Standing Stones

An ample entrance lobby does not prepare you for the dramatic, double-height living area beyond; an expansive multifunctional sitting room, dining room, and kitchen combined – the essence of this home.

A tall stone chimney breast – home to a traditional wood-burning stove – dominates one wall, while exclusive artworks feature on others.
A trait of this home is the irregular riven flagstone flooring, softened by occasional ornamental rugs and topped with classic Club sofas and armchairs.
Brilliant roof lighting dapples the interior.

The kitchen occupies one corner of this busy space, defined by a substantial timber prep island-cum-breakfast bar, complete with inset sink, and fringed with stools. A time-honoured black enamel gas range is supplemented by an electric oven.
Additional fridge and freezer space is allocated to the adjoining utility room, where you will also find assorted appliances like micro-wave and laundry facilities, a back door, and room for boots.

Adjacent to the kitchen area, the matching dining table comfortably seats eight, with lots of elbow room.
From here, French doors open onto the gravelled back yard, with its picnic table.

Through the large archway on the eastern wall of the house, is an additional seating area – this time with panoramic windows on all sides, framing spectacular views across to the lake. Here too are French doors to the garden, framed by the quintessential linen drapes found elsewhere throughout this home.
Apart from the TV, the main star of the show is a gorgeous Baby Grand Piano – sadly, pianist not provided.

Sleeps up to 6 guests.

Two generous bedrooms occupy one end of the ground floor, each with gleaming ensuite bathrooms – both bath & shower. One has a double bed, and the other can be converted from a twin.
A very spacious master bedroom with its oblique ensuite bathroom, spans the attic space above. Access is via a dedicated staircase – another striking feature of the living room.

There is also a small guest WC off the short passage leading to the ground floor bedrooms.

The cottage is privately set, with a wide gravel driveway that wraps around, and lawns extending beyond, dotted with an audience of random boulders, like mini megaliths – hence the name.
Across the rear yard is a studio, used by the owners when they are in residence.

• Walk the Caragh Lake Trail and Mountain Spur, starting practically at the door. The lake trail is a beautiful gentle loop through forest above the water; the mountain spur is short but steep, with a 360-degree panorama taking in MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, Dingle Bay, Inch Beach and the Atlantic. One of the finest viewpoints in Kerry
• Kayak or SUP on Caragh Lake, Caragh Outdoors offers guided kayak tours on the lake twice daily (10am–1pm and 2–5pm). T: 087 917 7386. The lake is calm, sheltered and extraordinarily beautiful from the water
• Guided fly fishing on the Upper Caragh Fishery, the Caragh River is one of the finest salmon rivers in Kerry, with spring salmon from January and sea trout from mid-June. Weekly and daily permits available at Blackstones Bridge. Rods and ghillies can be arranged locally
• Hike into MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountain range begins on the doorstep. Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest peak at 1,038 metres, is less than 30 minutes away. Guided ascents available with local operators, Sea to Summit Adventures comes highly recommended for all abilities
• Drive the Ring of Kerry, the full 179km loop from Killorglin through Kenmare, Waterville, Cahersiveen and back. Allow a full day and don’t rush it. The stretch from Waterville to Cahersiveen is one of the great Atlantic coastal drives

• Visit the Kerry Bog Village Museum, Glenbeigh, a short drive along the Ring of Kerry, this open-air museum recreates 19th-century rural Kerry life with thatched cottages, period tools and friendly Irish Kerry Bog Ponies. Surprisingly absorbing
• Swim at Rossbeigh Beach, a 5km Blue Flag sand and shingle spit extending into Dingle Bay, about 20 minutes from Caragh Lake. One of the finest beaches in Kerry and surprisingly uncrowded
• Golf at Dooks Golf Club, one of the oldest and most characterful links courses in Ireland, at Dooks on the Ring of Kerry. Established 1889, with views across Dingle Bay and the Reeks. A proper old-fashioned links
• Visit Killarney National Park and Muckross House, about 40 minutes south, Ireland’s oldest national park with the lakes, oak woods and the Victorian mansion at Muckross. Jaunting car hire from the Muckross gates
• Puck Fair, Killorglin, held every August 10th, 11th and 12th, this is one of Ireland’s oldest and most unusual street festivals, where a wild mountain goat is crowned King Puck and raised on a high platform above the town for three days. Ancient, joyful and genuinely Kerry

Right on the lake

• Carrig Country House Lakeside Restaurant — the most special dinner option in the area, and minutes from Standing Stones. A beautifully restored Victorian country house on the shores of Caragh Lake, with an award-winning restaurant overlooking the water. Modern Irish and continental cooking, excellent wine list, utterly relaxed atmosphere. Non-residents are warmly welcomed. Open for dinner from 6.30pm. Reservations: 066 976 9100. The New York Times called it “the kind of inn that Ireland does especially well, more cozy than ostentatious, brimming with antiques, scented by wood-burning fireplaces.” Book ahead

In Killorglin, 10 minutes away

• The Bianconi — a landmark inn with over 150 years of welcoming visitors to Killorglin. Good Food Ireland National Pub Restaurant of the Year 2025 and Best Casual Dining in Kerry 2026. Warm, reliably excellent, the kind of place you go back to.
• 10 Bridge Street — set in a beautifully renovated 200-year-old church on Lower Bridge Street. Modern Irish and Mediterranean — the tapas menu is consistently well reviewed and the setting is genuinely striking. Open summer months
• Jack’s Coastguard Restaurant, Cromane — a short drive from Killorglin at Cromane, right on the water. Famous for its mussels — Cromane is one of Ireland’s great mussel-producing areas, and for the views across the bay. The standout seafood option in the area.
• Bunkers Bar & Restaurant — Killorglin’s reliable local, with a superb whiskey selection and some of the best pub grub in town. Good for an informal evening
• Jack’s Bakery, Killorglin — the best coffee and baking in the town. Worth stopping on the way out in the morning

Standing Stones sits in Muingaphuca, a quiet townland above Caragh Lake in the civil parish of Killorglin — elevated, south-facing and with views across the lake that change completely depending on the light. MacGillycuddy’s Reeks rise behind, the Ring of Kerry runs below, and the Atlantic is a short drive away.

Killorglin, 10 minutes away, is the nearest town, a lively market town on the River Laune, famous for Puck Fair and with a solid range of restaurants, pubs, shops and a SuperValu for provisions. Fill up with petrol here on arrival and keep the tank topped up, the roads in this part of Kerry are beautiful but remote.

Caragh Lake itself is one of the finest freshwater lakes in Ireland, fed by the Caragh River from the Reeks, renowned for salmon and trout fishing, and almost entirely undeveloped around its shoreline. The combination of dark mountain water, ancient oak woodland and the Reeks as a backdrop is something that stays with you.

MacGillycuddy’s Reeks — Ireland’s highest mountain range, dominates the skyline. Carrauntoohil, the highest peak at 1,038 metres, draws serious hillwalkers year-round. The Reeks District Visitor Centre in Killorglin is a good first stop for trail information and local guides.

Kerry Airport (Farranfore) is just 30 minutes away, one of the things that makes this part of Kerry surprisingly accessible despite feeling so remote.

The Ring of Kerry — the 179km coastal loop from Killorglin, is one of the great scenic drives in Ireland, running through Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Sneem and Kenmare before returning via Killarney. Allow a full day and leave early before the coach traffic builds.