McSweeney Arms Hotel — Hotel in Killarney Municipal District

This review is for the SandTrap Sports Bar and Restaurant downstairs - NOT the hotel.

ocated on the ground floor of the McSweeney Arms Hotel, this isn’t a bad place for a late afternoon lunch. Top notch food, served in an upscale environment. It’s billed as a sports bar and seems to focus on a golf theme, but they have full table service and a righteous menu. The place is decked out in lots of dark colored wood trim, and they have beer and a full bar of course. It’s definitely on the upper end of what I would consider a sports bar.

The food was PERFECT, the service was ok, but could have been a touch better. Nothing huge to complain about though. They just didn’t check in on us often enough. Had to ask for more drinks, the bill, etc. No big deal.

The food quality and quantity was perfect.

The Penne Chicken Pasta (€16.50) included sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, in a creamy white wine sauce with just enough basil to make it tasty, but not overpowering with basil (sorry, I feel that strongly about basil).

The Summer Chicken Salad (€14.50) was also top notch, and very filling. It included decent amounts of seasoned, grilled chicken strips, served on top of mixed greens with a tasty mango salsa, pumpkin seeds, a few sliced cherry tomatoes, a few radish slices, and topped with grana padano (don’t feel bad - I had to look that up too - it’s pretty much parmesan cheese).

The place seems to be frequented by locals instead of tourists. I was told that it’s a good place for a decent steak or burger as well.

Put this place on your list if you are planning on visiting Killarney...

Wow is all i can say from start to finish. Location was a must for us as my cousin was diagnosed with terminal cancer and walking long distance was an issue and he always wanted to go to Killarney as he had only ever travelled there as a delivery driver. Shane and Jackie were married at Christmas and never had a honeymoon so we made this trip their minimoon 💝 We couldnt have picked a more nicer Hotel for them.The rooms were so tastefully decorated with plenty of sunlight and views.Wow is all i could say. The welcome we got was so lovely, the set up of the hotel and breakfast area seperate to the bar was so well arranged and we felt right at home there.The breakfast staff couldnt have done enough for us and the set up was A1. Everyone we met looked after us so well, the food and bar staff were so experienced and worked so well together.They really looked after us so well and we cant thank them for that enough. It was clear to see it was a family run respectable business and they also looked after their regular customers so well which was lovely to see. I work as a healthcare assistant in a hospital and had no break over covid and this was my first time away since covid started and i really needed the break and you provided the peace and rest i needed. We cant thank you all enough for making a lovely memory for my cousin and his new wife. Caroine and Noel Hackett. Shane and...

This was one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had. The room was absolutely not soundproof — I could hear every footstep, the constant noise from a Exhaust fan right outside of the only window of my room, and worst of all, shouting and door-slamming from the room next door.

From 1 a.m. to after 4 a.m., the guests next door were screaming, slamming doors multiple times, and even seemed to be physically assaulting the girl with him. I was waken up at 1 am and security didn’t intervene until about 2 am. After a while the guy started yelling and slamming doors again and waked me up again at about 3:00 am. It was terrifying and completely unacceptable. The hotel staff only intervened once and then did nothing, even though the noise continued for hours. I didn’t sleep at all that night, which completely ruined my next day.

What made things even more infuriating was the staff’s attitude — no one apologized until I complained, and even then, the apology felt insincere and dismissive. They asked me how was my stay in the morning when I check out as if they didn’t know what was going on at the night. Seriously? There was no sense of responsibility or concern for how badly this affected my stay.

This place clearly has zero respect for guest comfort or safety. I’m extremely disappointed and angry. I would never stay here again, and I strongly urge others to think twice...