Cahernane House hotel review: Killarney’s ‘best-kept secret’ gets a €7.8m makeover

Cahernane House has joined the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. And its owners aren’t finished yet...

An elegant bedroom in Killarney's Cahernane House Hotel

Pól Ó Conghaile

Does Killarney have the highest concentration of hotels in Ireland? With more than two dozen for a population of around 15,000, by my calculations, it certainly can’t be far off.

While names like The Great Southern, Gleneagle and Killarney Park are well-known, Cahernane House bills itself as “Killarney’s best-kept secret”. Built in 1877, this is the town’s only manor house-style hotel, and it has been upgrading in recent years — redoing rooms, restaurants and adding a lovely suite of Coach House stays thanks to a €7.8m spend by owners, the Prem Group.