Kennedy family holiday in Kerry

Members of the famous Kennedy family, here for the launch of the annual Kennedy Summer School programme in Wexford, have taken time out to visit some top tourist attractions in the south-west.

Rory Kennedy, the youngest of the 11 children of the late senator Robert and Ethel Kennedy, spent a few days in Kerry with her husband Mark and their three children.

A highlight of their stay was a day trip to Skellig Michael, a Unesco world heritage site with monastic remains dating to the seventh century and an internationally recognised seabird colony.

They were brought to the cone-shaped rock, rising more than 200m out of the sea 12km off the south Kerry coast, by boatman Pat O’Neill.

According to Bob Harris, the OPW’s head guide on Skellig, they enjoyed the trip immensely. “The weather was absolutely fantastic and there was a lot of whale activity around here at the time,’’ he said.

“They were able to spot minke whales and the thousands of puffins on the rock. There are 6,000 to 7,000 puffins here and the children were particularly interested in the puffins —they certainly got a feast for their eyes.’’

Mr Harris said the family knew something about the Skellig, visited by thousands of people annually, prior to their arrival.

“It’s a unique and special place and very much a monument to a different way of looking at things,’’ he told Radio Kerry.

The Kennedys were very sociable and down to earth, he noted. They also played golf on the famous Ballybunion links and went kayaking in Dingle.