Garinish Island

“Garinish Island is magical,” exclaimed two of our B&B hosts. It provides a garden of unique species from around the world as well as a stately mansion to visit.

One host lived in the nearby town of Glengarriff as a young girl. She and a girlfriend would spend a whole day on the island. The boat captain would let them travel for free. We took the Harbour Queen boat €11 per person for the short 15-minute ride past some seals to the island.

Author & Photographer: George Mitchell

Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we do not have any. Our advice is derived from our personal experience and knowledge based on living in Europe for seven years and studying its art, architecture and culture.

All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps Ratings, which is based on everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our post and custom Ireland South Map is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).

Italianate Garden

The magic started as soon as we left the OPW Ticket House. We were on the 09:45 boat to Garinish Island (G4.7). We had the park mainly to ourselves for the first hour or two. We made our way to an Italianate Garden with a marbled-floored Italian casita on the left.

In a pond was a copy of the famous classical statue of Mercury.

This path leads to a viewpoint of the surrounding mountains.

Grecian Temple

We headed north to the stairs leading to a fake Grecian temple. This served as a nice frame of the lake and mountains. Leaving Olympus (sic), we headed west past rhododendrons, tree ferns and other rare trees from Australia and New Zealand. Steep stairs lead to a restored Martello Tower (G4.7). There are very good views from the top once you climb the narrow stairs.

Bryce House

We took the tour of the Bryce House (G4.7) included in the entry fee. Once again, the OPW guide was superb. In the gardener’s room, the tools were made from Brussels sprouts! Yes, the stalks are so hard that they were used as the shafts for tools.

The dining room set is all original China. This is because the last owner, Roland Bryce, bequeathed the estate and all furnishings to the OPW (government) in 1953.

The parlour was also magnificent. Can you imagine George Bernard Shaw often sat here?

They even have the original Bryce collection of art and sculpture from around the world, including this teak dancer, probably from Thailand. How did they ship these heavy sculptures back from Asia?

The sister’s bedroom even has the bed cover she embroidered! She was the artistic sibling but had no interest in inheriting the island.

All in all, this was a very magical experience. We spent five hours here and even brought a picnic lunch to eat on the benches near the pavilion lawn.

Final Comments on this Itinerary

Without a doubt, Garinish Island was magical. Most tourists head to sites they have heard about, or what I call name recognition. We would never have visited Garinish Island if not for two B&B hosts. They sure were right. The high Google Map Ratings prove that the local people highly recommend this adventure.

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Itinerary Map & Resources

Ireland South Map

The Great Garinish route is part of the Ireland South itinerary. If you only have a week, then be sure to include the other sights of the Ireland South itinerary, especially The Ring of Kerry and Dazzling Dingle tours.

If you have more than a week, then combine this tour with places in the Ireland East, Ireland West and the Best Places for 2 Weeks in Southwest (SW) Ireland itineraries below. Or just visit some of the nearby places listed below.

Google Maps Ratings

Google Maps provides a rating from 0 to 5 for all sights, hotels and restaurants (but not cities). All of our recommendations are appended with the rating (prefixed with a G) from Google Maps. As it is based on feedback from tourists and locals, it is much more reliable than travel booking websites. We consider a score of 4 to 4.39 to be Very Good; 4.4 to 5 to be Excellent.

Ireland FAQ

The Ireland FAQ post answers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) like:

• Where should I go in Ireland?
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• What is the best clothing?
• Where should I go? What are the must-sees?
• How much time do I need for Ireland?
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• Should I rent a car? Take a Taxi?

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