Inside the old school on the road towards Geokaun Mountain, this intriguing local museum has a treasure trove of artefacts that tell the tale of the island's history more eloquently than any textbook – from school chemistry sets and slate-quarrying tools to fossils and old photographs, with pride of place going to the Morse key used to test the world's first transatlantic telegraph cable.
Valentia Island Heritage Centre
Skellig Ring
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.89 MILES
The jagged, 217m-high rock of Skellig Michael (Michael's Rock; like St Michael's Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy) is the larger of the…
10.7 MILES
Opened in 1837 as a hunting lodge, this magnificent estate sprawls over 17 hectares incorporating a waterfall, beach and six different gardens, ranging…
Derrynane National Historic Park
13.28 MILES
Derrynane House was the home of Maurice 'Hunting Cap' O'Connell, a notorious local smuggler who grew rich on trade with France and Spain. He was the uncle…
17.25 MILES
Gallarus Oratory is one of Ireland's most beautiful ancient buildings, its smoothly constructed dry-stone walls in the shape of an upturned boat. It has…
18.01 MILES
The Dingle Peninsula's most important Christian site, Kilmalkedar has a beautiful setting with sweeping views over Smerwick Harbour. Built in the 12th…
24.12 MILES
Macgillycuddy's Reeks is Ireland's highest mountain range, and towering Carrauntoohil is the country's highest summit, at 1040m. There are several routes…
2.51 MILES
Some 3km northwest of Cahersiveen, two extraordinary stone ring forts situated 600m apart are reached from a shared parking area. Cahergal, the larger and…
28.46 MILES
The Gap of Dunloe is a scenic valley squeezed between Purple Mountain and the eastern summits of MacGillicuddy's Reeks. In summer it can be a bottleneck…
Nearby Skellig Ring attractions
1.07 MILES
Built as a linen mill in the 1770s, this estate was transformed from 1808 when its owner established its 16-hectare gardens with exotic plants from around…
2.11 MILES
This string of small depressions in an exposed sandstone bedding surface next to the sea may not be as spectacular as dinosaur footprints, but these…
2.24 MILES
The atmospheric – and decidedly dangerous-looking – ivy-strangled remains of 16th-century Ballycarbery Castle stand amid green pastures 3km northwest of…
2.47 MILES
The local landowner has transformed the island's highest point, Geokaun (266m), into a network of easy walking trails and viewpoints, with a breathtaking…
2.51 MILES
Some 3km northwest of Cahersiveen, two extraordinary stone ring forts situated 600m apart are reached from a shared parking area. Cahergal, the larger and…
6. Old Barracks Heritage Centre
3.43 MILES
Established in response to the Fenian Rising of 1867, the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks at Cahersiveen were built in an eccentric Bavarian-Schloss…
4 MILES
Immediately across the bridge from Portmagee, this distinctive building with a turf-covered roof contains exhibitions on the life of the Skellig Michael…
4.24 MILES
At the bridge across the Carhan River on the eastern edge of town, a neat little memorial park remembers Daniel O'Connell (1775–1847), 'the Great…