Killarney (/kɪˈlɑːrni/ kil-AR-nee; Irish: Cill Airne [ˌciːl̠ʲ ˈaːɾˠn̠ʲə], meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland.

Its natural heritage, history and location on the Ring of Kerry make Killarney a popular tourist destination.

[1] Killarney won the Best Kept Town award in 2007, in a cross-border competition jointly organised by the Department of the Environment and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.

Its first significantly historical settlement was the monastery on nearby Innisfallen Island founded in 640 by St. Finian the Leper,[4] which was occupied for approximately 850 years.

It is home to the ruins of Innisfallen Abbey which was founded in 640 by St. Finian, and was occupied until the monks were dispossessed in 1594, by Elizabeth I, Queen of England.

Aghadoe, the local townland which overlooks present day Killarney, may have begun as a pagan religious site.

The castle was perhaps intended as an early warning outpost due to its views of the entire Killarney valley and lakes region.

The town, and indeed the entire county, had strong republican ties, and skirmishes with the British forces happened on a regular basis.

One notable event during the war was the Headford Ambush when the IRA attacked a railway train a few kilometres from town.

However, divisions among former colleagues were quick to develop following the truce and treaty, and Killarney, like many other areas, suffered in the rash of increasing atrocities during the Civil War.

At the time he was writing, tours of the Ring of Kerry were already an industry and Killarney was considered the starting point of the 175-kilometre (110 mi) circuitous route.

He was fascinated by the horses' endurance on the two-day trip, and leaves clear advice for other travellers; It is a common and wise custom of those who make this tour, and are not pressed for time, to hire the carriage at the hotel in Killarney and continue with it 'all the way round.'

Thomas Browne, 4th Viscount Kenmare founded linen mills in the 1740s as part of his efforts to increase the population and economy of Killarney.

[24][25] In 2023, in a scheme intended to reduce litter volumes during the tourist season, Killarney became the first town in Ireland to ban single-use coffee cups.

Killarney railway station (operated by Iarnród Éireann) has direct services to Tralee, Cork and Dublin, with connections to the rest of the rail network.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that determines the Laws of the Game, met at the Lake Hotel in Killarney in 1905.

Originally the club played in the centre of Killarney, but have since moved to a modern facility (with two pitches) in the Woodlawn area of the town.

The rural hinterland has a large number of football teams, such as Kilcummin, Fossa, Firies, Glenflesk and Gneeveguilla.

Paul Griffin, Sean Casey and Cathal Moynihan members of Muckross Rowing Club, are Olympic and Irish World Championship rowers.

The club has also a large youth and underage set-up catering for all young enthuasists from the town and surrounding areas.

Colin O'Sullivan's 2013 novel, Killarney Blues, is set in the town and was awarded the "Prix Mystère de la critique" in 2018.