Overview
About Derrycunnihy Church
Why stop
- Distinctive Gothic stonework in a memorable roadside setting.
Heads up
- Parking is across the N71, and interior access is unconfirmed.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Killarney Tour Guide
Your drive to Derrycunnihy Church, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Killarney National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Derrycunnihy Church and the Mass Path“You're approaching Derrycunnihy Church and the start of the Mass Path. The small stone church dates from around eighteen ninety and makes a brief exterior stop.”
Plays as you drive up to Derrycunnihy Church in the Parkwolf Killarney Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Derrycunnihy Falls and Cascade
- Ladies View
- Upper Lake Viewpoint: Rock Shaped by Ice
- Looscaunagh Lough Viewpoint
- 18 audio storiesacross Killarney’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Sika Deer, Feral Goat, and 10 more
- Works offlinemaps, 29 trails, 32 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Derrycunnihy Church
A roadside church and trail startDerrycunnihy Church is a small Roman Catholic church from around 1890, set beside the N71 in…
Derrycunnihy Church is a small Roman Catholic church from around 1890, set beside the N71 in Killarney National Park. Its stone walls and slim spire make it a brief exterior heritage stop, and the old Mass Path starts here for Lord Brandon’s Cottage.
Plan for the roadside stopA small parking area sits across the road from the church, so take care crossing the N71.
A small parking area sits across the road from the church, so take care crossing the N71. Current interior access is unconfirmed; plan on seeing the building from outside. Toilets and drinking water were not confirmed at this stop.
Take the Mass PathThe Mass Path runs 4 km one way from the church to Lord Brandon’s Cottage, descending through…
The Mass Path runs 4 km one way from the church to Lord Brandon’s Cottage, descending through oak woods past streams and abandoned ruins. It is strenuous and rough underfoot, with winter flooding possible, so treat it as a hike rather than a short church visit.
Look for the Gothic detailsThe church has a five-bay nave, porch, sacristy and polygonal apse, built in rubble stone with…
The church has a five-bay nave, porch, sacristy and polygonal apse, built in rubble stone with limestone trim and narrow lancet windows. Its gable has a small quatrefoil opening and a slender spire rises behind the roof. A 2020 conservation project stabilized the chapel and renewed its roof.
River views and nearby fallsThe stone bridge beside the church opens onto river and wooded-hill views.
The stone bridge beside the church opens onto river and wooded-hill views. A rough riverside walk continues to Derrycunnihy Falls about 1 km away and the larger cascade about 1.5 km from the church; the rocks can be slippery, and the water is strongest after rain. Frame the church’s gable and spire with the stone wall and hills from the roadside.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Killarney
104 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
207 sightingsSika DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsFeral GoatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
49 sightingsSwanMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
48 sightingsHeronMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
15 sightingsCormorantMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Killarney. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
