Your Stylish Journey to Mizen Head Begins Here -Private Day Tour

Tourist Information Centre is located at the big public car park near the Plaza Hotel

Ross Castle perches in an inlet of Lough Leane. It is likely that the Irish chieftain O’Donoghue Mór built it in the fifteenth century. Legend has it that O’Donoghue still slumbers under the waters of the lake. Every seven years, on the first morning of May, he rises on his magnificent white horse. If you manage to catch a glimpse of him you will enjoy good fortune for the rest of your life. Ross Castle was the last place in Munster to hold out against Cromwell. Its defenders, then led by Lord Muskerry, took confidence from a prophecy holding that the castle could only be taken by a ship. Knowing of the prophecy, the Cromwellian commander, General Ludlow, launched a large boat on the lake. When the defenders saw it, this hastened the surrender – and the prophecy was fulfilled.

The Muckross Abbey was established under the patronage of Donal ‘a Diamh’ MacCarthy in 1448. Donal’s great-grandfather, Cormac MacCarthy Mor, decided to found an abbey after the idea appeared to him in a vision. He decided that it should be built on Carraig na Chiuil (the Rock of Music). Men were sent to find it but couldn’t. As they passed Irrelagh, they heard beautiful music coming from a rock and finally found the location.20 years after construction (in 1468), a papal indulgence was granted to help complete the buildings around Muckross Abbey. In 1612, the friars occupied the old buildings again with the buildings being fully restored in 1617. In 1652, the friars were driven out and persecuted by Cromwellian forces. In 1929, the first high mass since penal times took place in the ruins of the Muckross Friary with over 2,800 Franciscan tertiaries in attendance.

Torc Waterfall is a 20-meter-high, 110 meters long cascade waterfall formed by the Owengarriff River as it drains from the Devil's Punchbowl corrie lake at Mangerton Mountain. The waterfall, which lies at the base of Torc Mountain, in the Killarney National Park,

Ladies View is one of Killarney's and indeed Ireland's best-known scenic viewing points. It is named after Queen Victoria's Ladies in Waiting who were part of her entourage during her visit to Killarney in 1861.

Moll’s Gap is a mountain pass on the N71 road from Kenmare to Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland. It is part of the Ring of Kerry tourist route, and it offers stunning views of the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountains, the lakes, and the bogs of the Killarney National Park. Moll’s Gap is named after Moll Kissane, who ran a shebeen (an unlicensed pub) in the 1820s, while the road was under construction. She made Poitin, a hard liquor, for the workers who built the road. The shebeen is no longer there, but you can still see the remains of her cottage near the gap.

Kenmare is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of Ceann Mara, meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay.

The cottage and farm at Molly Gallivans is over 200 years old and remains a family run visitors center. A visit can range from a quick stop to see the old cottage and gift shop to a full guided tour which includes traditional Irish baking, turf cutting and tours of the old Irish relics in the area. The Caha Pass, which links Glengarriff with Molly Cottage and Kenmare, is the final stretch of the Ring of Beara and it’s safe to say the best is saved to last. This epic road is one of the most picturesque in Ireland. What makes the Caha Pass truly unique is the combination of the winding mountaintop road, the panoramic views of the countryside and the incredible stone tunnels that the road carves through. There are too many stunning viewing spots to list for this road so just allow lots of time for stopping! The tunnels start at the Cork-Kerry border and continue for a few kilometres.

The Caha pass is probably the easiest of the two routes from the Kerry side. It links the towns of Kenmare in Kerry to Glengarriff in Cork and it was quite a feat of road-making in its day. It features two tunnels both of which were blasted out of the rock in the middle of the 19th century and then hand-hewn. The mountain track was turned into a paved road in the early 1900s by a Galway motor enthusiast called Richard Mecredy. But even today the tunnels are too low for most tour buses to pass through which reduces traffic along the route significantly in peak season. About 70 meters into the longer tunnel is the border between Kerry and Cork, no passport is required.

The stunning Bantry House and Gardens is one of the most beautiful estates in Ireland. Bantry House was built in 1710 and was then referred to as Blackrock. In 1765, Councillor Richard White bought it and changed the name to Seafield. The gardens were developed by the second Earl of Bantry and his wife Mary in the 1800s. The ongoing project saw seven terraces developed, with a hundred steps, fountains, and beautiful flowering plants. The estate was used as a hospital during the Irish Civil War in the 1920s and then as a base for the Second Cyclist Squadron of the army during the Second World War. It was officially opened to the public for the first time in 1946. During this time, the gardens were neglected and left to wither in certain places. In the late 1990s, a European Grant helped to fund the restoration and revival of the stunning garden area, which is still ongoing.

Perched on the edge of the northeast Atlantic, Mizen Head is one of the most spectacular headlands on Ireland's Atlantic seaboard. Standing on Mizen, surrounded by the pounding waves, it's impossible not to feel humbled by the raw power of nature. Yet Mizen's natural grandeur is only a part of what makes your visit to this iconic headland special. Here you'll also find an abundance of history and an intriguing human story. Mizen's strategic geography made it a significant site for transatlantic shipping and communication and afforded many an Irish emigrant their final glimpse of home as they departed for a new life half a world away. That story is eloquently told through the many high-quality exhibits and displays at Mizen Head Visitor Centre and Mizen Head Signal Station. The facilities at Mizen, include Mizen Head Visitor Centre, Mizen Shop, Mizen Cafe, and Mizen Head Signal Station/Mizen Vision.

Around 2 hours drive back to your accommodation in Killarney, 1h 30 min to Kenmare

Tourist Information Centre is located at the big public car park near the Plaza Hotel