Ring of Kerry, Skelling loop, The Blind Piper pub: Ring of Kerry tour day 5

Following Ballynahinch, we spent two nights at Cahernane House Hotel (a lovely, lovely place built as a country mansion in the 1870s) just outside of Killarney town. It was a wonderful respite and I twice treated myself to room service so that I could sit by my spot of garden (see 4th photo) and read and write (I bought a journal in Dublin on Day 1 and diligently pressed flowers and leaves between the pages I wasn’t writing on) and rest.

Day 5 had us driving the Ring of Kerry and Skellig loop. The former is a circular route over the Iveragh Peninsula of southwest Co. Kerry that takes in a variety of towns - Kilorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem* and Kenmare also feature on the Wild Atlantic Way (an itinerary that winds from the upper reaches of Donegal down the Western coast and around to Cork). The Skellig loop takes you to the mainland point offering the best visual of Skellig Michael (aka Great Skellig), an abandoned 7th century Christian island monastery built on the furthest out of the Skellig Islands. You actually can visit it but doing so requires clear weather, a multi-hour boat ride, and a solid amount of physical fitness.

*Sneem is one of my favorite place names ever.

As an aside, skellig derives from the old Irish word sceillec which translates roughly to splinter of rock.

Star Wars fans know Skellig Michael as the location at which Rey finally finds Luke in The Force Awakens. I was dying to see it and take photos for the boys. What a marvel it is; to think of 7th-century folks schlepping way the hell out into the Atlantic, surely in somewhat rudimentary boats with, at best, minimal life-saving equipment. And THEN they decided to build and live on the furthest thing from land that they encounter. Closer to god, I imagine. Seriously, it is a nearly-miraculous accomplishment and place. Google it and peruse the photos of its sheerness and remoteness (then add a freezing, dark winter day to the mix) and its trails, buildings, and so forth. I very much want to hike it one day.

Anyway, what was supposed to be a day of incredibly gorgeous views was dashed by constant rain. It was our first such day, and although the fog and bluster were often beautiful in their own right and surely made for an authentic Irish experience, it was a shame to arrive back at Cahernane with a relatively empty camera roll.

But that is travel for you. And the wind made the county flags whipping in the wind all the grander. Just a few days hence, Co. Kerry (whose colors are green and yellow) would play Co. Galway (maroon and white) in the All-Ireland Gaelic Football final. Kerry would win.

And, the chilly rain made my lunch of beef-and-Guinness stew with champ potato at The Blind Piper pub even more satisfying than it already was. Divine. If you’re ever in the area, do stop at The Blind Piper! It is a pub extraordinaire!

Cliffs of Moher and the Burren: Ring of Kerry tour day 4

It was rather sad to check out of Ballynahinch, but it meant we were heading south, back through Galway, and down to the Cliffs of Moher. I had always wanted to see the Cliffs, sucker that I am for steep, dramatic views. And, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Cliffs are part of a grand CGI mashup in the scene during which Dumbledore and Harry apparate to the crashing sea, enter the cave, and undergo the horrors necessary to find one of the horcruxes. Neat!

But first, on our way to the Cliffs, we visited Corcomroe Abbey, an early 13th century Cistercian monastery in the Burren region of Co. Clare.

The Burren is a vast limestone plateau (indeed, “the word ‘Burren’ comes from an Irish word “Boíreann” meaning a rocky place”), and in its southeastern area lies Burren National Park. Within the park can be found “examples of all the major habitats within the Burren: Limestone Pavement, Calcareous Grassland, Hazel scrub, Ash/Hazel Woodland, Turloughs, Lakes, Petrifying Springs, Cliffs and Fen.” Fascinatingly,

The Burren region is internationally famous for its landscape and flora. A visit to the Burren during the summer months will leave a person amazed by the colourful diversity of flowering plants living together within the one ecosystem. Arctic-alpine plants living side by side with Mediterranean plants, calcicole (lime-loving) and calcifuge (acid-loving) plants growing adjacent to one another and woodland plants growing out in the open with not a tree nearby to provide shade from the sun. Also found here are certain species which, although rare elsewhere, are abundant in the Burren. Even more amazingly they all survive in a land that appears to be composed entirely of rock.

To the Cliffs! It was actually so stunningly bright that I struggled to take good photos, but I enjoyed a magnificent walk along quite a bit of the visitors’ path, the many views, and the sheep and cows grazing languidly in the highest pastures. My only disappointment was not seeing any puffins. Next time!

Galway and the West: Ring of Kerry tour day 2

So, we arrive in Galway just before lunchtime and were told we had 2.5 hours of free time. I had remembered reading about a number of highly regarded restaurants there, so upon disembarking, I hauled it to Ard Bia at Nimmos where, after some hemming and hawing, I ordered a bowl of fresh seafood chowder with a side of brown bread. As had been every other person since I landed in Ireland, my waiter was noticeably friendly and lovely, and the chowder, bread, and butter did not disappoint.

Galway was in the throes of a vibrant arts festival and a hopping tourist scene, and in an attempt to escape the latter, I wound through farther-out side streets to explore. A local crafts store caught my eye, and I wandered in and was taken with it all, particularly the earrings and tea towels (I have a significant and long-standing obsession with tea towels). As I was checking out, the HILARIOUS clerk and I happened to begin chatting about her long-ago trip to DC. She was traveling with a friend and, following a terrible experience at one hostel, found another where she “experienced the best sleep of my life.”

The next morning, confused by the lack of noise and, upon a look around, other guests, she and her friend worried they’d inadvertently squatted somewhere. Turns out it was a Mormon lodge of some sort, and they never did cross paths with a soul. “Well,” I said, “maybe you are, unbeknownst to yourself, a Mormon. But, they don’t drink caffeine, so…”

With a very dramatic series of hand gestures towards herself, she replied, “does THIS look like it needs caffeine?” “Ok,” I said, “well if you’re fine with no alcohol and a certain type of undergarment, you’re set.” That killed the deal, which never there was, and we were still laughing as I walked out of the door with my purchases.

After Galway (wish I’d had more time there), we ventured further into Connemara, a stunning region in western Ireland that also includes the eponymous national park, and to Ballynahinch Castle. It sits on 700 wooded acres and is breathtakingly beautiful. Beyond the grounds, the rooms were perhaps the nicest I’ve ever stayed in, the food was delicious, and during dinner our first night, a local father-son duo played jigs, reels, waltzes, and a variety of tunes from all over Ireland on a Gaelic accordian (the son) and a wooden flute of African black wood that the father had crafted himself. The son was also an excellent Irish dancer, and the entire evening was a joy to witness.

The grounds were just stunning, and I took an absurd number of photos. I was fascinated by the fact that MD and Ireland grow so many of the same plants, despite the latitudinal difference. Granted, their gardens seemed happier than ours, perhaps because it was not 100 degrees each day.

Next stop: Clifden, Roundstone, and Kylemore Abbey.