Ireland
Co Kerry

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    • Day 8

      Ah, Dingle

      April 6, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 46 °F

      The view changes every few minutes as we watch our lovely view of the Dingle harbor.

      50 degrees and windy.
      Yes, those are palm trees 🌴! Because it never freezes here and the Atlantic Gulf Stream is just off shore, the wind has a warmth to it that is quite surprising. That said , today’s rain is what the Irish refer to as “lashing rain” and is formidable.
      Latitude here is 52 degrees north, for context Calgary Alberta is 51 degrees north.

      The library here at the Greenmount called my name and I stayed here while Jörg went roaming and scouting , took care of our laundry and brought home pizza .

      We successfully changed our reservations for the rest of the trip to accommodate the changes necessary because some of our friends and family are in quarantine this week .

      P.s. Ronnie ; We did see Tom Crean’s
      South Pole Bar in Anascoul on our way here and will try and find some of his brew.There is also a Tom Crean pub in Kenmare which would be lovely to visit .

      The Dingle Peninsula is in County Kerry and is the most western location of Europe .

      We saw our first rainbow / from its appearance to its disappearance/ 2 minutes and every second stunning.
      Breakfast/ the food, the view, the staff …❤️
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    • Day 10

      It’s Friday so it must be County Cork

      April 8, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

      A perfect day for a road trip with sunny skies and light traffic .
      We enjoyed the scenery along the sea coast and stopped at the amazing Inch Beach.
      The road through Macroom is under construction as a bypass around the town is underway so we took this opportunity to show you the look of a typical small town. You can see how the carriage paths were paved over to make the roads so the buildings are literally on the street with no sidewalks or front yards.
      Watching the ambulance make its way through was amazing.

      We arrived in Ballincollig just in time to get changed and head out to “ the cousins” for a gathering.
      Cousin Darina offered to pick us up and drive us to Cousin Keara’s and we happily accepted her offer.
      9 adult cousins and many of their kids and grandkids too so a swirl of family that is amazing.
      We were happy to gift this family with one of Ronnie’s newest books and they were thrilled .
      The family are avid readers and Keara is writing a history of Ballinora, where she and Darina grew up .
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    • Day 19

      Roots

      June 20, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

      After bidding goodbye to Bridie and her lovely home, we headed to St John’s Church in Tralee. What another amazing old structure. It was humbling to think that my grandma received the Sacrament of Baptism in this church in 1890. Off to the office where we got contact information for the archivist of the church. I’ll email him details and any pictures of documents we have. The parish cemetery is a few miles away, so we headed off to Rathass Cemetery. The caretaker of the cemetery was so helpful. He took both my great grandparents names and did a search, but found nothing. He said the data base is very incomplete before the 1920’s. We took a few pictures of headstones with Reidy names and will try and do more research through Ancestry. It’s amazing how easy it is to spend 2 hours in a cemetery.
      We had at least another hour to get to Kilcolgan in Galway county just south of Kilorglin, where we stayed many years back with Jen and Kelly. Our hosts for the next two days are Kate and Michael at Rafterys Way. So we hit our first Motorway of the trip. M18, with a speed limit of 120km/hr. We think it’s around 75miles/hr but the 120 is much more impressive! Kate offered us tea and biscuits when we arrived, had a chance to explore her garden and talk flowers with her and politics with Michael. As in the US, there are varied opinions about how each government handled the Covid lockdown. Tourism is such a huge component here that many businesses never could reopen. One owner we spoke with in Dingle said they learned some very important lessons from the lockdown. He said it rekindled their family time which had been lacking due to the business. He has chosen to close on Sundays for family time. Many businesses don’t have that luxury.
      Had an early dinner and bedtime. Heading to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands by ferry tomorrow.
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    • Day 11

      Day 11 - Motorcycling Ecstacy

      August 11, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      It was a little treat to watch Match of the Day in bed this morning with it still raining outside. I was having such a lovely time that I made Jackie a cup of coffee only for her to tip it over & spill half of it on the bedside table & carpet. We decided to give breakfast a miss because we didn’t feel we couldn’t do €12 each justice.

      It was not long after 10am that we finally donned out motorcycle gear again & left the comfort of our hotel. Luckily for us the rain had now stopped & it was a cool overcast day, perfect for motorcycling.

      As we were saddling up, visitors were already arriving at the hotel, Kells House & Gardens. We drove back down the long fern lined driveway, then headed to Kells beach for a quick look. One hardy family were on the beach building sandcastles, they weren’t going to let the weather stop them having a beach holiday!

      We then rejoined the Ring of Kerry where we had turned off the previous evening. We continued clockwise through Dooks, Glenbeigh, then took the first right turn after crossing Caragh Bridge, on the recommendation of Chris.

      The road soon became a single track road with next to no cars on it, more walkers, cyclists & the odd motorcyclists. The road took us alongside the spectacular Lough Carag, occasionally stopping for a photo, but it’s such a faff.

      To take a photo, I have to pull over, take my gloves off, dig my camera out of my pocket & take the photo whilst trying to balance the bike upright with Jackie wobbling on the back. If I want to get off the bike, then Jackie has to get off the bike first, usually with a sigh. As a result, most of the picturesque views have to be committed to our memory instead of to an SD card!

      We crossed the raging River Caragh at Blackstones Bridge, then climbed up into the mountains, passing through the stunning Ballaghbeama Gap. After an hour or so of tricky, but exhilarating riding, we reached the R568 & raced up to Molls Gap to rejoin the Ring of Kerry.

      We popped into the cafe at Molls Gap, but nothing too our fancy, so we had a wee & left. We now followed the Ring of Kerry anti-clockwise down the mountain with all the other tourists towards Killarney. We stopped at Ladies View for a scenic vista over Upper Lake. We even treated ourselves to a proper photo be getting of the bike to admire the views.

      We continued on in a procession down the mountain, through Killarney National Park, past Muckross Lake & towards the outskirts of Killarney with it’s massive hotels. We stopped at a petrol station for fuel & discovered it had a very tempting cafe, which prompted us to stay for brunch.

      The staff couldn’t have been nicer & more helpful. We had ham & egg salad rolls, scone, doughnut & coffees, all for a bargain price! After we cruised through, well stop / started through Killarney town centre, which was easy on the eye, but very touristy & way too busy. We didn’t stop other than to use an ATM.

      We then embarked on an approximate 2 hour ride across country to our new Cottage for Week 2 of our trip. We picked up the N72 & were able to ride at a decent pace on the relatively flat roads. The occasional hefty bump gave me a reminder to stay vigilant.

      We rode through Barraduff, Rathmore & Banteer to Mallow, nicknamed the “Crossroads of Munster”. We had a cruise around Mallow, primarily because I took a wrong turning, then picked up the N72 again. We continued through Killavullen, Ballyhooly to Fermoy.

      Fermoy was a very attractive, but less touristy, looking town with a an impressive bridge crossing the wide River Blackwater to the main street of Courthouse Road. Whilst in Fermoy, we stopped & took an ‘on bike’ photo of the Cistercian Monks statue.

      As a point of interest, during the War of Independence, Fermoy was the scene of the first attack for arms by the IRA against British troops, during which a Private Jones was killed. This resulted in several reprisals, including when British troops looted and burned part of the town centre. One of those who led the raid, IRA Commandant Michael Fitzgerald, was subsequently captured but never tried for the offence. He later became the first IRA man to die on hunger strike during the War of Independence.

      We continued eastwards to Tallow Bridge, where Chris had told me that the cottage was just a short distance further on. Unfortunately my SatNav told me to continue around the hairpin bend & that we were still 30 minutes away. Stupidly, I followed the SatNav until we got up the road to Lismore. We pulled over & used google which took us another route & just 6 minutes later we pulled up at Bride Valley Fruit Farm, the farmhouse of which is our cottage.

      Bride Valley Fruit Farm is still a working farm with cattle, sheep & Bramley cooking apples that are bought by Bulmers for their cider. The farmhouse has marvellous views across Bride Valley & the River Bride running through it.

      After emptying the panniers, Chris & I retreated to the kitchen to watch the Man Utd v Chelsea game on the iPad with a cold beer. When I thought the day couldn’t have got any better, Man Utd’s youngsters thrashed Chelsea 4-0. Nothing better than to see that smug self-satisfied look wiped off Frank Lampard’s face!

      As soon as the football finished, Angela served up a delicious Chicken Pasta Bake with garlic bread & salad with a drop of red. After dinner, we cleared away & got ready to play a game of Cribbage. I dealt out the first hand, but before we could play we had an unexpected pitch invasion, in the form of the farmer, Willie McDonnell.

      Willie walked straight in, sat himself down at our table & picked up the dealt cards. He then proceeded to tell us that he used to play ‘45’ & started selecting random cards that were apparently bonus cards. Willie was a lovely old man, who certainly had the the gift of the gab. No doubt he had kissed the Blarney Stone!

      Willie stayed for 30-45 minutes telling us all sorts of stories about his life on the farm & the people & history of the area. It was fascinating & amusing stuff. We ascertained from him that we were allowed to fish in the river for brown trout, but not salmon. Willie also told us that 10 years ago he bought a donkey for €1000 for his cottages guests as well as investing in the luxury of internet. He couldn’t have been more different to Mr Hegarty.

      We played Cribbage & Logo ( note: where Jackie was the victor over an out of form Simon) & finally went to bed at the unearthly hour of 11.30pm.

      It had been a top top day.

      Song of the Day - The High Road by Broken Bells
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    • Day 7

      The road to Dingle via Killarney

      April 5, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

      We are changing up our itinerary to reflect the need to reschedule some of our local visits due to Covid quarantines.( Not for us thank God ) .
      We will return to Ballyvourney on Easter and stay 2 nights before we head to Kildare’s Bridget Center and Dublin at the end of the trip.
      Today we have a lunch date in Killarney with our favorite Irish bus driver John O’Keefe , then we head to Dingle for a few days stay.
      I don’t think I could bear to leave Ballyvourney if we were not returning soon .❤️🙏🇮🇪
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    • Day 32

      Kerry Cliffs

      June 6, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      After a morning of driving the most scenic 3 hour route in Ireland, in total fog and rain 🤣 the skies finally cleared and gave us a gorgeous 2 hours bang on cue for our venture up to see the Kerry Cliffs. The rain returned as soon as we'd finished lunch and set of driving again 🙃
      We saw lots of the various birds you are supposed to look for here... But sadly no puffins today
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    • Day 32

      Laharn Viewpoint

      June 6, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

      Went to camp in the clouds, apparently there's usually an amazing view 😁

      Early start for a swim this morning (not in a small way for the nice indoor warm showers 🙃) Lennon loves swimming now after taking a few months to suss it out with a permanent confused look, never crying never smiling... He's finally a little waterbaby 🤗 and now we are headed for a ferry to our last section of the Southern Irish CoastRead more

    • Day 75

      CÚIG GHRIANGHRAF-Ireland Day 10

      June 27, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      We woke up to a brief display of clear skies before the weather began to change rather quickly to what felt like a combination of Pacific NW winter rains and Wyoming's strong winds. I've dubbed the weather Hurricane Patrick.

      One of the things we've noticed about the locals is that they tend to be rather apologetic about the weather. They seem perplexed that it should be better this time of year. We reassure them that we are happy to be here and a holiday during inclement weather is better than a day in the office on a sunny day.

      We departed Limerick for an overnight side trip to the Dingle peninsula today, part of the Wild Atlantic Way. We took the Slea Head Drive (Slí Cheann Sléibhe) enroute to the town of Dingle. Along the way we saw film locations for free 1970 movie Ryan's Daughter and one of the Star Wars movies. The old ruins of a tower and the dramatic cliffs and countryside were spectacular.

      At one stop, I took photos of sheep grazing in a pasture. I really did think that one of the larger sheep was going to charge through the fence at me, and I was a bit embarrassed at being intimidated by it. I think I was haunted by reliving childhood memories of benign petting zoos only to get head butts from goats.

      We stopped for a lunch in Dingle before proceeding to some additional coastal sites.
      We stopped by the Gallarus Oratory which is thought to be a 10th or 11th century stone church. The shape of the arch is comparable to an overturned boat, and the arch doesn't have a keystone like other architectural arch structures.

      After departing the Oratory we made our way across the Conor pass. The vistas were quite spectacular despite the gloomy weather. The roads were very narrow at certain points, and they were reliant on the courtesy of travelers to use the turnouts in places where only one lane can pass at a time. Stray sheep along the roadsides added extra navigation challenges. We imagined what it must be like to be driving a tour bus through the area as we were followed by one in other parts of the drive.

      After we made it through the Pass, we arrived at our B&B about 10 minutes further down the road. We were greeted by Mary, the proprietor, who gave us dinner recommendations with a newly opened family restaurant down the road. I never thought I would be seeking the comfort of a wood stove at the end of June, but it was a welcome feature of this quaint restaurant. We struck up a conversation with other guests who are two college friends traveling from Kansas. One was a kindergarten teacher, and we enjoyed sharing travel tips.

      We arrived back at our B&B, and we are enjoying the white noise of the wind and sea beckoning us to sleep. Sweet dreams!
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    • Day 6

      Clonakilty to Kenmare

      July 14, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

      On our way to Mizen head, today, we passed through Skibbereen. Hugh talked about how the Potato Famine killed 10,000 people in the West Cork area. 2,000,000 died overall. 😢

      A Happy Fun fact - The small Skibbereen rowing club, with only a tidal river to practice on, has produced multiple Olympic medals - O’Donovan Brothers being the most well known. I watched a YouTube video about them tonight - “The Irish Rowing Brothers Who Shocked the World” It was fantastic!!

      Mizen Head and Barley Cove were absolutely stunning. It was good to see and smell the ocean. Mizen Head is the most south-west point of Ireland and we got a great workout hiking to the different lookouts.

      We stopped for lunch in Bantry and ate at Box of Frogs 🐸 Yummy!!!!
      Then, we cut across the Beara Peninsula and drove the switchbacks through the Caha mountains over Healy Pass. The road and pass reminded me of the types of mountain passes you see in the Tour de France.

      Along the road there were sheep everywhere, spray painted in different color designs to identify them to the farmers. Beautiful!!!

      I can’t believe the wonderful weather we’ve had! So, so fortunate!

      Dinner 🥘 and drinks 🍹 from Foley’s on the street across from our Guesthouse, Davitt’s, with the sounds of live music from all the bars on the road. 🎶
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    • Day 7

      Kenmare to Dingle

      July 15, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

      We drove over Moll’s Gap
      Towards the McGillacuddy’s Reeks (mountains) into Killarney National Park and Lakes. After a short hike to Torc Waterfall, we visited Ross Castle. 🏰 A guide took us up the mainly original spiral staircase and explained the different rooms and what life was like living in the castle. Going down the staircase took some concentration and control over not really looking straight down 😮

      The rest of the way was the Dingle Peninsula!!!👍🏻🙂 - We had lunch at Sammy’s on Inch Beach and then drove by so many pastures holding sheep 🐑 or cows 🐄 divided by stone fences covered by green shrubbery.

      Before we checked in to our Bed and Breakfast, we drove around Slea Head…WOW! It’s an amazing road along the cliff side with incredible views of the Blasket Islands. We took some time at Gallorus Oratory, which is the best preserved early Christian church in Ireland. It was built between the 7th and 8th century with dry-stone corbelling, using techniques first developed by Neolithic tomb makers. It was perfectly constructed - Amazing!!!

      We are staying at the Greenmount House B&B for the next two nights. 🙂 Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to meandering around Dingle.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Ciarraí, Ciarrai, Co Kerry, KIR

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