Description
The Blasket Centre is a legendary and deeply moving cultural museum that offers a wonderful educational space for families exploring Ireland's coastal history. It features a spectacular clifftop building packed with interactive exhibitions, traditional island artefacts, and breathtaking ocean views that make it a highly rated destination for a family day out. If you are researching the best things to do with kids in County Kerry, this modern heritage museum provides a great mix of local history, literary legends, and dramatic scenery to fire up young minds.
Visiting this stunning heritage property will not strain the family budget. Admission to the centre is very affordable, starting at just €3.00 for students and children, while kids under 12 can enter completely free. Families can explore the totally upgraded interactive displays and enjoy the expansive coastal grounds together without breaking the bank.
If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids where you can combine history, dramatic landscapes, and fresh air, this coastal heritage site is an ideal choice. The layout provides plenty of room for children to walk safely while parents can take in panoramic views that stretch across the wild Atlantic archipelago. It offers an easy, self-guided indoor and outdoor experience that can fit comfortably into any family weekend schedule.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: No
Features
Key Features
- Sensory Play and Nature: The sound of crashing waves from the cliffs below, the powerful ocean breeze on the outdoor walkways, and the tactile nature of the interactive screens offer an informal sensory play experience for young children.
- Interactive Learning: Families can enjoy an educational day out by engaging with fully renewed multi-media displays, listening to audio stories, and watching video presentations about how people survived on a remote island.
- Stunning Views: The building features a spectacular fully accessible clifftop viewing platform, creating a visual backdrop that lets kids look directly across the water at the wild Great Blasket Island.
Highlights
- The Clifftop Viewing Platform: A fully accessible, dramatic architectural walkway that extends out toward the ocean. Children will love standing at the edge to look for marine wildlife and boats passing through the sound.
- The Interactive Exhibition Hall: Refurbished during a major multi-million euro project, this area features hands-on displays. Kids can touch digital maps and listen to the recorded voices of the original island inhabitants.
- Traditional Naomhóga (Currachs): The centre displays real examples of traditional canvas-and-tar rowing boats used by the islanders. It is fascinating for kids to see the thin, lightweight boats used to cross the dangerous Atlantic waves.
- The Literary Legacy Room: This section honours the famous island authors who wrote classics like Peig and The Islandman. Older kids can see original handwritten books and learn how a tiny community left a massive mark on world literature.
- The Deserted Village Scale Model: A detailed visual layout showcasing the old thatched houses on the Great Blasket Island. It helps children visualize how the 22 remaining islanders lived before their emergency evacuation to the mainland in 1953.
Beyond the Main Attraction: The property sits right at the western halfway point of the famous Slea Head Drive. If you want to expand your day trip within County Kerry, you can visit the iconic Dunquin Pier just a short distance down the road to see where the seasonal island ferries depart. For more coastal historic adventures, the ancient stone hive structures of Gallarus Oratory are located approximately 12.9km to the northeast. Families looking for more indoor fun can travel 14.4km east into Dingle town to explore the sharks and penguins at Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium.
5.40 miles
