Cillcearn House
+2 photosAbout Cillcearn House
Cillcearn House is a Fáilte Ireland approved 3-star b&b in Killarney, on the Kerry coast, listed on Fáilte Ireland’s official register of quality-assured accommodation. It is a smaller, owner-run house of 5 rooms, the kind of place where you deal with the people who actually run it.
Is this your B&B?
Claim this listingStaying in Killarney
The gateway to Ireland’s first national park, with lakes, mountains and castle ruins beginning where the streets end.
Killarney sits on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane at the foot of MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountain range, and Killarney National Park starts at the edge of the town itself. Few places in Ireland have been welcoming visitors for as long, and the town wears the trade well, with a compact centre of pubs, restaurants and shops that stays lively the whole year round.
For a B&B in Killarney, the location does the heavy lifting. Ross Castle, the lakeshore and the parkland walks are reachable on foot or by bike from most doors in the town, so a full day in the park needn’t involve the car at all. Jaunting cars, the traditional horse-drawn cars driven by local jarveys, still work the park tracks that are closed to traffic, and pairing one with a boat trip across the lakes remains the classic Killarney day out.
It is also the natural touring base for the whole southwest. The Ring of Kerry, the famous 179-kilometre loop of the Iveragh Peninsula, starts and finishes here, the Gap of Dunloe is a short drive west, and hillwalkers use the town as the jumping-off point for Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest peak at just over 1,000 metres.
A stay here suits almost any shape of trip: a walking break in the Reeks, a slow few days of gardens and boat trips, or a base for day-driving the peninsulas. The evenings look after themselves, since the town’s music pubs and restaurants sit within a few minutes of most guesthouse doors.
Things to do near Cillcearn House
Killarney National Park
Ireland’s first national park, created when the Bourn Vincent Memorial Park was gifted to the state in 1932 and since grown to more than 100 square kilometres of mountains, lakes and native oak and yew woodland. It holds Ireland’s largest herd of native red deer, and it begins, remarkably, at the edge of the town.
The Lakes of Killarney
Three lakes fill the valley south of the town. Lough Leane is the largest, Muckross Lake is among the deepest in Ireland, and the Upper Lake sits highest in the mountains. Boat trips run from Ross Castle, and the water is the best vantage point on the whole park.
Muckross House and Muckross Abbey
Muckross House is a Victorian mansion built in 1843 in the heart of the park, where Queen Victoria stayed on her 1861 visit, with famous gardens running down toward the lake. Nearby stand the ruins of Muckross Abbey, a Franciscan friary founded in 1448, with an ancient yew tree growing in its cloister.
Ross Castle
A 15th-century tower house of the O’Donoghue clan on the shore of Lough Leane, a pleasant walk or cycle from the town centre. It runs seasonal guided tours, and the boats for the lakes leave from the little harbour below its walls.
Innisfallen Island
An island in Lough Leane holding the ruins of a monastery founded around 640 AD, where the Annals of Inisfallen, one of the great chronicles of medieval Ireland, were compiled. It is reached by boat from Ross Castle, a short crossing that feels a world away from the town.
Torc Waterfall
A 20-metre waterfall on the Owengarriff River about seven kilometres from town, a few minutes’ climb from the road through mossy woodland. The Kerry Way long-distance path passes right beside it, so it makes a natural turnaround point for a half-day walk from a Killarney base.
The Gap of Dunloe
A glacial mountain pass squeezed between Purple Mountain and MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, usually tackled from Kate Kearney’s Cottage west of the town. The classic outing goes through the Gap on foot or by pony and trap, then returns by open boat across all three lakes to Ross Castle.
Ladies View and Moll’s Gap
The N71 toward Kenmare climbs through the park to Ladies View, a panorama over the Upper Lake named for Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting, who admired it on the 1861 royal visit, and on to the rocky pass at Moll’s Gap. It is one of the finest short scenic drives in Ireland.
Getting to Killarney
Killarney is one of the easiest towns in the southwest to reach without a car. It has its own railway station with direct trains to Dublin Heuston, Bus Éireann Expressway routes connect it to Cork and Limerick, and Kerry Airport at Farranfore is about a twenty-minute drive north. Driving, Cork city is around an hour and a half away on the N22 and Dublin is roughly three and a half hours.
Booking Cillcearn House direct, and what the rating means
A real, assessed b&b
Cillcearn House holds a 3-star b&b rating under Fáilte Ireland's National Quality Assurance Framework, assessed against the bedrooms, bathrooms, breakfast and welcome rather than self-declared. It's an independent signal you can trust before you book, separate from any platform's own review score.
No fees, no middleman
Ring the owner, or use the contact details on this page, and arrange the stay with the house rather than through an app. No booking fee added to your bill and no commission taken from the owner, so the room rate you agree is the room rate you pay.
A better stay, direct
Owners answer the questions a booking platform never will: whether the room at the front is quieter, how early breakfast can be served, or where to park for a few days. Speaking to the house directly is how B&Bs in Ireland were booked for decades.
Still deciding where to base yourself? Browse more B&Bs in Kerry.
Check availability at Cillcearn House
Send the owner the details of your stay and they will come back to you directly. No booking fee, no platform in between, just Killarney on the other end.
Cillcearn House, common questions
Where is Cillcearn House?
Cillcearn House is at 4 Ballycasheen Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry (Eircode V93 W024). Give the Eircode to your sat-nav to find the door.
How do I book Cillcearn House?
You contact the owner directly, by phone or the enquiry form on this page. DirectBnB adds no booking fee and takes no commission, so you arrange the stay with the house itself and pay the room rate with nothing on top.
What star rating does Cillcearn House have?
Cillcearn House is a Fáilte Ireland approved 3-star b&b under Fáilte Ireland's National Quality Assurance Framework, and guests rate it 4.6 out of 5 across 84 Google reviews.
Is Cillcearn House suitable for families?
Yes, Cillcearn House is listed as family friendly. Ask the owner directly about room configurations and cots when you book.
How many rooms does Cillcearn House have?
Cillcearn House has 5 rooms. As a smaller, owner-run house it is worth booking ahead, particularly in summer and over weekends.
More in Kerry
See more B&Bs in Kerry
Browse every checked B&B and guesthouse in County Kerry, and book each one direct with the owner.