Like many other parts of Ireland Kenmare was ravaged by poverty and hunger during the great famine (1845 – 1849). In the 1850’s while the famine had abated the poverty remained and it was this poverty that brought the Poor Clare nuns and in turn Lace making to Kenmare.

In an attempt to generate income for the women and girls of the area the Poor Clare nuns came to Kenmare in approx 1861 and established a convent and industrial school. The Poor Clare’s believed the best way to eliminate poverty was to educate and generate income. Lace making was taught in the convent classrooms by the nuns and in due course the women began to earn small incomes from the work and thus the nuns set about developing lace making into an industry in Kenmare. A major factor in the development of Kenmare Lace was the development of it's own original designs. A school of design was established in Kenmare which was affiliated to the Kensington college of art in London and the Crawford school of Art in Cork. From this school came designs which won acclaim in exhibitions around the world and many international awards. Kenmare Lace counted Queen Victoria amongst it's customers who had 5 pieces of Kenmare Lace.

Kenmare lace is still made today at the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre in Kenmare can be seen in the Heritage Centre situated behind the Tourist Office in the town.

Originally a plantation colony, Kenmare is a small and attractive town set on a deep bay between the Macgillycuddy Reeks to the north and the Caha Mountains to the east. The Irish name for the town is "Neidin" which translates as "little nest" a reference many believe to the "nesting" location of the town between the two mountains.

From Kenmare Pier, you will see the beautiful Kenmare Bay stretch for as far as the eye can see, which is a spectacular sight on a fine day (fine days can be a rarity in Kerry). One of the most striking features of the town of Kenmare is its colorfully painted houses and shops. The town has won and has been runner-up in the "Irish Tidy Towns Competition" on many occasions. The town library is one of the "Carnegie Libraries" funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

As well as being located on the Ring of Kerry, the town of Kenmare is also on the Ring of Beara, another well-regarded tourist trail in the South West.

Sir William Petty established a settlement/plantation scheme here ("Kilmare") around 1670 comprised of English, Cornish, and Welsh protestants. It wasn't however until around 1775 when the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (William Petty-Fitzmaurice) took an interest in the settlement that the town took on its present shape.

He directed that the town's two streets (Henry Street and William Street) be designed to cross each other at an angle thus creating an " X shape " street plan complete with a triangular marketplace. It is thus one of Ireland's first "planned towns".

The influence of the "Marquess of Lansdowne " can be still seen today in the names of some of the local buildings (Lansdowne Arms hotel, once the town residence for William Petty – Fitzmaurice) to the title deeds of many of the lands in and around the Kenmare area which still bear references to the Marquess of Lansdowne.