Travel with Thom Breathnach: Six stays in the Kingdom for less than €150

Kerry good value? — There is something truly magical about heading to the Kingdom

It might be a bold statement to make as a Corkonian, but there’s something truly magical about heading to the Kingdom. It’s that cathartic feeling of road-tripping West and chasing the sun and catching that first glimpse of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks in the horizon after crossing the county line beyond Ballyvourney. And it never gets old. Having both lived and holidayed in Killarney over the years, the area seems to offer a soul-feeding sense of peak Ireland 24/7 and 365. Call it the never-ending spell of the county’s charm: an draíocht san Ríocht.

It’s that sense of escape Kerry offers — even to us Irish – that makes the county such an evergreen staycation hotspot.