KERRY has once again come to global attention after featuring in an 11-page spread in the  February/March 2015 issue of the of ‘National Geographic Traveler’.

As one of the most recognizable magazines worldwide, it is another big win for Kerry tourism to have ‘Ross Castle’ in Killarney featured as the cover in what can only be described as a truly stunning photograph.

Acclaimed travel writer and former Hollywood actor (Pretty In Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire) Andrew McCarthy visited ‘The Kingdom’ in search of his roots, ultimately tracing his ancestors to a small farm in the parish of Duagh, a few miles south of Listowel.

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“I’d be able to go and walk the land that my great-grandfather had walked before he left Ireland for good and came to America,” he writes.

During his trip here, he climbs Carrauntoohill, takes a visit to Kenmare and makes his way toward the Dingle Peninsula.

“I can feel my resistance softening to the idea of Kerry as my homeland. How can it not feel right to be connected to all this?” he writes.

All of this will come as great news for ‘Tourism Ireland’ as it looks to build on the success of recent years with 2014 being the best year ever for tourism from the United States, with visitor numbers increasing by 13pc over 2013 – 134,000 additional American visitors during the year.