Films like Ryan's Daughter, Far and Away and Playboy of the Western World have certainly helped to put the county, particularly the Dingle Peninsula, on the global tourist map, while celebrities who holiday there include Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. Further back, Charlie Chaplin and his family were also regular visitors to the Ring of Kerry.

With a population of around 120,000 and an area of 1,815 sq miles, Kerry is the fifth largest county in Ireland. It also has the longest coastline in the country, with three large peninsulas. The Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, Crag Caves, the Blasket Islands and Muckross House and Gardens are just some of the attractions that draw visitors, along with a combination of fantastic scenery, high mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, bogland, rugged coastline and offshore islands.

Despite Irish tourism suffering a slight downturn this year, Kerry is still holding its own, according to Imelda Walsh, managing director of www. homefromhomeholidays. com, an internet-based agency that specialises in renting self-catering holiday homes around Ireland.

"This has been a difficult year for several reasons, including the World Cup, which took away a lot of visitors for the month of June. But Kerry is still doing well, particularly with the family market, with people looking for good quality holiday homes near to beaches and activities, " says Walsh, although she adds that holiday home owners need to reassess what they're offering if they want to compete with the hotel market.

"People want comfort these days.

Time is precious and people have more disposable income, so they want a relaxed family holiday close to restaurants and leisure facilities, and they want high-quality holiday homes.

The days of offering basic accommodation are gone, " she says.

Yet Walsh she believes the county will continue to do well because of its wide appeal. "Kerry attracts families, singles, golfers, water sports enthusiasts and hill-walkers because it can cater for all these needs."

Top tourist towns include Kenmare, Dingle and Cahirciveen, along with many of the towns and villages on the Ring of Kerry, while the inland town of Killarney also attracts a lot of visitors.

Property prices are high, with goodquality purpose-built holiday homes selling for between 300,000 and 550,000. Second-hand cottages and farmhouses start from about 150,000. Rents for purpose-built holiday homes range from 750 to 1,000 per week in high season to 300 to 370 per week in low season.

KENMARE

Distance from Dublin: 210 miles KKey attractions: Kenmare Heritage Centre, Adrigole Arts Centre, Star Sailing and Adventure Centre, Ring of Kerry Golf Course, Killarney National Park and Ring of Beara.

Shopping and eating: Over 30 restaurants, bars, craft shops and hotels in town, including popular spots like Con's Seafood Restaurant, Lime Tree Irish and International Restaurant, Jam's Cafe and Bakery, the Horse Shoe Bistro and Kenmare Bay Hotel. Well-known shops include Cruiscin Pottery, De Barra Silversmith, and Kenmare Lace.

Entertainment: Pony-trekking, diving in Kenmare Bay, hillwalking around the Kerry Way and the Beara Way, and angling at Clonee Lake, Kenmare Bay and Black Valley.

Average price of a holiday home: 300,000-plus, for a three-bed, good quality purpose-built holiday home, and around 200,000 for a cottage or second-hand property outside town.

Designated a Heritage Town by Failte Ireland, Kenmare is one of the prettiest tourist towns in Ireland.

Founded in 1670 by Sir William Petty, it has managed to preserve many of its original features. the town, conscious of its place on the international tourist map, is well maintained and has won awards from the Tidy Towns committee and the Entente Floral. About one hour's drive from Cork and 40 minutes from Killarney, Kenmare is often referred to as the jewel in the Ring of Kerry.

"You could expect to pay 300,000plus for a good quality holiday home in or near somewhere like Kenmare, " says local estate agent Mark Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Daly. Second-hand properties further out of town cost from about 200,000.

"The UK market used to be very strong throughout Kerry, but nowadays the Irish are our main buyers. Sterling is still strong, but the UK buyers seemed to be going for property in the cheaper countries, " Daly said, adding that most Irish buyers are aged between 40 and 60, and come mainly from Dublin and Cork.

"This age group has built up very strong equity in their homes. Their families are growing up and they're looking for something that is both an investment and for personal use, or somewhere to retire to in the future, " he said. Daly is currently selling new holiday homes at Pairc an Callan in Kenmare, where three-bed semis with a floor area of 106 sq m (1,140sq ft) cost from around 340,000, and come with a guaranteed rental income of 8,000 per annum for four years.

DINGLE

Distance from Dublin: 218 miles KKey attractions: Dingle Ocean World Marine Centre, Gallarus Oratory, the Blasket Centre, Slea Head, Dingle Harbour and Peninsula.

Shopping and eating: Brian de Staic Jewellery, Louis Mulcahy Pottery, Doyle's Restaurant, Dingle Hotel, An Cafe Liteartha.

Entertainment: Hill-walking, Irish language and music courses, golfing and water sports.

Average price of a holiday home:

Second-hand three-beds from about 250,000 to 300,000, and new upmarket holiday homes around 500,000.

The town from which the Dingle Peninsula takes its name, this picturesque harbour town is renowned for its narrow streets with brightly painted houses and colourful shop fronts. There are over 50 pubs in the town, a Gaeltacht town with a population of 1,300, along with a welldeveloped craft industry.

Estate agent Padraig Lynch Jnr of ERA Padraig Lynch & Co says Dingle has a thriving tourist industry because of its beaches, golf clubs, harbour and restaurants.

"The Dingle market is extremely busy of late, particularly with regard to holiday homes. Dingle is seen as a great investment opportunity for those interested in buy-to-rent properties, as property prices are appreciating rapidly all the time and the average holiday home in the area can expect to raise anywhere between 8,000 to 18,000 in rental per annum."

Detached holiday homes at the Carn Ard development, with views overlooking Dingle Harbour, cost from 500,000 (ERA Padraig Lynch & Co, 066-9151521). But three-bed, second-hand properties in need of some refurbishment can still be got for around 250,000. About three miles out, in Flemingstown, old houses in reasonable condition cost between 270,000 and 300,000.

CAHIRCIVEEN
Distance from Dublin: 226 miles KKey attractions: Cahirciveen Heritage Centre, Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church, Ballycarbery Castle, Valentia Island, Caher Gael and Leacanabuaile Stone Fort.

SShopping and eating: Traditional fair days are still held regularly and wellknown places to eat include Brennan's Restaurant, Daniel O'Connell Hotel, the Old School House Restaurant and Teach Cullain.

EEntertainment: Driving or cycling the Ring of Kerry, windsurfing, horseriding and hill-walking.

Average price of a holiday home: From 150,000 for a derelict cottage, and from 330,000 to 550,000 for a new, purpose-built holiday home.

Cahirciveen, a traditional market town and capital of the Iveragh Peninsula, is an ideal base for touring the Ring of Kerry, and for visiting Valentia and the Skellig Islands a short ferry trip away.

Every summer the town hosts a festival of music and arts, which attracts quite a few international visitors. As one of the most popular tourist towns in Kerry, property prices here are high.

Cahirciveen-based estate agent, Pauline Sugrue says demand for holiday homes is very strong in this area, and this is evident in the prices being paid. "A good-quality holiday home in a new development costs from around 330,000, and if you opt for something very luxurious in somewhere like the new Cloisters residential scheme, you could pay up to 550,000.

"But rents around here are very good, around 1,000 per week in July and August, and not lower than 370 per week in the winter, " she adds.

While Sugrue agrees that the number of UK buyers has declined slightly, she says they still tend to buy the 'doer-upper' type cottages and farmhouses that are more remote and need complete renovation.

"But even the old derelict homes have gone way up in price around Cahirciveen, " Sugrue says, "with prices starting from 150,000. It's almost impossible to get planning permission these days, so the old properties are very sought after."