Ireland….Killarney and The Ring of Kerry

The spring is finally hitting the Rockies, and as our trees and grass are to the shades of vibrant shades green, its a perfect time to continue the road trip around the Southwest Coast in County Kerry.

A really good friend of mine from Indianapolis, is living her dream right now on a tour of Ireland. Today she texted that she is in Killarney and heading for a tour of The Ring of Kerry, which is my next major stop. The Ring of Kerry, on the Iveragh peninsula is an area I just can’t miss on every visit—it’s a full “sampling” of the best of Ireland. Killarney is a great starting point, and it is a great “right-sized” town that launches you to the Ring drive. Killarney itself has a beautiful national park, great restaurants, the historic Muckross House, lakes, and is grounded by the Ross Castle. Yes, when Ken and I started dating 13 years ago, he claimed the castle was in fact, part of his ancestry. Did I believe it? Yes, unfortunately, and that joke lasted a few years. He redeemed himself on a trip a few years ago by rowing me around the lake while our friends toured the Castle. The Castle itself is absolutely nearly impossible for anyone with mobility challenges…stone steps up, down and throughout. There is an entry area with history that can be accessed, but on this trip, I opted for the “romantic?” rowboat tour. Another very touristy thing to do, but still fun, is to take a Jaunting Car Horse and Carriage ride. It’s just what you think…but as you clop through the National Park, it’s a great way to be in nature.

Ken’s relatives lived in the Ross Castle (not!)

Take your time the day you drive the 111 miles of the Ring…the maps “say” it takes a few hours, but your car will magically pull over to take yet another shot of the coastline and rock-walled fields, so make it a full day. It always takes us a while, and with multiple friends who’ve toured with us, we want to make sure they have time to just sit and soak in the countryside and sea. When wild raspberries are in season, you will also pick your fill along the roadway.

A typical photo stop on the road around the Ring of Kerry

Just another beautiful stone bridge along the Ring of Kerry

There are so many small villages along the way, and on one trip with our friends, we rented a VRBO in the tiny village of Sneem. It’s right on the coast, a perfect place to stop for a cup of tea (and to try out the scones). This trip was a riot, as three of my girlfriends and I dragged Ken along as the “husband” for the week. There is so much to see, that Ken would drive us endlessly all day, every day. With three of us in the back seat, and a great front passenger seat with a much better view, we rotated the shotgun seat each day. Ken had a different “wife” in the front seat on each outing. (He just “hated” it, especially since my friends are all beautiful, interesting, and fun.)

Well, I have to expound a bit on our VRBO adventure. It was one of the first times I’d booked with them and while every property is well reviewed and vetted, there’s always a tiny bit of “will I be baited and switched?” It was getting dusk and a gloomy day and we set out from tiny Sneem, following explicit directions…”follow the lane on the left, past the third sheep farm and second rock wall….” The lanes got narrower, to a barely visible one-track path, and we started passing a house here and there, a good distance apart. We looked and check directions and couldn’t find the house. Eventually we got to the “end of the road” that landed in the water of the inlet. At the end of this road, there was a legitimate ruin of a stone cottage, collapsed in and barely holding a wall. We’ve been duped !!! My friends are going to strangle me.

Ok, after a moment of panic, we backtracked, found the house tucked away off the road, and had the most beautiful, modern, and renovated stone house, right on the coast with hydrangeas as big as your head. It was magical…our only regret is that we didn’t spend enough time just lounging at the house and soaking in the peace.

View from our Sneem VRBO…at the end of the road

One of our favorite stays on this Peninsula was near the town of Glenbeigh…another VRBO experience. Ken’s 2 English nieces and their husbands joined us at the house. In researching the area and optional houses, I sent out 4 possibilities to the family for their view and vote. As I reviewed the listings, I decided against one of the properties and re-sent the 3 choices to the family. However, they viewed the first email and selected the exact house I had eliminated. Majority rules! It was a working SHEEP FARM. We arrived with another set of very exacting directions…”there will be 5 roads that converge and an intersection, and you will take the one that is PAVED.” We found the road, looked up at the winding, rocky, steep road leading to our house…kind of a 4-wheel track. Up and up, waiting for the sheep to move out of the way, and we didn’t see the house. It finally popped out of a fairy-glen of trees and was an incredible stone house with all the modern upgrades, a smaller renovated stone cottage, and sheep doo everywhere. But the view was magnificent…overlooking a lake to the right, the McGillycuddy Reeks (Mountains) straight ahead, and the sea to the left. They were right in their house choice! A few of us painted in the sunroom with one particularly curious sheep showing up every morning to critique our work, and every time I went out to “sketch” the scenery with my walker, I had to give its wheels a thorough cleaning…see above sheep doo.

The smallest renovated of the stone cottages at the sheep farm

Ken’s cousin (from the farm) joined us for a night. She is a professional artist, Ken’s niece is artistic, and I just brought paints. Our professional artist worked with us…taking us out to sketch our scene, then giving us tips and direction for painting. She should have given up on me I think, because I was a total failure. The niece, however was brilliant (also one of her favorite words). I couldn’t even get the color of the mountain right, but wow, did we have fun. After a day out, we would have dinner around a huge family table, sometimes cooked by the caretaker, and end up around the wood stove with a blazing fire, having more tea and “pudding.” Dessert. Whatever it is, it’s all called PUDDING. Cadbury Chocolate was plentiful every night. Uncle Ken loved it and they brought mountains for us.

Good morning, I could do that painting….baaaaaa

One area that is an extension of the Peninsula is at the very tip, and it’s called Valencia Island. Don’t miss this! It’s tempting to not add another 1 or 2 hours to the drive, but it is truly spectacular…the best off all Irish landscapes. The Skellig Michael is a UNESCO site, named after the archangel Michael, and it gained famed as one of the filming locations for Star Wars:The Force Awakens. It is a craggy peak in the middle of the sea. Skellig in the Irish language means a splinter of stone. Centuries ago it was a monastery, and it was reached by a (slippery) set of open stone steps. You can still take a boat to it, get dropped off, and climb the 218 feet. Warning, there are no railings, it’s very slippery when wet, and it rains a lot. Ken’s niece had this climb at the top of her “must do” list for the visit. She was determined, weather or not, to make the climb. Weather and choppy seas always make this a sketchy trip, but they set out. It was raining, and the boat captain gave them yellow rain jackets and pants for the ride. When they landed, however, the captain said “hand over the pants” because you might trip over the bottom cuff, and the landing on the rock below isn’t survivable. I kind of embelllished that, but they did in fact take back the pants. It was pouring, it was windy, and Ken, his niece who was seasick and husband started the climb. Ken got about 2/3 of the way up and decided it wasn’t a bright idea to continue, so he returned to the boat. What goes up must come down. His niece however, wasn’t going to let anything deter her. She had talked non-stop about this adventure, and she was determined. She and her husband did it! On the boat ride back, however, the rain had soaked them, the wind was cold, and all three of them groaned all the way back to the house. Ken said he’d never been so drenched in his life “down to his underwear.” The fire, chocolate, and hot tea soothed the weary souls that evening.

Valencia Island on The Ring of Kerry

Every single night…family!

This is a good place to leave you for today. Wrapping up this beautiful area, please visit, spend time at a “home base” for a few days, enjoy the sights…take your time…and eat plenty of brown bread and butter.

Goodbye Ring of Kerry….there’s so much more Ireland to be explored!