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Tralee
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TRALEE
(
Tra Li
) has had quite a facelift of late, and chief among its new attractions is the excellent
Kerry County Museum
in the Ashe Memorial Hall, Denny St (daily: mid-March-July; Sept & Oct 10am-6pm; August 10am-7pm; Nov & Dec 2-5pm; ?5.50/€6.98), which uses interactive media and lifesize models in tracing Irish history back to 5000 BC. Other attractions include the
Tralee to Blennerville Steam Railway
(May-Oct; daily ?2.75/€3.49; occasional closures so call ahead to check tel 066/712 1064), which is part of the famous Tralee-Dingle line (1891-1953), and the largest working windmill in Ireland and Britain, the
Blennerville Windmill
, about half a mile southwest of town along the N86 (April-Oct; daily 10am-6pm; ?3/€3.81), which has its own exhibition, craft workshops and the usual tourist trinkets.
The bus station (tel 066/712 3566) and train station (tel 066/712 3522) are located next to each other, about a five-minute walk northeast of the town centre. The helpful tourist office (May, June, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; July & Aug Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-6pm; Nov-April Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 066/712 1288) is in the Ashe Memorial Hall. Tralee has innumerable B&Bs , among them Denton (tel 066/712 7637; ?33-40/€41.90-50.79) and Ardroe House (tel 066/712 6050; ?33-40/€41.90-50.79), both on Oakpark Road in the centre. There's no shortage of hostels either: try the friendly and cosy Lisnagree Hostel (tel 066/712 7133), out towards the general hospital, or Finnegan's Hostel on Denny St near the tourist office (IHH; tel 066/712 7610), which also rents out bikes. If you want to camp , Woodland Park , Dingle Rd (tel 066/712 1235) is a short walk from the centre of town. You can rent bikes , including mountain bikes, from Tralee Gas Supplies in Strand St (tel 066/712 2018), part of the Raleigh rent-a-bike scheme. Finding a cheap place to eat in Tralee isn't a problem: for bar food try The Mall, Kirby's Brogue Inn , Rock St, which also serves seafood and steaks, or Val's , Bridge St which also does good bar food at lunchtime and inexpensive bistro meals in the evening. Tralee is a lively town and there are plenty of pubs which form the hub of evening entertainment; for traditional music try McDaide's , Castle St (every night, year round), Baily's Corner , Ashe St (Tuesday), Sean Og's on Bridge St (four nights in summer, weekends in winter) or, for a mix of ballads and folk, Kirby's Brogue Inn (almost every night in summer, weekends in winter) on Rock St - the tourist office will also have plenty of other suggestions.
The
Folk Theatre of Ireland
has its home at the Siamsa Tire Theatre beside the tourist office (tel 066/712 3055), though their excellent performances don't draw the same crowds as the
Rose of Tralee International Festival
. Held in the last week of August, with much accompanying merriment, this is a beauty contest in which women, including foreigners who can demonstrate some credible Irish connection, compete for the dubious honour of being Rose of Tralee; details are available from the Festival Office, Ashe Memorial Hall, Denny St (tel 066/712 1322). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Ireland,
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