Kenmare in County Kerry and Lunch

Shortly after our adventurous trek over the mountains past Priest’s Leap, we found ourselves in the town of Kenmare.  It was time for lunch before we moved on to our final destination for the day…

Kenmare’s town center was a busy place with lots of shops and restaurants.  Kenmare (Irish Gaelic: An Neidin, meaning “the little nest”) has a population of around 2,300. 

Kenmare and the surrounding area was granted to English scientist Sir William Petty by Oliver Cromwell as a partial payment for Petty’s completion of the mapping of Ireland in 1656.  Petty laid out the modern town ca. 1670.  To learn more about the very accomplished and politically nimble Sir William, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Petty.

So, where to have lunch?  There was a plethora of choices… O’Murchu’s Pub was one possibility.  Despite its colorful and promising exterior, I was deterred by the sign announcing that the business was for sale.  We were in Kenmare in late September and I’ve noted that the business is still on the market.  You can own a pub, restaurant and small hotel in Kenmare for only 375,000E/$450,000 US!  The listing for this business is found at http://www.daft.ie/kerry/commercial-property-for-sale/restaurant-hotel-bar-for-sale/omurchus-bar-main-street-kenmare-kerry-251321/.

Another option was Eamon’s, with The Roughty Bar plus a Bed and Breakfast operation…  This is more of a sports bar than a restaurant and according to what I’ve read, it’s very popular with the locals…with a lot of them speaking Gaelic too!  

Note:

·         In the USA, most of us from earlier generations have heard about Carnegie Libraries.  The Carnegie Library in Kenmare was the first one that I’d run across on our vacation.  Kenmare’s library is now home to the area’s Carnegie Arts Centre and Theatre.  While 1,689 Carnegie Libraries were built by Andrew Carnegie and his foundation in the USA, another 660 were built in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Then we came to P.F. McCarthy’s Pub and Restaurant on Main Street… We checked out the posted menu and stopped in for lunch. 

One of the reasons that Kenmare has so many shops, bars/pubs and restaurants is that the town lies on 2 major tourist sightseeing routes.  One is the Ring of Beara and the other is the more well-known Ring of Kerry.  Indeed, we would have liked to drive either one of these coastal drives around these scenic peninsulas…but our time was much too limited.

To learn about the Ring of Beara and to see some of the attractions and views along that route, go to http://ringofbeara.com/.

Also, to learn about the Ring of Kerry, its attractions and scenery, just go to http://www.theringofkerry.com/.

This was the surprisingly small bar in P.F. McCarthy’s.  FYI, before this was P.F. McCarthy’s, it was known as The Failte Bar.  Locals would gather on Thursday nights to sing songs and enjoy a music session.  That tradition still lives today with many of the area’s best-known musicians and singers gathering to perform. 

Note:

·         Are you a Harry Potter fan?  For those who orbit in that universe, Kenmare is home to the fictional Kenmare Kestrels, one of only thirteen Quidditch teams that play in the Quidditch League of Britain and Ireland.  If you recall, the Kestrels wore emerald-green robes emblazoned with 2 yellow K’s across the chest. 

The dining areas in the restaurant was a bit broken up but in total it had quite a bit of seating.  I thought that what it did lack was more of that cozy Irish pub/restaurant atmosphere.

When I researched P.F. McCarthy’s for this posting, I was happy to learn that our ‘food’ instincts are intact.  As per TripAdvisor, with over 400 reviews, this restaurant has earned 91% Excellent/Very Good scores vs. only 2% poor or terrible!  That is an excellent ratio of good vs. ‘evil’!

Our small pub style table was in a front window.  It looks like Bonnie and Laurie were raptly focused on Bill’s cell phone…

Note:

·         Maybe you’re a “Trekie”? Kenmare was also referenced in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode entitled “Breaking the Ice”.  In that story the crew of the Enterprise answers questions from school children who are said to be from Kenmare.   

Blackboards in use… McCarthy’s had a decent selection of brews for us to choose from!  Each of us enjoyed a craft beer, but as usual, as I was driving, I could only order a half pint!

The daily specials were listed on another blackboard… I was tempted to order either the Stuffed Pork Loin or the Kerry Beef and Guinness Hot Pot.  But I kept myself in check a little given the fact that we’d eating dinner in Killarney in the evening.

Two of us ordered “Beef Burgers”. (12.00E/$14.40 US) These cheesy but tasty ‘messes’ came with French fries and a small side salad.  Despite the fact that the burgers were cooked more than we prefer, the meat was still flavorful and juicy.

This is photo is off a ‘closed’ Lyonnaise Parker Steak Sandwich on crusty bread. (14.00E/$16.80 US) The crusty bread was a winner!

This is one of the steak sandwiches displayed ‘open’ to reveal the thin sliced steak.  Again, we were pleased with this tasty but straight-forward basic lunch fare.

Service was decent and the restaurant was orderly and clean.  We did think that the price of lunch was a tad high, but then again, this is a mainline tourist town and prices tend to be a little higher than in places off the beaten path.  

P.F. McCarthy’s is located at 14 Main Street in Kenmare County Cork.  Phone: 353 (0)64 6641515.  This restaurant’s Website is at: http://www.pfskenmare.com/index.php.

In my next post from our Irish adventure it will be on to Killarney!  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave