For a unique experience of old Ireland, Muckross Traditional Farms offers a peek into the past lives of those living in the countryside;  where fetching a bucket of water from the well was a daily chore and cooking was done on a roaring open fire, as electricity was yet to be introduced.

Back in the 1930’s and 1940’s, the only horsepower consisted of the four legged kind and was used to carry out all the farming activities using traditional machinery – this work can still be seen today and there is a dedicated group of individuals who only use the traditional methods to work the land – the Irish Working Horse Association. The life of a farmer was governed more so back then by the seasons and weather.

You can visit three separate farm dwellings, each housing farm machinery and animals; small medium and large. Each dwelling is fully furnished with traditional furniture, dressers, beds and at the heart of every Irish home, a kitchen with an open fire. Inside each cottage is a traditional ‘bean an tí’, woman of the house who will have you tasting the wonderful traditional Irish soda bread; made and cooked right in front of you on the fire.

The final building on the tour is Muckross Schoolhouse; it was built to resemble many typical rural Irish schools from circa 1910. The school is divided into two rooms with a large antique folding door; traditionally each teacher would have several classes going on in the one room.

The children will be entertained for the whole trip as there are animals around every corner and a special petting area. Nearing the end of the route is Muckross Playground – this is fun for kids of all ages. There are also picnic benches to enjoy some lunch or light refreshments.

There is a free bus service that regularly operates the route, you can be picked up along the way at any stage if you or the little ones get tired.

Contact information

Muckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farm, Muckross, Killarney, Co. Kerry.

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