Kenmare, Ireland Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

With its delicatessens and designer boutiques, KENMARE ( www.neidin.net ) feels like a prosperous foreign enclave, and you're almost as likely to hear English or German tones here as Irish. Neatly organized on an X-plan (laid out by the first Marquess of Lansdowne in 1775), the town is pleasantly cosmopolitan: besides the resident foreigners, it's the natural crossing-over point for everyone travelling up from Cork. Kenmare was founded by Sir William Petty , Cromwell's surveyor general, to serve his mining works beside the River Finnihy. Petty was extremely active in (and benefited greatly … more »