Crag Cave Castleisland

Description

Shop at a huge gift shop. Dine in the restaurant. Let kids run loose in the Crazy Cave play land. And see a million year old cave that was discovered by cave divers in 1983. The cave is 3.8 km long and renowned for its stalactites, stalagmites, and pillars.

How to get there

Crag Cave is located 1 mile off Main St. in Castleisland. Look for Crag Cave signs.

By car:

From Killarney, take N23 north to Castleisland.

From Tralee, take N21 east to Castleisland.

From Limerick, take N21 south to Castleisland.

By bus:

See www.buseireann.ie website for all current travel details and restrictions.

Opening times

January – February: Wed and Sun only, 10AM-6PM

Mid March – December: Daily, 10AM-6PM

July – August: Daily, 10AM-6:30PM

Later by appointment. Last tour is half hour before closing.

Admission Fees

Adult 12 euro

Child 5 euro

Student 6 euro

Senior Citizen 8 euro

Family (2 adults, 2 children under 16 yrs) 30 euro

Family (2 adults, 4 children under 16 yrs) 35 euro

Child combined ticket (includes admission to Crag Cave and Crazy Cave) 10 euro

Child to Crazy Cave only (1 ½ hr play) 7 euro

Address

Crag Cave

Castleisland, Co. Kerry

Tel: (0)66 71 41244

Email: info@cragcave.com

Web: www.cragcave.com

My experience

It was like stepping into a tourist mall shopping extravaganza. Literally, you walk in the front door and smack into a huge, frenzied gift shop and café. I wanted to walk right back out. Crag Cave is very poorly thought out floor plan - or ingeniously thought out for a company that wants to make a buck selling loads of trinkets. I’m surprised they need to do this, because the cost of admission is steep here. We came to see a cave, not to buy mass-produced tourist crap.

It seems the cave is not the focal point here. The tour was impersonal and generic, nothing special. I don’t know why it is promoted as “Ireland’s most exciting show cave.” The lighting design inside the cave was insensitive, all the light fixtures are exposed, calling more attention to themselves than to the stalactites.

My travel partner thought it would be more exciting to build the café inside the cave. It would be a way for these business owners to make more bucks. “Irelands most exciting dining, inside a cave !” Maybe that will (not) be next.

There are plenty of ways to improve the experience here. Until this is done, I don’t recommend this place.

Written by Liz O' Malley - Summer of Travel 2007