Listowel is situated in the heart of North Kerry. It is a large town which has an individual look, this can be seen in the many unique shop front designs spotted throughout the town. Listowel offers great variety of entertainment to visitors including theatre, cinema, traditional music sessions, festivals, walking and heritage trails, golfing, pitch and putt, and fishing.
The town is home to many internationally known playwrights and authors, which has lead to the town often being referred to as the Literary Capital of Ireland. The Seanchai Literary Centre, located near the castle celebrates the works of the great Kerry writers and your tour of Kerry would not be complete without a visit here. For literary enthusiasts why not plan your vacation to coincide with the annual Writers' Week Literary Festival in June. One of Listowels most famous writers is John B. Keane, he has a world famous hostelry in the town well worth a visit. You can catch a play at St John's Theatre and Arts Centre, which is a former Church of Ireland Gothic Style church located in the centre of the Town Square . It also features the best local, national and international music, dance and exhibitions.
Listowel Castle, around which the the town grew up is one of the best examples of Anglo-Norman architecture in Kerry. There are daily tours of the restored castle.
The Listowel Races draws a great crowd each year, second in attendances only to the Galway races. The races last for seven days in September and there are many events also going on throughout the town with the harvest festival which coincides with the races. If you are visiting later in the year Listowel Food Fair is held in November.
Listowel has a wide range of quality accommodation to suit all budgets, ranging from hotels and bed & breakfasts to hostels and self catering accommodation. Listowel has a nice variety of pubs which are well worth a visit on a warm summers evening or a cold winters one!.
For diners there are a selection of restaurants
Designed by Frenchman Charles Lartigue, Lartigue Monorail provides visitors of all ages the opportunity to experience a unique form of rail travel. It has a special place in railway history as the only monorail of its type to operate successfully on a commercial basis. During its lifetime, the original Lartigue Monorail was an object of much interest, curiosity and amusement. If you like history there is also the Vintage Wireless museum and Listowel Military & Historical Museum.