Kenmare - Ring of Kerry 

Kenmare Ring of Kerry - Ireland's Best Kept Town

The picturesque town of Kenmare, Ring of Kerry, with a population of 1,200, is an example of one of Ireland's few planned towns. It was built by Sir William Petty, on the instructions of the first Marquis of Lansdowne. The limestone facades and ornate plasterwork of some of the buildings pay tribute to the craftsmen of a bygone age. Kenmare and its Gaelic name Neidin (Little nest) so named because of its fine setting nestling as it does among the mountains of Cork and Kerry.

To the north are the Macgillcuddy Reeks, rising to Carrantuohill (Ireland's highest Peak - 1,039 meters) to the East are the Derrynasaggart Mountains while to the South are the Caha Mountains. To the West is the fine expanse of the Kenmare Bay. Kenmare is the perfect center for the linked and famed "Ring of Kerry" and the "Ring of Beara". Kenmare was named Ireland's Best Kept town 2000. Conspicuous by its neatness it was the first planned town in Ireland, built from the ground up in the 17th century.