Killarney is one of Ireland’s most charming towns with its legendary lakes and picture-postcard landscapes, visitors will experience the warmest of welcomes and feel instantly at home. As part of the Keep Discovering Campaign, Golden Ireland invited the queen of style, Eileen Smith and her daughter, Suzanne to visit our home town recently and explore the best that the town has to offer.
Great Southern Killarney
The Great Southern is Killarney’s premier historic hotel which has been an iconic retreat for over 160 years. It enjoys an unrivalled location – directly adjacent to Killarney and Bus Train Stations. Eileen and Suzanne enjoyed leisurely strolls in the six acres of gardens and relaxed in their beautifully appointed accommodation. Great Southern Killarney is an oasis of calm and tranquility in the heart of the town and offers all the old world charm of a bygone era. A highlight of their stay was traditional afternoon tea in the luxurious surroundings of the Victorian Drawing Room. Dinner was served on one evening in the Garden Room Restaurant whilst the ladies took a short stroll to the Candle Room at Killarney Royal on day two – the sister hotel of Killarney Great Southern.
For the best Active Retirement Breaks, see Great Southern Killarney
Killarney Jaunting Cars
No trip to Killarney is complete without a tour of Killarney National Park on board a traditional jaunting car. Eileen and Suzanne were collected at the hotel and traveled in style through the park, whilst enjoying the unique beauty of the park’s wildlife and tree-lined avenues before arriving at Ross Castle. Ross Castle sits on the edge of Killarney’s lower lake and was built by O’Donoghue Mór in the 15th century and is one of Killarney’s most picturesque attractions. The ladies were then invited onboard the MV Lake Cruise and enjoyed cruising through the beautiful Loch Léinn and witnessing the majestic landscape and live commentary from the Captain.
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Muckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farms
This magnificent Victorian mansion is one of Ireland’s leading stately homes, situated amidst the spectacular scenery of Killarney National Park. Eileen and Suzanne enjoyed a guided tour of the house, and also met with skilled craftworkers who demonstrated their skills in the crafts of weaving, pottery and bookbinding. With Eileen’s love of gardening, she thoroughly enjoyed walking through Muckross Gardens filled with exotic trees, an outstanding rock garden, arboretum and beautiful tree-fringed lawns.
Aran Sweater Market
With Eileen’s love of style, a shopping trip to downtown Killarney meant a stop into the Aran Sweater Market. Located on College Street, the shop sells authentic Aran jumpers direct from the Aran Islands. The Aran Sweater Market acts as a guardian of this proud tradition as it continues to grow as an international fashion item.
Macbees Boutique Killarney
Fashionistas everywhere will have heard of Macbees Killarney. A retail highlight was Eileen’s visit to Macbees, established by Mary McBride in 1984 as one of Ireland’s first multi-brand luxury boutiques. This independent boutique houses the latest in established and emerging fashion brands and is a modern luxury shopping destination with styles ranging from luxe laid-back casual to show stopping occasion wear in sizes 6 to 20.