Kenmare to Cork

We left Kenmare after a stroll around the lovely wee village and then drove back along the Ring of Kerry to Killarney. The sun was shining and it was warm so we stopped at every turn as the scenery was so beautiful. There were lakes and bush all the way along the steep narrow road but luckily no buses! Instead of stopping in Killarney we carried onto Castlemaine following Mick’s directions. As it was after 1 pm we decided to stop at what seemed to be the only place to eat in Castlemaine. It was an old pub called Knightlys and three old locals were in there, as they probably are every day. We ordered our bangers and mash and were then entertained by a huge truck which was jammed between the hotel guttering and some road works as it tried to go round the sharp corner. With great difficulty it finally moved and the view from every window of the hotel was restored. We discussed the Griffin family with the locals but actually there seemed to be many Griffins in the area. After lunch we drove on 4 kms to the Old Keel cemetery where we found the Griffin burial site including Michael Griffin’s gravestone. It was a beautiful experience going to such an old cemetery and knowing we had a connection there. We drove onto Cork, which was also a beautiful drive. We made the decision to drop the car off a day early as we don’t need it and parking was going to be an issue. Thank goodness we did as the taxi ride into the city was very slow with 5pm traffic and there were many one way streets and roadworks to negotiate. The Metrapole where we are staying is beautiful and all recently refurbished. The room is lovely with a shower almost as big as some of our b and b’s! We refreshed and headed down to the lovely bar before going into town where we located a very cool place the eat, Market Lane. Great food, atmosphere and staff. We had a lovely chat to the couple beside us who were from Cork, before heading back to the hotel across the river.Read more