October 14 Friday Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel, Dublin

 Friday, October 14

We head out this morning, with final destination Dublin, but lots to see along the way.

We head East to County Cork on R577, what some call "the REAL Ireland". Michael Collins, a hero in the war for Independence was born here.  We see a few banners which say "Free Cork from Dublin", attesting to their independent spirit.

Cork is the 2nd largest harbor in the world, after Sydney, Australia. Most of those fleeing Ireland during the Famine left from this port.  It was also the last stop of the Titanic.  It's population is 220,000 vs Dublin's 1 million.  Dairy is big business here, as well as horse racing.  We first stop at Blarney Castle which is famous for it's Blarney Stone.

 Kissing it once supposedly gives one the gift of eloquence.  Kissing it twice takes the gift away. A famous chieftain named McCarthy lived here when Queen Elizabeth I wanted the castle. Whenever the Earl Of Leicester attempted to negotiate with McCarthy on the Queen's behalf,  McCarthy suggested a banquet or some other kind of delay.  When the Queen asked for progress reports, a long missive was sent but the castle remained untaken.  The Queen was supposedly so irritated that she remarked that the earl's reports were all "Blarney".

Some Autumn colors appear here.

Greg and I pass on the stone, but enjoy walking the gardens, including medicinal plants in the Poison Garden.  Several carnivorous plants too. Wooded area with caves with names like Druid's Place, Witch's Cave, etc.

We walk to the nearby Blarney Woolen Mills, for lunch and shopping.  The rain arrived during our lunch of egg salad sandwiches and chips (crisps). 

 Lots of traffic in this area as we head north.  We notice quite a few Aldi Grocery Stores, and several signs advertising caves and castles.   Our "surprise" stop is the  Rock of Cashel, also known as St. Patrick's Rock.  Built in the 12th century, it served as the seat of the Kings of Munster for several hundred years before the Norman invasion. Supposedly St. Patrick preached here and this is the most intact monestary in Ireland.

Next we head to Dublin, Europe's most popular vacation destination. We note there are no billboards on the major highways.  Also note very little police presence outside of cities.

We notice a few horses in pastures and David says that racing is very popular. Horse breeding is nationalized - government run!  He talks about the famous racehorse named Shergar that was kidnapped in 1983 and never heard of again after a ransom of 2 million pounds was demanded and refused. Some suspect the IRA.

Dublin was founded by Vikings 1,000 years ago, so is a relatively young city.  It was the seat of British power in Ireland until 1922. The River Liffey creates a port which is still active today.  Low Corporate taxes have attracted companies like Amazon, SalesForce and others to set up European hubs here.

We arrive at the Clayton Hotel and have a light dinner here.  Beth isn't feeling too well, so we pass on a walk around town. We'll have a tour tomorrow.

We've covered a lot of ground this trip, but David and GoAhead Tours have done a good job of breaking it up.  We've never gone more than 2 hours without a stop, and usually less.

October 13, 2022 Kilarney, Slea Head, Dingle, Inch Beach, Gallarus Oratory

 Thursday, October 13

Nice breakfast at The Rose hotel in Tralee this morning as menus are given out and orders taken, rather than buffet.  They even offered waffles, which were small and seemed to have been dipped in sugar?  Took longer but a nice change. Nice rose garden!

We are heading to Killarney this morning, and pass a copper mine which is more than 5,000 years old, dating to the beginning of the Bronze Age!   This area had some of the first settlements in Ireland and is where farming began.   A little hazy early, but the sun soon breaks through.  Still chilly in the 50's.

   Nice views of Killarney Valley.   We pass by St. Mary's Cathedral which was built in the late 1800's after Catholic emancipation.  There is a giant sequoia tree there dedicated to those lost in the potato famine.

We enter Killarney National Park for a jaunting tour in horse-drawn carriages. The drivers, called Jarvies, give a nice tour on the hour long ride.  Our driver was John and horse named Dolly.  Wrapped in blankets, it is a pleasant ride through trails with no other traffic. The area of the Park - some 26,000 acres - was donated by Arthur Vincent in 1932 for use as a park.   It includes the foothills of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountains, several lakes, woodlands, waterfalls and trails, as well as Ross Castle.

We see several red deer in the forest - this is the only place in Ireland where they roam freely - and end at the castle and Lough Lein.

The Park is at the beginning of the famous Ring of Kerry,  but instead of continuing on it, we opt for the Dingle Peninsula, an equally stunning trip with fewer tourists.   First we stop at a store called Mackenzies of Ireland for some "quality" shopping.  Thankfully we didn't do a lot of this on this tour. They did have lovely jewelry and knit goods, but best of all was the free Irish coffee offered while you shop!  I didn't think I would like it, as I'm not a coffee fan, but it didn't taste much like coffee actually and I liked it!

Next we passed through the town of Killorglin, with its statue of King Puck - a proud bronze billy goat.  Legend has it that this goat saved the town when Oliver Cromwell's English raiders were headed for Killorglin.  King Charles I was a "bad king" who sent his troops including Cromwell into Ireland to "convert" Catholics, but actually killed nearly 60% of the population!  (Charles was later beheaded.)The goat supposedly warned the citizens, who were then able to fortify their town and ward off the raiders.  They still have a yearly King Puck festival which, from what we heard, can be quite wild.

We head onto the Dingle Peninsula and Dingle Bay.  The bay, famous for shrimp and mussels, is bordered by sand bars with lots of rocks otherwise.  We stop at Inch Beach and walked a bit.  On the other side of the sand bar there is surfing where the Atlantic comes ashore.  The blue with white squiggles is the sign for the Wild Atlantic Way, a trail that follows the west coast of Ireland.

Around 12:30 the fog begins to roll in and visibility drops significantly.  When we reach the small port town of Dingle, a heavy rain arrives.  So we scurry from shop to shop and instead of lunch, Greg and I  opt for Murphy's Ice Cream, which we've been hearing about since Galway.  Very tasty and the young man there was quite pleasant. He said they are nearing the end of the season so he was happy for a little company, although they remain open year round while many shops will close.    I loved the zig-zaggy center line in the main street!

There is a statue of a Dolphin by the port and until a year ago, one named Fungie was famous in these parts, but alas he has vanished.

Next we travel on Slea Head Drive.  A very narrow road, most traffic knows it is one-way, but nothing is posted and occasional tourists make it interesting to pass.  

People have lived in this area for 7,000 years and there are many remains of ring forts, beehive huts also called clochan(dating to the 12th century) and stone walls.  Parts of Return of the Jedi were filmed here. There are remains, too, of many "famine houses", those abandoned during the famine and left to moulder.

We reach Dunmore Head, the westernmost part of Europe -  once thought "the end of the world" by many.  Beautiful, even in the fog.  Off shore is Blasket Islands,  no longer occupied after being destroyed repeatedly by storms.  And Ceann Sraithe, the very end of the Peninsula (David's favorite spot in all Ireland). 

Last stop is the Gallarus Oratory, an early 12th century chapel made entirely of sandstone, with no mortar. There is some disagreement as to its origins and purpose, but it is generally believed to be the oldest and best preserved church in Ireland.  We watch a short film and then hike up the hill to view it.

Nearly everything on Dingle Peninsula is built of stone.  Some of the stone walls here have a a crenelated top and a few have a layer of concrete on top to protect it from rain and weather.

There are dozens of shades of green around here! We make reservations at the hotel restaurant for dinner and have a wonderful meal.  Beth has a chicken and mushroom pie with a salad and the ever-present chips (fries).  Greg has a shrimp and mussels combination in wine sauce.  Lovely restaurant is very busy, so glad we made reservations!