Situated in Ireland’s remote southwest, County Kerry was long a bastion of traditional rural Irish ways. The first clear evidence of an Irish farm, dating back to around 4,350 BC, is located on Kerry’s Dingle Peninsula, at Ferriter’s Cove. A site where a sheep’s tooth, cow bones, and a rudimentary flint knife have been found give archaeological evidence of early habitation.
County Kerry is also known for ancient megalithic structures that include stone circles and burial tombs, as well as ring forts. The Dingle Peninsula (Corca Dhuibhne) is where Milesians are said to have arrived in Ireland. According to legend, these Celtic forbears battled the Tuatha De Danann (tribe of gods) here before establishing the island’s Gaelic culture.
Another interesting vein of historic life in Kerry centers on the monastic. In the 6th century, the rocky island of Skellig off Kerry was reputedly home of Saint Fionan, and by the 8th century a community of early Christian monks had formed there. Still well preserved, the strongly built monastery Skellig Michael presents the picture of an austere life. Exposed to the elements on a crag, the monks lived in bee hive huts (habitation cells) made from rocks. Lacking any soil, they subsisted on fish and eggs gathered on a neighboring rock. A bird colony lives on that rock to this day. They would have combined study of the Bible and prayer with the physically demanding work of repairing their dwellings, and fishing on often rough and treacherous seas. In 1996, the monastery gained recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
County Kerry was unaffected by the Strongbow-led invasions of Ireland by Norman Vikings. Instead, it remained firmly under the control of the MacCarthy family. This finally ended in the 1300s, as the rule of the Anglo-Irish Earl of Desmond prevailed. In 1588, Kerry, along with much of the Western Irish coast, experienced the remarkable sight of wreckage from the defeated Spanish Armada washing up on shore. Surviving vessels of the Armada even sought shelter from stormy seas in the Blasket Islands off the Dingle Peninsula. Weather exposed, these islands are uninhabited to this day.
During the time of the Great Famine (1845-1852), rural Kerry was devastated. After 30 percent of the population starved to death or left to form new lives in America, Kerry slowly recovered and grew prosperous again.
Today, many visitors come in search of the region’s rich historical legacy, while others seek out its exceptional nature. The tallest peak in Ireland, Carrantuohill, rises to 3,414 feet in Kerry’s Macgillycuddy's Reeks mountain range. This unique red sandstone landscape was carved out by ancient glacial ice, creating dramatic peaks and scooped-out basins, or corries.
Another highlight, accessed through the Slea Head coastal drive on the Dingle Peninsula, is Mount Brandon. This mysterious peak has been held sacred since pre-Christian times, and is still a destination of pilgrimages. The windswept mountain takes its name from St. Brendan The Navigator, who has a strong connection with the local community. Its importance to Christianity derives in part from the fact that, being elevated and westward, it’s the last place from which the setting sun is visible each day. Way stations and shrines made of stacked rock can be found along the narrow route to the top.
