Ireland
A Wee Ramble in Kenmare: Hiking Ireland’s Southwest Coast
Program No. 21682RJ
Discover the wonders of Ireland as you visit emerald coasts and seafaring villages, walk glorious footpaths and hike mountains and peninsulas, learning from local experts along the way.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
9 days
8 nights
15 meals
7B 3L 5D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
5
Gleninchaquin Park
Kenmare
6
Sheep’s Head Peninsula
Kenmare
9
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
Learn about Ireland the best way possible — on hikes that range from quiet country lanes to centuries-old footpaths, mountainous parks to rocky peninsulas. Home for the week is the small town of Kenmare, situated along the beautiful Wild Atlantic Way. It’s the ideal base to discover prehistoric tombs, remote islands, timeless villages and serene nature preserves along the southwest Irish coast. Join us on some of the most glorious hikes in the country, with plenty of time to fortify yourself with a pint or cup of tea and an Irish scone.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Walking or hiking 1-4 miles, approximately 3-5 hours per day. Hikes will be on paths and mountain trails with little shade and up and down over mixed terrain (dirt, rocks, pavement, river banks, forest trails).
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Enjoy daily, expert-led hikes through luminous green valleys, rock-studded mountains and colorful seafaring villages.
- Discover the pastoral landscape of Killarney National Park, where oak and yew woodlands stretch for miles.
- Take a ferry to Garnish Island, searching for inquisitive seals along the way, to visit a botanical paradise with a stunning variety of plants.
- Hike through secluded moorlands, green meadows and up into the mountains of Gleninchaquin.
Suggested Reading List
(17 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
A Wee Ramble in Kenmare: Hiking Ireland’s Southwest Coast
Program Number: 21682
McCarthy's Bar, A Journey of Discovery in Ireland
A droll account of McCarthy's encounters on a bar-hopping jaunt from Cork along the west coast to Donegal. His motto, assiduously followed, was never to pass up a bar with his name on it!
The Sea
Recently widowed Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman, returns to the seaside of his youth in this exquisite novel of love and the power of memory. Banville's 18th novel and winner of the 2005 Booker Prize.
Ireland Map
A colorful map of Ireland at a scale of 1:400,000, featuring insets of the road approaches to major cities, as well as an index to cities, towns and villages.
Ireland, In Word and Image
Jay Adlersberg's visual celebration of Ireland is accompanied by literary excerpts and poetry from Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and many others. With 75 gorgeous color photographs.
At the Edge of Ireland, Seasons on the Beara Peninsula
Following Seasons on Harris (Hebrides and Seasons in Basilicata (Italian South, Yeardon and wife set up shop in southwest Ireland.
A Brief History of Ireland
Killeen traces the successive waves of warriors and colonists through the Celts, Vikings and Normans to Henry VIII, the era of rebellion and patriots to modern times in this brisk, measured history.
Modern Ireland, A Very Short Introduction
A remarkably concise, provocative history in the well-regarded series, touching on the major aspects of Irish history, politics, and society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Irish Country Cooking, More Than 100 Recipes for Today's Table
An appealing collection of home-cooked, traditional Irish fare, including brown soda bread, braised Derrynaflan brisket, sweet fruit scones with homemade jam and much more.
Wild Decembers
A haunting novel of clan enmities and forbidden love in rural Ireland. Few writers have as sure a sense of place as Edna O'Brien, whose lyrical prose builds inevitably toward final tragedy.
History of the Rain
Ruth, the daughter of a dead poet, recuperates after an injury by piecing together her father's history through story, both his own and generations of family lore set in County Clare, Ireland. Longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize.
Eyewitness Guide Ireland
This superb guide is a wonderfully illustrated introduction to the country, featuring photographs, maps and short background essays on history and culture.
How the Irish Saved Civilization
This bestselling history tells the generally unknown story of Ireland's preservation of classical learning in the Dark Ages, revealing how the saints and scholars, monks and scribes labored to reproduce the important texts that spread as they evangelized Europe.
A Traveller's History of Ireland
From the Celts to the Norman invasions to modern-day Ireland, this short history is highly recommended for those who would like a brief overview of the Emerald Isle through the centuries.
The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
A concise, revealing social history of the Celts by a reigning authority and popular writer.
For the Love of Ireland
Organized geographically, this rich anthology introduces Ireland through the words and lives of such luminaries as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Frank McCourt and Samuel Beckett.
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
Edited by the Nobel Prize-winning poet who spearheaded the Celtic Renaissance in the early 20th century, these enchanting stories introduce a cast of changelings, ghosts, mermaids, demons, saints, priests and fairies.
Twenty Years A-Growing
O'Sullivan's lyrical, sea-drenched memoir of coming of age among the Gaelic-speaking people of Great Blasket Island off the Dingle Peninsula.
