ONE OF THE most elaborate of all royal visits to Ireland was Queen Victoria’s third visit in August 1861 when she was accompanied by Albert, the prince consort, and four of their children. The highlight of her visit came when she travelled by train to Killarney to spend three nights as guest of Lord Castlerosse and Colonel Herbert, two leading landlords of Kerry.
Alighting from the royal coach on the hand of Albert, the queen was formally welcomed by her hosts and ceremoniously escorted to an open carriage in front of the Railway Hotel. Escorted by dragoons and mounted constabulary, the cortege passed along the Ross Road where thousands of people waved and cheered. Many had paid for vantage points on five specially-erected tiered galleries. All the substantial landlords and the magistrates of Kerry along with their families had privileged positions at chosen points. Entering Killarney House by the Keeper’s Gate, the cortege moved slowly along the long avenue to where Lady Castlerosse awaited amid a carpet of crimson and scarlet cloth to receive the monarch. A sumptuous meal was served while the royal standard flew high above the house of Kenmare.
In the fading light, a fireworks display from O’Donoghue’s Prison, a small island a mile distant, lit up the lake and the rugged mountains, with the bright lights and echoing explosions conveying a sense of the wild grandeur and beauty of the locality to the assembled guests.
Thousands of people came to view the spectacle on the lakes the following morning. Blessed with good weather for the principal event, an enormous flotilla of craft of all sorts awaited the royal party at Ross.
At midday the royals and their hosts filled the two custom-made barges, oarsmen at the ready, while over a hundred boats formed two lines out from the quay. As the barges pulled swiftly from the shore, a forest of oars was instantaneously raised and rousing cheers and applause echoed around from those on land and water. Harps and shamrocks adorned the banners on many of the boats and contrasted with the colourful pennants of the gentry and their guests.
Followed at a respectful distance by the hundreds of smaller craft, the royal party circled Innisfallen Island and coasted round by Tomies before disembarking at Glena Cottage where they had lunch and lingered amid its beauties. A young Killarney man played Irish airs on the bugle as the party resumed its excursion. Rowed by eight men, the queen’s barge went through the middle lake, under the Old Weir Bridge into the Long Range, past the Eagle’s Nest and on to Derrycunnihy Waterfall. Here the royal party disembarked for tea under a magnificent marquee. Later, the barges proceeded down into Muckross Lake, under Brickeen Bridge to Lough Leane, and finally to the quay at Ross Castle.
That evening, after a tree-planting ceremony at Killarney House, the royal party set out for Muckross House. Large crowds thronged the roads to watch as the carriages bearing the queen and her family traversed the few miles to Colonel Herbert’s stately mansion, deemed one of the finest in the realm. Festooned with flowers and evergreens, a triumphal arch spanned the roadway at the estate. Against a serene and cloudless sky, the queen and her family were received on the lawn by the Herberts and a grand concourse of invited ladies and gentlemen. No expense was spared for the visitors who were enjoying a private sojourn for the two nights of their stay.
On the following morning with Mrs Herbert as guide, the queen and consort drove around the Muckross demesne taking in Dinish Island and Muckross Abbey before going towards Mangerton and turning into a new road, later known as the Queen’s Drive. This permitted access to the height above Torc Waterfall. Here the royals descended the glen on foot to view and admire the cascading waters. The queen passed through the tunnel to the demesne. Driven round the narrow paths of the estate, the queen chose a promontory to be named as Victoria Point. In the afternoon, the queen was again on the lakes in Colonel Herbert’s state barge as a stag hunt commenced near Tomies.
Killarney remained en fete for the final day of the queen’s visit. In the mid-morning, huge crowds lined the route as the royals proceeded to the station. In addition to outriders, equerries and dragoons, the queen was accompanied by a great cavalcade of the local nobility and gentry, in carriages and on horseback, as well as many other notabilities from distant parts of Ireland. The people cheered and applauded and the queen smiled and bowed while her husband doffed his hat in acknowledgment.
The principal officers of the Great Southern and Western Railway attended as the queen tendered her cordial goodbyes to her hosts and boarded the royal coach. As the train steamed slowly out of the station for Dublin, some of the assembled dignitaries speculated that the queen might perchance honour the country by acquiring a Kerry holiday retreat.
As the hundreds of soldiers and constabulary struck their tents to return to barracks, and the sizeable press corps prepared to entrain for distant parts, the consensus was that the ordinary people were a model of loyalty and allegiance to the crown.
The royal visit to Killarney presaged grave financial difficulties for the Muckross and Kenmare estates in part arising from the vast sums expended for the queen’s lavish reception. However, an enduring benefit for the Kerry region was its acceptance as a premier attraction of Ireland for its magnificent natural beauty.