid-March to mid-November.
From across the south-west
Ship Ireland Home
For those who can’t make the drive: makers from the south-west who will send a piece of it to your door.
Markus Jungmann Ceramics
Kenmare · porcelain
PFK Gold & Silversmith
Kenmare · gold & silver jewelry
Norman McCloskey Gallery
Kenmare · landscape prints
Lorge Chocolatier
Bonane · chocolate
Brian de Staic
Killarney · Ogham jewelry
Kerry Woollen Mills
Beaufort · wool throws
Take it with you
The guide, for the road
Download the PDFHotels, guesthouses and cottages across the county, from Discover Kerry.
Read the full story: Four roads out of Kenmare.
Until the next road.
Details checked October 2026. Opening times and seasons change, so please confirm before you travel.
