The Ring of Kerry, Ireland

Ireland’s Ring of Kerry, on the far southwest coast, is known for being one of the most picturesque areas of the country.  And ever since Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out, it’s also become famous as the setting for Luke’s hideaway.  Nope, we didn’t see any porgs.

But there’s a chocolate factory, which makes up for that.  And the scenery is indeed beautiful!

Here’s Rossbeigh Beach, which looked like a painting in the watery morning light.

We drove past the colorful town of Portmagee to Valencia Island, for our first views of the Skellig Islands (aka part of a galaxy far, far away).

The islands rise so sharply from the sea that they almost don’t seem real.

Just like Star Wars!

We continued around the Ring to the Skelligs Chocolate factory, which has great views of the Skellig Islands and a delectable selection of chocolates.  I left with bags full of Strawberry & Champagne, Irish Whiskey, and Citrus truffles.  (The last one is made with white chocolate, which I usually don’t go for, but the citrus oils make them very good!)

The views from the rest of the Ring aren’t bad either, even on a cloudy day.  I loved the expanses of emerald green pastures broken up with walls and hedgerows, and dotted with white sheep.

Our last stop was Staigue Fort, a ringfort that’s survived from about 300-500 AD.  Like so many other Celtic structures in Ireland, it’s built without mortar – really remarkable that it’s survived so well!  You can go inside and see the steps that allow access to the top of the wall (it’s over 15 feet in places, and 2 meters wide at the top!).

Originally there would have been smaller structures inside the ringfort, but today there’s just pristine grass… and total solitude.

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I highly recommend traveling the Ring of Kerry with a tour guide – someone who does the driving (the roads are very narrow!), knows the way to all the hidden spots, and can provide history and commentary.  It’s hard to imagine getting even half as much out of our visit if we did it on our own.  We went with the excellent Dingle Slea Head Tours.