Ireland, part 4: Killarney and County Kerry

     

It only rained one day of our two week trip, and it was the day of our longest drive: Sligo to Killarney.  There were some attractions we'd hoped to see along the way that we omitted.  We had an outdoor lunch at Durty Nellie's, the tavern that's been serving the servants of Bunratty Castle since 1620.  The castle itself we skipped (plus a possible stop in Galway or Connemara), since our drive was taking longer than expected due to the rain.

We checked into our B&B then stopped at St. Mary's Cathedral.  There is a giant sequoia right in front, planted on a famine grave -- its seeds had been a gift from the people of California. An unexpected surprise.

 Inch Beach:  So Tranquil!

We drove the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head Drive the next day, with so many stops along the way.  The first stop was the amazing Inch Beach.  So flat. So calm. So blue. Everything along the drive was lovely. Rolling hills, beautiful ocean, even a peek (only) at the Skellig Michael islands where the last scene from Star Wars episode 7 was filmed. Later in the day we saw locations used for episode 8.  Yes, my boys are Star Wars fans, as well as Game of Thrones.

Look for this view in Episode VIII!

We paid to feed some sheep and see a Lios (earthen ring fort), then later paid for Dunbeg stone fort (500 BC), neither of which gave us much information or offered tour guides.  After so many wonderful OPW sites, it was hard not be a little disappointed in that, but the feeling was minor. The Gallarus Oratory was so impressive:  a 1200 years old church that's still waterproof, even though it was built without mortar.  We lingered on the Dingle Peninsula, ate some Murphy's ice-cream, then spent an hour or so walking around Killarney so I could purchase an Aran wool sweater.

Dunbeg Fort, about 2500 years old

Gallarus Oratory

 

 The following day we set out for Killarney National Park. First stop, a tour of Ross Castle.  I was always happy to have a tour guide when we visited historic sites, but on occasion we did explore on our own.  This time, we went with a guide, so learned more about the construction of the castle doors, the uniqueness of the spiral staircase, and other interesting tidbits that we wouldn't have known otherwise. No pictures were allowed inside (not even without flash), which was not common in Ireland.

   

Next up was Muckross Abbey, with a walk past fields with beautiful black cows.  The abbey ruins were marvelous.  There's a lovely yew tree in the center of the cloisters, possibly they were built around the already mature tree, making it well over 600 years old.  My boys loved climbing around ruins such places, so we always lingered.

Yew tree in the cloister

 

Muckross Abbey, established 1448

 

We did the short hike to Torc Waterfall next.  This was a crowded location, but the falls were lovely and powerful, so I'm glad we stopped.

Ladies' View

   

We had a late lunch at the Ladies' View, overlooking the lakes of Killarney National Park.  Our outdoor table afforded us a fabulous view.  We drove further into the park, probably took a wrong turn or two, but the views were so amazing that we just kept going.  Eventually we figured out that we'd driven through the Black Valley and were headed to the Gap of Dunloe.  It was later in the day, so not many people (or vehicles), so we drove though it.  Amazing.  It would have been nice to hike it, but we would have certainly needed the entire day.  By the time our drive ended, it was nearly time to go The Jarvey's to hear some trad music and see some Irish step dancers.

Which way?  No signs!

   

On Wednesday, it was time to leave Killarney for the relatively short drive to Ennis, our fifth and final stop of this fantastic trip.  That's right, somehow we missed most of the famous Ring of Kerry.  We'd hoped to get down to Mizen Head as well, but there wasn't enough time.  And there were only three days left!  Looks like we'll be back in Ireland someday!

Check out the final installment of our wonderful trip:  http://readyforthenextvacation.blogspot.com/2016/10/ireland-part-5-ennis-and-county-clare.html

Ireland, part 3: County Sligo (Mayo and Leitrim too)

The Great Room in Donegal Castle

 We drove to Sligo following three nights in Northern Ireland.  Along the way we intended to stop in Derry and walk the medieval wall, but somehow (I don't recall why) wound up touring Castle Donegal and walking through the town there instead.  No complaints!  The castle was wonderful and was a great stopping point to break up our drive.


We stayed for three nights in St. Angela's College Student Residences in Sligo. Yes, we were in student dorms that get rented out during the nonacademic year.  Great idea, actually.  We were in a spacious apartment with two bedrooms, full kitchen, fireplace in the living room, and picture windows overlooking Lough Gill.  The manager of the apartments took us up to the roof to give a us a quick verbal tour of the area and some helpful tips.

After dinner at the recommended Yeats Inn, we went to visit the grave of W.B. Yeats, a famous Irish poet.  Drumcliff Cemetery was also home to an 11th century High Cross and across the street were the remains of the only round tower in Sligo County.  It didn't take long to explore this peaceful location, with the magnificent Benbulben as the backdrop.

Our beautiful view

Drumcliff high cross and round tower

On Friday we drove into County Mayo to see the Ceide Fields, the oldest and most extensive field ruins in the world.  There are remains of stone walls, homes, and tombs (mostly covered by bog) that were built by farmers well over 5000 years ago.  Amazing. We enjoyed the museum, walked the pathway on our own, but then joined a tour guide to learn more about the neolithic people and the way they lived.  There were beautiful views, including to the sea stack at Downpatrick Head, which was where we headed next.  The layers of rock were amazing.  Legend says St. Patrick split the sea stack from the mainland when a local chieftain refused to convert to Christianity.

Walls and markers of Ceide Fields

Downpatrick Head -- beautiful breezes here!

One of many rainbows

Saturday morning we went to Carrowmore Megalithic Tombs to see the passage tombs and stone circles built as a remembrance of the dead over 5 thousand years ago.  From the pathway we could see the Knocknarea mountain with a cairn for Queen Maeve clearly visible on top.  Later in the day when we hiked up the mountain there was fog everywhere, which gave it an other-worldly vibe.  The hike up was tough, rocky, and wet (walking through water though we never actually got rained on) -- and so worth it.  As tradition suggested, we brought rocks from the bottom of the mountain to add to the cairn at the top.  I'd imagine that on a clear day the view is fantastic, but we enjoyed the fog.
          
After lunch in town, we visited Sligo Abbey. This was the first time of our trip (day 8) that we got rained on -- not much, but it was more than a mist.  The abbey ruins have the only sculpted 15th century altar in Ireland, plus a well-preserved cloister.

The cloisters at Sligo Abbey

 
Parke's Castle was next on this busy day, but the sites were so close together that we never felt rushed.  This castle originally belonged to a Gaelic chieftan (O'Rourke) who was executed by the British after giving aid to Spaniards who survived an Armada ship that sunk nearby.  The castle had a scavenger hunt that my boys took quite seriously.  The OPW staff suggested that we go see the ruins of another abbey, so this took us to Creevelea Friary not too far away. There was a short hike alongside a rushing river before we got to the ruins, which are still used as a cemetery for the local families.

Scavenger Hunt!

Parke's Castle 

Creevelea Friary 

Sunday ended our time in Sligo.  We'd thought to see Carrowkeel on our way South, but there was rain (real rain for the first and only time on our trip) and a longer than expected drive, so we skipped it. We never got to Slieve League either, and so many other wonderful sites -- next time!  Time for Killarney (and part four of this five part trip)!   http://readyforthenextvacation.blogspot.com/2016/10/ireland-part-4-killarney-and-county.html

Ireland, part 2: Northern Ireland, County Antrim

Guess which car was our rental?

After three full days in Kildare County, we drove into Northern Ireland and settled into the lovely Morning Calm B&B in Ballymoney. Dinner was just a short walk to a pub in town, then it was another relatively early night as we were still adjusting to the time change. We had thought to go to Glendalough or hike in Tollymere Forest Park on the way to the B&B, but wound up spending too much time exploring Kildare.  We bypassed Dublin and Belfast as well, but no regrets!

Tuesday was such a clear day:  perfect for a trip to the famous Giant's Causeway, which is simply amazing.  The Causeway contains about 40,000 hexagonal interconnected basalt columns that have to be seen to be believed.  Science tells us that they are the result of a volcanic eruption, but legend says they are the remains of a bridge to Scotland that was torn up by two giants.  We'll have to get to Scotland someday to see the other side.
 

 

From the Giant's Causeway, we drove west to Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple.  Some scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed here, which pleased my boys.  There was a bit of hiking throughout the site, which we hadn't expected but very much enjoyed.  The day was so clear, making the seaside location seem like paradise.  The ruins of the Downhill Demesne castle were climbed and explored thoroughly.
  

Mussenden Temple

  
It was getting late in the day, but what the heck, there was time to get to Carrick-A-Rede and its famous rope bridge to a small island.  This site was crowded, and the bridge was a bit intimidating, but such a lovely location!
   
Dinner was at The Hedges, near the famous Dark Hedges, though it was dark by the time we got there.  Seeing the Dark Hedges (King's Road to Game of Thrones fans) was impressive and oh-so-spooky at night under a full moon, though our pictures were not good.

On Wednesday we drove south to Castle Ward and Audley's Tower.  This was the supposed Winterfell of Game of Thrones fame, but was a bit disappointing to the boys because there were many changes in production.  The site itself was still fantastic.  We took the guided tour of Castle Ward, with its half-Gothic (for her) and half-Neoclassic (for him) design.  We walked the peaceful trails to Audley's Tower; bikes were available, but we enjoyed the walk.  There was an amazing playground area that even my big kids (ages 15 and not quite 13) enjoyed.

The Gothic side of Castle Ward  

 

The Neoclassic side of Castle Ward

  

Following Castle Ward, we went to the ruins of nearby Inch Abbey.  This was another Game of Thrones filming site, but this time it was more recognizable to the boys. There was a GoT tour there, complete with costumes, swords, etc, but they left shortly after our arrival so we could enjoy the 12th century monastic ruins in peace.  What an impressive site, with a lovely church in the distance, that we later learned was Down Cathedral, final resting place of St. Patrick.

View of Down Cathedral

   Thursday morning we went back to the Dark Hedges to check them out in the daytime.  Luckily it was early enough not to have too many people.  Earlier in the year a storm had knocked down a few of the trees, and someone had the great idea to carve them into GoT-themed doors.  We saw one of them at Gracehill House and it was quite intricate and detailed.




   
Unfortunately this was the end of our time in Northern Ireland. Wish we had more time so we could have seen Dunlace Castle, Cushendun Caves, and the many other sites, but we had a long drive to Sligo for part 3 of our trip.  http://readyforthenextvacation.blogspot.com/2016/10/ireland-part-3-county-sligo-mayo-and.html