5 Best Sights in The Southwest, Ireland

Fully refurbished and extended with high-spec interactive gadgetry and new displays and a first-rate café, this museum is a worthy stop to discover life on the Blasket Islands (An Bhlascaoid Mhóir), which are among Ireland's most extraordinary islands. The largest visible from Ceann Sléibhe is the Great Blasket, inhabited until 1953. The Blasket islanders were great storytellers and were encouraged by Irish scholars to write their memoirs. The Blasket Centre explains the heritage of these islanders and celebrates their use of the Irish language with videos and exhibitions. The new viewing platform (free) alone makes this center an essential part of the Dingle itinerary.  

This center is home to an array of helpful facilities, including a restaurant and three retail outlets (one sells sweaters, another crafts, and the third heraldry items). There is also an exhibition on Adare's history since 1223, complete with a 15-minute audiovisual display, but some may feel it is not worth the extra fee. Guided tours of Desmond Castle (June–September; €6) can be booked in advance online, and leave the center by bus.

If someone in your family has ambitions to play sport professionally, this interactive museum will test your budding athlete’s aspiration with an immersive, linear voyage through the steps in that journey. Focused on rugby (it is Limerick, after all) the museum charts the journey from the grass roots of the game, through training and team participation, and culminates in the greatest rugby moments on the global stage. The building has commanding views of the city, a café, and retail---and is bang in the heart of the city.

Come to this center in the tourist office to learn about the town's history. They can outline a walking route to Kenmare's places of interest.