Beara Peninsula: The Ring of Kerry Without the Crowds
The Beara Peninsula is the one that Kerry forgot. It shares the same geology, the same Atlantic drama, the same mountain-meets-ocean scenery - but almost none of the traffic. The Ring of Kerry gets 50 tour buses a day in summer. The Ring of Beara gets maybe five. The difference in experience is enormous.
Beara straddles the Cork-Kerry border. Most of it is in Cork. The Healy Pass across the Caha Mountains is one of the most spectacular drives in Ireland, and Castletownbere is a working fishing port that has not been polished for tourists. If you have already done Kerry and want something wilder and quieter, this is it.
What to Expect
The Ring of Beara is a 140-kilometre driving loop. Start from Bantry, head southwest through Glengarriff and along the south coast to Castletownbere. The road hugs the coastline with the Caha Mountains on your right and the Atlantic on your left. It is narrow in places but never difficult.
Castletownbere is the main town - a working fishing port where the pub conversations are about trawler quotas, not tourist attractions. MacCarthy's Bar made it famous in the literary world but the town itself is unpretentious and the seafood is landed fresh daily. This is not a destination. It is a place where people live and work, and that is exactly the point.
From Castletownbere, continue to the colourful village of Eyeries - painted houses on a hillside overlooking Coulagh Bay. Then Allihies, a former copper mining village at the tip of the peninsula. The Allihies Copper Mine Museum is small but well done.
The Healy Pass is the highlight. A narrow road that crosses the Caha Mountains between Adrigole and Lauragh. The climb is steady, the hairpins are sharp, and the views from the top are among the best in Ireland. You look south over Bantry Bay and north into Kerry. There is nothing at the top except a small car park and wind. It is perfect.
The honest negative: Beara is remote and the roads are slow. Mobile phone signal drops out between villages. Petrol stations are scarce - fill up in Bantry or Castletownbere. If the weather closes in, the Healy Pass loses its views entirely and becomes a white-knuckle drive in fog. Check the forecast and save it for a clear day.
How to Get There
From Bantry, Castletownbere is 45 minutes via the R572. From Cork city, allow 2 hours via the N71 to Bantry then the R572. A car is essential - there is no meaningful public transport on the peninsula.
The Ring of Beara loop works in either direction. Clockwise (Bantry to Glengarriff to Castletownbere to Healy Pass) puts the Healy Pass at the end, which is a dramatic finish. Anti-clockwise puts the pass at the start while you are fresh.
Where to Stay Nearby
Bantry is the most practical base with the widest choice. Castletownbere has a handful of B&Bs and pubs with rooms. For the full picture, see the County Cork hub.
Georgian hotel on Bantry Bay. Recently restored. Beautiful setting at the gateway to the Beara Peninsula.
Check availability →What Else is Nearby
A Note on the History
Beara was copper mining country. The mines at Allihies operated from the 1810s to 1884, employing hundreds. When the mines closed, the miners emigrated wholesale - many to Butte, Montana, where they worked the copper mines there. The Allihies Copper Mine Museum tells both ends of the story.
Dursey Island at the peninsula tip is reached by Ireland's only cable car. The island had a permanent population into the 2000s but is now uninhabited. The cable car crosses Dursey Sound, which can be rough, and the views from the island are end-of-the-world empty.
Frequently Asked Questions
