Monasteries and Abbeys in Co. Kerry
3 places
1.Mainistir Fhionáin
the real Ahch-To from Star Wars
A 6th-century monastery clinging to a sheer Atlantic rock, reached by boat and 618 hand-cut stone steps — one of only two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Republic of Ireland.
- Highlights
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1996)
- 6th-century monastic settlement founded by St Fionan
- 618 steep stone steps to the monastery, 180 m above the sea
2.Muckross Abbey
400-year-old yew tree in a friary cloister
A hauntingly beautiful 15th-century Franciscan friary in Killarney National Park, famed for its remarkably intact cloisters and an ancient yew tree that dominates the courtyard — all free to explore.
- Highlights
- 400+ year-old yew tree in the cloister courtyard
- One of Ireland's best-preserved Franciscan friaries
- Two explorable floors with spiral staircases
3.Derrynane Abbey
a 1,500-year-old abbey you can only visit at low tide
A hauntingly beautiful 6th-century ruined abbey perched on Abbey Island, reached only by walking across Derrynane Beach at low tide — one of the most atmospheric stops on the Ring of Kerry.
- Highlights
- Three Romanesque lancet windows framing the Atlantic
- Graves of Mary O'Connell and poet Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin
- Accessible only at low tide across the beach
- Facilities
- Good for kids