The Irish name Ciarraí derives from the ‘Ciarraighe’, the name given to a pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county, whose legendary founder was Ciar, son of Fergus Mac Róich.

As one would expect, Kerry is full of prehistoric remains, which prove that the place has long been a chosen location for human settlement. However, we don’t know much about the history of a county, which did not exist as such until the end of the sixteenth century.

We know that, even after the first wave of Norman invasions led by Strongbow, most of what is now known as county Kerry remained the scene of local wars led the many clans, the most powerful one being the MacCarthy. But in the 14th century, the northern part of the county fell under the rule of the Anglo Irish Earl of Desmond, a branch of the FitzGerald dynasty.

1588 saw wreckage of the fleet of the Spanish Armada along the west coast of Ireland and some of the ship, which were returning to Spain during the stormy weather, sought shelter at the Blasket Islands. Some people say that even today, the dark hair and brown eyes of some locals are as a direct result of the Spanish sailors washed ashore!

In the wake of the Great Irish Famine of 1845–49, thousands of people died or emigrated to seek a better life across the Atlantic, and Kerry remained a soil of emigration until recent times.

Like the rest of the West of Ireland, Kerry recovered very slowly through the rest of the 20th century, and it eventually became the prime tourist destination in Ireland.

But, whatever the crisis, nothing alters the good humour of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Kerry.

The Ring of Kerry Cycle Route is in an area known throughout the world for its archaeological treasures, breath-taking scenery and charming hospitality. The route travels along quiet country roads where possible and passes through all the main towns and villages along the way. The entire journey is 216km (134 miles) with 74km of the route on the main road and 143 km of the route on minor roads. The route should ideally be cycled in a clockwise direction for safety and spread over a week in order to fully appreciate the relaxing atmosphere and magnificent variety of scenery.

The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycling Event is now in it’s 33rd year and is the biggest one day charity event in Munster, attracting thousands of leisure cyclists who will experience a fun and rewarding day’s cycling, completing 112 miles of the spectacular Ring of Kerry, while at the same time fundraising for worthy Kerry based Charities. To date the Ring of Kerry Cycle has raised over €10.2 million for Kerry Charities.

The pale moon was rising above the green mountains,
The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;
When I strayed with my love by the pure crystal fountain,
That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet ’twas not her beauty alone that won me;
Oh no, ’twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

The “Rose of Tralee” international festival is based on the love song ‘The Rose of Tralee’ by William Mulchinock. This competition is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The Rose of Tralee International Festival is one of Ireland’s largest and longest running festivals, celebrating 57 years in 2016. The heart of the festival is the selection of the “Rose of Tralee,” which brings young women of Irish descent from around the world to County Kerry, Ireland for a global celebration of Irish culture. The festival also includes street entertainment, carnival, live concerts, theatre, circus, markets, funfair, fireworks and Rose Parades.

The winner is selected based on her personality and should be a good role model for the festival and for Ireland during her travels around the world. It is not a beauty pageant and the participants (Roses) are not judged on their appearance, but on their personality and suitability to serve as ambassadors for the festival and Ireland. The festival bills itself as a celebration of the”aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage” of modern young women.

The story behind the famous song is that of a 19th century wealthy merchant who fell in love with Mary O’ Connor his maid. Mary who was born in Tralee worked as a nanny. William describes in the song how it was love at first sight but because of the difference in social class between the two families their love affair was discouraged. William emigrated and years later returned to Tralee only to discover Mary had died of tuberculosis. He was broken hearted and expressed his love for her in the now famous song ‘The Rose of Tralee’.

In August annually, each of the 32 counties in Ireland select a Rose and there are also “Rós Fódhla” representing the Gaeltacht or Irish-speaking areas in Ireland. Regional finals are held in June where six Irish women are selected to take part in the International Rose of Tralee festival. Roses from Kerry, Dublin and Cork automatically qualify for the festival.International Roses chosen from around the world including girls from Birmingham, Boston, Darwin, Dubai, France, London, Luxembourg, Leeds, Newcastle, New York, New Orleans, New Zealand, Perth, Philadelphia, Queensland, San Francisco, Southern California, South Australia, Sunderland, Sydney, Texas, Toronto and many more centres who take part in the qualifying rounds. The winners over the past 10 years truly demonstrates the global appeal of the event: 2006 Queensland, 2007 New York, 2008 Tipperary – Ireland, 2009 London, 2010 London, 2011 Queensland, 2012 Luxembourg, 2013 Texas, 2014 Philadelphia, 2015 Meath – Ireland.

The Rose of Tralee competition is incredibly popular with over 1.7 million in Ireland alone watching the 2015 show. A total of 72,000 streams have been recorded to date, with 35,000 of these being from the live online simulcasts on both nights. 57pc of total streams have been from a mobile or tablet device.There is also a large amount of international interest in the festival, with close to 52% of the 2015 live streams delivered outside of Ireland. Internationally, the highest number of streams came from the US, UK and Canada.

Bike Fest Killarney is an international motorcycle festival that takes places annually on the first weekend in June. It is Ireland’s largest free open biker festival – all makes, models and manner of bikes are welcome! From it’s roots in 2007 with only 1000 attendees, this year around 45,000 people, including 10,000 bikers, all made their way to Killarney for a weekend that offers something special both to biking enthusiasts and those who couldn’t tell a Harley Davison from a tricycle. This is a festival that continues to grow year upon year.

The best of Irish Craft Brewers descend upon Killarney in late May each year and bring with them kegs of Craft Beers & Cider as well the best of Irish Artisan Gins & Whiskeys,  and a lot more to get your taste buds tingling! Learn the Beer 101 from the best in the business with brewing demonstrations, tastings; meet the brewers, beer & food pairing classes and a whole lot more. And because craft isn’t limited to beer there will be a tantalizing selection of home brewed whiskey, gin and cider to sample!

Browse the stalls, enjoy a masterclass or two and soak up the festive atmosphere and live music. Beer music and food, three of the best combinations outside of barley, hops and yeasts! In association with Beoir Ireland this bumper weekend includes Beer tasting, master classes, awards, competitions, food village and best of all live entertainment and is gaining in popularity as each year goes by.

In early October aventure enthusiasts from all corners of the world will descend on Killarney, Ireland’s adventure capital, for the Killarney Adventure Race.

Now established as one of the biggest adventure races in Ireland, over 2,500 brave adventurers will come to Killarney to compete in an adrenalin packed day of adventure by running, cycling and kayaking across some of the most dramatic and breath-taking scenery in Ireland. It’s not just for the grizzly hard-core adventurers as there are three different routes – 27km, 60km and 70km to suit all levels of fitness.

Competitors enter individually or as a relay team. Competitors and spectators experience a festival-like atmosphere, music, food, kids’ adventure race and after party not to be missed. Each competitor receives a customised finisher medal and goody bag. This is one adventure not to be missed!

Ireland is world renowned for it’s horses and Kerry boasts not one but two horse racing superb horse racing tracks, each of which is unique and hosts events throughout the year. The first races in Listowel Race Course took place in 1858 and to this day, over 158 years later, Harvest Race Week in September will be attended by approximately 90,000 people.

In turn, Killarney Racecourse is over 80 years old and is considered Ireland’s Most Scenic Racecourse and possibly the world’s. With the magnificent McGuillycuddy Reeks, Lakes of Killarney and Ross Castle providing the backdrop, the view as the horses pass the finishing line can only be described as breath-taking. For the past 80 years Killarney has hosted 11 days of racing split over three Summer Festivals. Horse racing in Kerry is a major event and locals and visitors alike flock to enjoy the horses, the races, the festivities, the music and of course… the craic.

Puck Fair in Irish “As Gaeilge: Aonach an Phoic,” meaning “Fair of the He-Goat”, ‘poc’ being the Irish for a male goat, is Ireland’s oldest traditional festival, at over 400 years old. It is the only festival in the world where a wild mountain goat is crowned king. The festival, which runs from August 10th to 12th, attracts approx. 80,000 visitors annually.

Linked to the ancient Celtic festival of Lughnasa, which symbolizes the beginning of harvest. The goat was a symbol of pagan fertility. Every year locals capture a wild goat in the Macgillycuddy Reeks and bring it back to town.  The “Queen of Puck,” usually a young schoolgirl crowns the goat “King Puck.”

The goat is placed in a cage on a high stand for three days as the locals celebrate with markets, entertainment and pubs staying open until 3am. At the end of the fair the goat is released back into the wild. Needless to say as the “King,” the welfare of the wild goat is of key importance; with his veterinary retinue on standby at all times ensuring his health and wellbeing are of paramount importance – seriously, all joking aside. It is reported that most goats actually put on weight during their stay, which attests to the care, and attention they receive.

Tradition dictates that a horse fair takes place on the first day and on the second day there is a cattle fair. There are usually many street vendors during the festival who advertise their wares to the large numbers of tourists who come to Killorglin for the fair.

As well as presiding over the festival that begins on Sunday, King Puck will be used as a mascot or “King of the Road” for the Wild Atlantic Way tourism route stretching the length of the island of Ireland.

Perhaps you will get to see the “King” in person if you decide to select the Kingdom of Kerry as your destination of choice for the 2018 GLOBE Annual Meeting.

The Celtic Steps show runs from April through October annually in Killarney. Born from an idea to showcase Ireland’s traditional music it is a song and dance performance that portrays the music Kerry and the songs of Ireland’s history.  The evening takes the audience from traditional Irish dancing of the Hornpipe at the old thatched cottage half-door and the polka set at the local crossroads, to the phenomenon that is Irish dancing world-wide today. Rather than produce this, in a story, in chronological order down through years, Celtic Steps has mixed music, songs & dance in a unique blend to let you experience the spectacular that is our Irish cultural tradition.

The Ring of Kerry Cycle Route is in an area known throughout the world for its archaeological treasures, breath-taking scenery and charming hospitality. The route travels along quiet country roads where possible and passes through all the main towns and villages along the way.The entire journey is 216km (134 miles) with 74km of the route on the main road and 143km of the route on minor roads.The route should ideally be cycled in a clockwise direction for safety and spread over a week in order to fully appreciate the relaxing atmosphere and magnificent variety of scenery.

The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycling Event is now in it’s 33rd year and is the biggest one day charity event in Munster, attracting thousands of leisure cyclists who will experience a fun and rewarding day’s cycling, completing 112 miles of the spectacular Ring of Kerry, while at the same time fundraising for worthy Kerry based Charities. To date the Ring of Kerry Cycle has raised over €10.2 million for Kerry Charities.