An Taoiseach Mr Ahern & President Clinton

Kerry’s Scenic Platform at Glounsharoon is situated in the townland of Ahaneboy on the N21, approximately 15km from Abbeyfeale and 5km to the North side of Castleisland town. On the perfect elevated site, the Glounsharoon Platform is strategically located at the Gateway to Kerry and at Castleisland's Front Door. It’s ideal location provides a truly majestic and panoramic view of most of County Kerry. At this truly amazing Scenic spot, Glounsharoon' s unique vista opens up and explodes before you, to reveal a landscape that simply takes your breath away.

Bill O'Leary Staff Photographer- Washington Post.

Nature Carved The Kerry Scenic Platform at Glounsharoon,
This is Glounsharoon, Heaven on Earth!

The vista at Glounsharoon is indeed unique, capturing all of Kerry’s mountain ranges, including The Reeks, The Iveragh Peninsula, Slieve-Mish & Brandon’s peak on the Dingle Peninsula and the mighty Carrauntoohil and her sister peaks as well as all of the fabulous ‘little’ peaks on the horizon and the Gap of Dunloe. You can see the Atlantic Ocean, Inch Bay, Castlemaine Bay, Dingle Bay, Cromane Bay and Kells Bay and you get a heavenly view of the Belly of Kerry. Truly awesome and spectacular scenery, unique to the Glounsharoon Platform.

Approximately 2.5m tourists visit Kerry annually. Most visitors to Kerry pass through this Gateway to Kerry at Glounsharoon and in particular for those tourists visiting Kerry, this Glounsharoon Scenic Platform at Castleisland is the first impression they get regarding what Kerry has to offer. And you know what they say, First Impressions Matter!

Con, By Mark Baker

CON HOULIHAN.
Con Houlihan grew up near Glounsharoon and was 'steeped' and 'reared-in-it’ and loved it and it showed in the way he wrote extensively and affectionately about it.

When thinking of Glounsharoon and the surrounding countryside, Con Houlihan said; ‘’It was a place where one can refresh the spirit and we all need such places’’. Con recalled D.H. Lawrence, the messages that rise from the depths of the earth, which we cannot articulate but that affect us profoundly. He often quoted the Greek poet Cavafy's line 'in these fields and streets where you grew up, there you will always live and there you will die’. He was all talk about the places around Glounsharoon in an embodiment of those lines. Con rests eternally as per his preference, in The Valley Of The Secrets, clearly visible from Glounsharoon. Extracts from 'Waiting For Houlihan'.

Portrait Image by Mark Baker. Con wrote about his love for Glounsharoon in many of his fabulous articles, Refer Irish Independent, Extracts here:

The Calls of Cattle Going to the Fair and of Town Criers:
 As you come from Limerick into Kerry, the road starts to rise at Headley's Bridge. After about three miles you reach the summit of the road in the townland of Gleannsharoon. Now you are looking down at a great valley ringed all around with hills and mountains. Geographers call it The Castle Island Gap: sensible people call it The Heart Of The Kingdom. Bertie Ahern says it is his favourite view in the whole world. 

The Common Fate of Turf and Man:
Our house was about three steps off the high road to Dublin and was hardly conducive to serious study -- or even comical study. People were always calling in: the men came to talk about football and politics and the weather; the women came to talk about hatching hens, the neighbours and the weather. The teapot was always on the hob and there was an apple cake lurking in the background. And so with a few sandwiches and a bottle of milk and a few books, not to mention three crazy terriers, I used to go to a favourite place. It was about two miles from the house and about 700 feet above the Atlantic -- which I could see on both sides of Slemish Mountain. Usually I brought enough scraps to keep the terriers happy -- but that wasn't always so. Some days at about 12 o'clock they would suddenly jump up and go off as if devils were chasing them. My mother was preparing rabbit or fish and my three unfaithful friends were determined to get their share. They usually came back about an hour later, looking very pleased with themselves. Some days the four of us would go a few miles further away -- to the summit of the road at Gleannsharoon -- about a thousand feet above the ocean. From there you are looking at The Heart Of The Kingdom. Bertie Ahern once said to me that it was his favourite view...next of course to the sight of Fine Gael and Labour on the opposition benches.

TAOISEACH BERTIE AHERN.
Bertie Ahern looks forward to seeing it and speaks accordingly of it. He once said to Con Houlihan that Glounsharoon is his ''favourite view in the world''

Bertie Ahern

Con Houlihan wrote about Glounsharoon ''From there you are looking at The Heart Of The Kingdom. Bertie Ahern once said to me that it was his favourite view, the best view in the world'' Imagine That! Bertie Ahern said that Glounsharoon was his favourite view in the Whole Wide World!

''My thoughts on Glounsharoon:
Each time I travel the Road into the Kingdom of Kerry to spend precious time with family and nature,
I stop to view Glounsharoon.
I think of the Irish Poet and Scholar of John O’Donoghue where he speaks of the silence of landscape:

The silence of landscape conceals vast presence. Place is not simply location. A place is a profound individuality.
Its surface texture of grass and stone is blessed by rain, wind and light. With complete attention landscape celebrates the liturgy of the seasons, giving itself unreservedly to the passion of the goddess. The shape of a landscape is an ancient and silent form of consciousness. Mountains are huge contemplatives. Rivers and streams offer voice; they are the tears of the earth’s joy and despair. The earth is full of soul.”
Regards,
Bertie Ahern,
20/04/2021.

Absolutely Beautiful! Thank You Mr. Ahern.

A proud aspiring 'Son of Kerry', Bertie Ahern is known to spend much of his holiday time in South West Kerry. Bertie Ahern invariably stops at Glounsharoon on his trips to Kerry to take in the fabulous Glounsharoon panoramic scenery. Around 1990, he wrote a fabulous piece in a National Newspaper about his times spent on holidays. His abiding memory above the rest was that incredible ‘Truly-Irish’ vista from Glounsharoon. In the article, Bertie Ahern said that this vista at Glounsharoon was in his opinion the best view anywhere in the world and it lingered in his minds-eye for ages afterwards. That is a great accolade for Glounsharoon.

Bill & Jacki

BILL O'LEARY & JACKI LYDEN.
Bill O’Leary is a 2022 Pulitzer Prize Winner and Staff Photographer with the Washington Post, He and his wife *Jacki Lyden visit Kerry annually. The view from Glounsharoon ‘Takes our breath away’.
 ‘’That beautiful view of the Kingdom from Glounsharoon, constantly changing, the best view on planet earth''
Bill O'Leary is a world renowned Photographer.
Bill played a pivotal role as ‘The Post’ scooped the 2022 Pulitzer Gold Medal, the Pulitzer Prize for public service  The Top and most coveted Pulitzer Prize.
Bill has a lovely piece in the Maine Valley Post about Glounsharoon:
Click HERE: Bill O’Leary: From the Calm on Glounsharoon to the Chaos on Capitol Hill
*Jacki Lyden is a famous Author/Writer/Broadcaster.
In fact Jacki Lyden has the distinction of having her news organization, NPR NEWS, first reporter on the air from New York that dreadful day on September 11th 2001.

Peter O'Connor

PROFESSOR PETER O'CONNOR - AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY (NZ)
Professor Peter O’Connor of Auckland University, New Zealand considers the Panoramic Scenery at Glounsharoon breath-taking and unique. Peter is a descendant of the first Castleisland All Black ‘Timmy Behane O’Connor’ from Kilcusnan. He has advised both the Department of Education in New Zealand and in Ireland. On trips to Ireland he always visits Kerry and his beloved Glounsharoon.
“The view from Glounsharoon is breath-taking and unique. We have such stunning views in New Zealand as well. But Glounsharoon is perfectly positioned to become an outstanding international tourist landmark. For those of us of the Kerry diaspora, nothing lets you know you are home more than that view.  It’s like the invitation mat has been laid out before you,’’ said Peter.
The GREEN Mat of Welcome at Glounsharoon is not 'So-Green' due to the KCC actions and inactions destroying this Majestic Landmark. 

T.M. O'DONOVAN
TM O’Donovan: BOOK  A Popular History Of East Kerry by T.M. Donovan;
‘’…In the summer time he had a magnificent view from the Priest’s Tree, as it is called to the present day. The beautiful valley of the Maine spread itself out before him, and the circle of enclosing hills round by Crinna, Folye Pilip, and Croaghane; Slieve Mis, separating Dingle and Tralee Bays; and the Blue Reeks standing out so grandly in the south west. Father Maurice, even in heaven, must often think of the glorious landscape that would delight the heart of any Kerryman’’.