Eyeries

Eyeries is a village of a few hundred people on the northern side of the Beara peninsula, and it is photographed constantly for one reason: every house on the main street is painted a different strong colour - pinks, oranges, yellows, purples, blues - against green hills and the water of Coulagh Bay behind. The practice took hold from the 1980s and has been maintained since. It has won national tidy towns awards. The village stands above the bay with the Slieve Miskish mountains behind and the Ballycrovane ogham stone, at over five metres the tallest in Ireland, a short distance along the coast. Beyond looking at it and having a drink there is not a great deal to do, and that is the honest scale of a visit. The roads in are narrow with passing places, and the Beara is one of the least trafficked of the south-western peninsulas, which is much of its appeal.

What you actually see

• The painted street - every house a different strong colour.
• Coulagh Bay - the water and the Slieve Miskish hills behind the village.
• The Ballycrovane ogham stone - over five metres, the tallest in Ireland, nearby.
• The Beara quiet - far less traffic than the Ring of Kerry.

When to go

April to October, and on a bright day - the colours are the point and grey weather flattens them. An hour covers the village; combine it with the Beara loop.

Honest expectations

Very small - the visit is a street, a pub and a view. Narrow roads with passing places, and limited parking. Services in the village are minimal and seasonal.

Nearby

Allihies and the copper mine museum are west; Ardgroom and the Healy Pass are east.