Killarney restaurant is best in Ireland

KERRY always fares well in TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards – but it would seem those who log on to the site to give their online feedback are more impressed than ever with the Kingdom this year.

Kerry dominates lists of the best hotels, best destinations, best beaches, and best fine-dining restaurants in Ireland, as chosen by TripAdvisor reviewers. Killarney is the best represented, but the county as a whole put in a sterling performance.

The highest finish by any Kerry party was by Rozzer’s Restaurant, Killeen House Hotel, Killarney, which topped the rundown of the country’s top 10 fine-dining restaurants.

Rozzer’s isn’t a stranger to collecting accolades, but this achievement was hugely well-received, not least by proprietor

Geraldine Rosney and Head Chef Paul O’Gorman.

“You know for sure that you’re doing something right and that’s why this award is extra special for all the team,” Geraldine said of the news. “Paul O’Gorman provides the inspiration for the team on a daily basis, and he has forgotten more about gastronomic perfection that most chefs will ever know.

“He has been with us for over 20 years and he is a joy and a pleasure to deal with.”

In a list dominated by Dublin, Kerry was the only other county represented, with Packie’s in Kenmare in third and Dingle’s Chart House fifth.

This Kerry dominance was a theme that reappeared on many lists. Killarney and Tralee performed superbly on the rundown of Ireland’s top 25 hotels, with

Killarney Park Hotel (2), the International Hotel, Killarney (6), and Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa (9) finishing in the top 10. Also on the top 25 were Manor West Hotel, Tralee (16); Cahernane House, Killarney (17); The Brehon, Killarney (20); The Lake Hotel, Killarney (21); and the Rose Hotel and Meadowlands Hotel (22 and 23), both Tralee.

Killarney finished second only to Dublin in the top-10 list of Irish destinations, while Dingle (4) and Sneem (10) also placed very highly. And it’s no surprise that Kerry, the county with more Blue Flag beaches than any other, dominates a rundown of Ireland’s top 10 beaches. Banna, Inch, and Derrynane (2, 3, and 5 respectively) all finished top five, while Com Dhíneol (6), Rossbeigh (8), and Ballybunion’s Ladies Beach (9) also made the top ten.