COUNTY CLARE to KILLARNEY – Kerry’s ring around Killarney
Tuesday – the start to the day – of course another yummy scrumptious breakfast.
I must admit the food is pretty good and it sets us up for a great days travel. Today we continue south through County Clare and Limerick, lovely countryside and very picturesque.
We pass by a thatched roof house in County Clare – a little bit like Anne Hathaway’s house. Thatched houses were everywhere, a very economical way to roof a house in days gone by – but the upkeep on them is enormous. Not to mention having to evict the little four footed friends that take up residence in Winter!
The countryside all over Ireland is green because, we are told. they get plenty of rain – well, I don’t know when because it hasn’t happened so far. Although it looks a bit like it today – plenty of low cloud – – but let’s keep our fingers crossed that the weather holds.
And now a word from our Trusty Tour Guide. Paul tells us that we have turned this part of the tour around and we are doing the Ring of Kerry today instead of tomorrow and that we will be going in the reverse direction. Well sounds typically Irish to me – but faith and begorra – – we are in Ireland after all – let’s just enjoy it.
After about two hours we make our first stop for the day – The Red Fox Inn at Killorglin Road, Glenbeigh so that we can enjoy a real Irish Coffee – yep with real Irish Whisky.
It’s only about 10am so an early heart starter. Well, that gets me going! This is a great place to live! A very quaint little pub with an Irish Bog Village Museum – and there is a stuffed red fox in a display cabinet. Sounds a bit off – but it isn’t.
The group has livened up (I think the booze is kicking in) and we get back on the coach.
Touring down the road Paul gives us an early warning that we will quickly pass by a rather odd memorial to four monks who came to Ireland in a wooden boat.
How lucky can you get as I am on the right side of the bus in the window seat and of course – the camera is poised and a snapshot out the window. I always have at least one camera ready.
Good grief – I’ll take a photo of anything!
The sculpture is of four monks in a sickle-shaped boat with a cross. The sculpture is elevated in the air on eight oars and represents the monks voyage to the monastery at Skellig Michael off the coast of Ireland. Notice how desolate the background is? Such contrasting landscapes. Lush green valleys and barren hills and mountains.
Next stop is a leg stretch time at Waterville. An interesting place – and there is a wonderful hotel here called the Butler Arms where apparently, in the good ole days of the early movies, lots of old time Hollywood Stars used to come here for their holidays.
Opposite the hotel and near the water there is a statue of Charlie Chaplin.
Charlie visited here quite a number of times and our little Insight group all play ‘happy tourists’ and line up so they can take each other’s photo with him. They ask me – but I say no thank you and move on. I go for a little walk down near the water.
Kenny – our driver – runs into a lady he says is his sister. Mmmm, he seems to have a lot of ‘sisters’ as we venture across Britain and Ireland and we are of the opinion that he is rather a ladies man.
Back on the coach and we see some standing stone monoliths of which there are quite a few around here. More Ring of Kerry – – more photos – – and we arrive in Sneem for – –
#9 OPTIONAL: Lunch in a real Irish home – Cost ₤6.00.
Our lunching venue is a place called Bank House and it is a Bed and Breakfast. Really cute and homey.
The lunch menu consists of sandwiches, home-made scones and tea or coffee. It is a very, very small place and we are crowded in to one room. Glad we all practice clean living!!!
The lunch is nice and filling and the room is full of small knick knacks and bric-a-brac. We must be careful not to knock anything over.
Needless to say because of the cramped space I do not stay long inside because of my National Geographic equipment! After lunch we can take a quick walk around the little town. Lots of little shops – with interesting things to see and buy.
Decide to go for a walk and see what else there is – – – – and I find a rather nasty bridge made of a weld-mesh type steel over a rocky river. Well that’s interesting I must say – tell myself don’t look down – stop and take a photo and quickly over the other side – again don’t look down!!!.
Have a look around the shops on the other side and then the only trouble is I have to get back over the bridge and the safety of the coach!!!
One of the ladies on the coach is in the local fireys back in OZ. She has come half way round the world to Sneem and run into the local fire brigade officer where they swap stories – not to mention hats.
Piling back on the coach – more Ring of Kerry – a really scenic pretty part of Ireland – more stops – more photos.
We see ‘hedge rows’ where in previous times the children were schooled by the priests away from the prying eyes of the English invaders and we arrive in Killarney late afternoon for our included extra of a ride in ‘one of the famous jaunting cars’.
Now – I’ve seen the movie The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and this don’t look like no jaunting cart that Barry Fitzgerald took them in when they were courting!!!!
It’s more of a horse drawn carriage and holds 9 of us including the driver – Terry Cummins, a real smooth Irishman with lovely blue eyes. The horse is called Steptoe. The more people in the cart – the more tips! It’s the cynic in me!
A photo of our little group is taken mid ride and we get a chance to purchase it for ₤5.00. I decide to buy it seeing that I didn’t get the one at Stratford at the start of the tour. Terry is the lad up front on the far right – behind the lady in the purple shirt.
We drive around Killarney – including a park that has ruins of an old churchyard – before coming to a stop back in the town. We arrive at our lodgings for the night – Eviston House Hotel instead of the Killarney Heights Hotel.
Don’t know why the change but I am glad it was. This hotel is right in the heart of town so a minor shopping spree occurs before heading to my room to shower and then have dinner.
The Eviston House is a great place to stay.
They have a great pub called The Danny Mann and there is a show on tonight so after some shopping, some showering and some dinner it is down to the bar to watch The Irish Weavers who are the performers in The Danny Mann and they are really belting it out.
A few of us decide to stay for a while so I have to race back upstairs to grab a camera. We have a great time – and the music is great!
The night is not late and the bed is comfortable so I get another peaceful night’s sleep.
Highlight of the day: Jammin’ at the Danny Mann