Ireland

We woke up in Galway on Thanksgiving day and had a wonderfully decadent Irish breakfast at the Marriott Hotel. Today's excursion was a driving loop around the Connemara region (County Galway and County Mayo). Connemara is the name given to the western portion of County Galway, which lies between Lough Corrib and the Atlantic, highlighting the rugged beauty of The West of Ireland. We picked up the R336 outside of Galway and had a scenic drive along Galway bay with beautiful views of the Aran Islands. The weather was a mixed bag, with a little sun and a little rain, sometimes at once. Before 11:30 AM we were treated to no less than seven intense rainbows along our drive. We stuck to the coastal route, switching to the R340 and R341 before eventually reaching Clifden. Right in town, you will see roadsigns for "Sky Road", a short driving loop that climbs high along the rocky terrain, offering stunning views of the Atlantic and surrounding land. There is a great car park near the highest point, and is definitely worth the short detour. We rounded the lower road and headed back to Clifden for a quick lunch before moving on.

Leaving Clifden, we headed north up the N59 towards Leenane. The road, like most in Ireland, wound through the rugged landscape before rounding a bend just north of Clifden, revealing the Twelve Bens mountain range which makes up part of the Connemara National Park. We briefly stopped at a pull-off in the road to appreciate the view. While we have many pictures, it simply does not translate to film and this part of Ireland was one I will have in my memories for a long time. Along the way to Leenane, we stopped at Kylemore Abbey (a very well photographed monastery which is now an exclusive girl's boarding school). While tours are offered, we opted to just take some pictures before moving on. Through mountain passes dotted with lakes and grazing fields, we hit our next waypoint of Leenane and Killary harbor, Irelands only Fjord. We had a short stop to stretch our legs before diverting off of the N59 to R335 towards Lousburgh. We refueled there before hooking east towards Westport, passing by Croagh Patrick, were legend states St. Patrick drove the "snakes" from Ireland. The main visitor center was closed for the season, and low clouds obscured the summit from view, but it was still a very pretty area. Perhaps one day we will take a day from Westport and actually climb the summit (about a three hour moderate hike).

We passed through Westport before picking up the R330 to the N84 and ultimately back to Galway. This section of the drive is a little less scenic, which works out well since it was already starting to get dark at that time. We found our way back to the hotel, had a nice Thanksgiving dinner of a Irish version of Lasagna before crashing for the night. Coming Up: The drive back to Dublin with a stop in Trim and the Hill of Tara.

Pics from today's adventure...

We woke up in Killarney on day four, packed our gear, had breakfast, and hit the road for another scenic drive. This days destination was ultimately Galway, with a quick diversion to the Dingle Peninsula. In many ways, this is probably one of my favorite spots in Ireland. The terrain combines sandy beaches and rocky coastlines with amazing mountains and lush green fields. There are loads of ruins to explore and quaint towns to visit. It's very manageable in a half-day visit, but on a future visit, I think I would prefer to spend a day or two there. Leaving Killarney, we picked up the R561 to the Dingle Peninsula. Along the way, we stopped at Inch Beach (probably not proper any longer since Ireland is on the metric system). It was a bit blustery, but it was a nice stop to stretch our legs and stare out at the Atlantic for a bit. We continued on towards Dingle Town (not sure if they call it that, but it seems to have a nice ring to it) where we picked up the Slea Head driving loop (the R569). The Slea Head loop hugs the southwest coastline with fantastic views of the Great Blasket Island and the Atlantic. We took advantage of a break in the rain and enjoyed the view before moving on to the ruins of Kilmalkedar Church. The last time we saw the ruins, it was pretty well covered in scaffolding for renovation. All of that had been removed, and a nice sunny afternoon allowed us to get some great pictures. We touched our thumbs in the ogham stone (thus renewing our marriage vows) and looped back to Dingle Town for some lunch and light shopping. Leaving Dingle, we headed north up Spa Road to Connor Pass. The pass goes just east of Mt. Brandon, and has spectacular views looking north and south. We did not get a chance to drive this route the last time we visited, but I am glad we did this time.

The next stop was the town of Tarbert where we would catch a ferry across the Shannon river. The alternative is to drive all the way to Limerick, the location of the first bridge. This cuts down the travel time by 45 minutes, and allowed me to relax from driving for a short period of time. We picked up the N67 and headed north. I was originally going to drive through Ennis, but the torrential rains western Ireland was experiencing had closed the road from Ennis to Galway with heavy flooding. The only suitable route was N67 through the Burren. The downside is that this is a very narrow and twisting road, and with standing water in many areas, it added about an hour and a half on to our travel time. By the time we got to Ballyvaughan, it was already dark and we were starting to see spotty flooding in some areas. We encountered a few areas of the road which were flooded over (standing water only, no movement), one of which caused me to stop in my tracks when I could not see the centerline. We waited a few moments considering our options (the nearest detour was at least 20-30 miles) when a small van came in the other direction and made it through without issue. We drove our SUV through with fingers crossed and made it to the other side of the flooded roadway without incident. Shortly after, we found ourselves in Galway in heavy traffic. Even with the GPS, it was pretty much luck and Jens sharp eyes that landed us by our hotel. After checking in, we had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant before unwinding for the evening. Finally being in Galway, I did have an opportunity to break out my Yaesu VX-7R handheld transceiver and keyed up a local repeater with IRLP connectivity. I dialed up the Fulton County repeater (K8LI) and spoke with a few of the guys over the radio (great geeky radio fun). One of the guys gave us an update on the sewer line replacement progress at our house, and as promised, I sent them all custom QSL cards with my temporary call sign EI/KD8KBU. Coming Up: Thanksgiving in Ireland and a drive through Connemara.

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The heavy rains from the low pressure system over Ireland were with us once again on Tuesday. We awoke to overcast skies and blustery winds with the occasional rain pelting the window. Not the greatest day for a drive, but still better then a day in the office. We had breakfast at our new hotel (they had a wonderful selection of Irish cheese as well) before packing up the vehicle and hitting the road. For the benefit of those who have not had the thrill of driving the N71 between Killarney and Kenmare, try to avoid it in the rain. The road is narrow and winding, with a ridiculously fast speed limit which the Irish are sometimes intent on achieving. All that aside, the views are spectacular near Lady's View and Moll's Gap before crossing over on the downward drive to Kenmare. I've often wondered on how tour buses can manage to navigate the curves in the road on this stretch, I had a difficult enough time with our little Kia Sportage. We arrived in Kenmare and continued on to Glengariff at the southeast end of the Beara Peninsula. We did not have the time to explore the Beara the last time we were in Ireland, and I only wish the weather would have been more cooperative this time around. There are many quaint villages on the drive around the rocky coastline, and it can easily be done in a few hours. We eventually looped back to Kenmare and stopped for a very tasty lunch at a local B&B/restaurant.

With the rain not relenting, we decided that a quick loop around the Ring of Kerry would be in order to pass the remainder of the day. We stopped along the way at Staigue Fort, a late iron age stone ring fort estimated around 300-400 C.E. It's in great condition and worth the stop, although the drive up is a bit narrow and not too suitable for tour buses. We played in the rain for a bit before heading back to the car and continuing on our way. We stopped along the coast and took some pictures the best we could given the weather conditions before packing it up and trucking back to the hotel. We had dinner at a trendy little Italian place in Killarney, followed by more live music and snake bites at the Pub near our hotel. Coming up, Day Four: Dingle Peninsula, the Burren, and the journey to Galway.

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After a night of much-needed sleep, we had a wonderful Irish breakfast at the hotel before getting a cab to the rental car depot. The car rental was a bit too far of a walk, and it was not even an option since it was raining that morning. The cab driver was a pleasant enough person who seemed to enjoy talking about current events in Ireland. Specifically, he (and the rest of the country) were up in arms over a recent soccer match between Ireland and France, which had a bad call causing Ireland to lose. He stated that they had done everything short of declaring war on France. My comment to him was "they (France) probably would have surrendered if you did that". That made him laugh for quite a bit, so points for making an Irish caby laugh. We were also updated on the recent flooding issues in areas we were intending on visiting. As I understand it, the floods in the Shannon river valley, Galway, and Cork had never happened before in recorded history. There was an option on our route for a trip to the Blarney Castle in County Cork, but being unsure of the road conditions, I opted to stick to Cashel and Killarney. After getting the rental, I found it actually quite easy to slip back in the mode of driving on the left side of the road, it was not nearly as bad as our first time Ireland.

We arrived in Cashel after a couple of hours and spent a good portion of the afternoon wandering around St. Patrick's Rock of Cashel and the actual town of Cashel as well. The Rock had a lot more scaffolding up than the last time we visited (efforts to preserve the site), and several major features were unfortunately closed off for the season while they renovated. Since we had seen the site before, it was not a great loss. We took some photos and walked down to the town to find some lunch. There is another great ruin site as well right in town, something we did not get a chance to see last time, the St. Dominic's Friary (see photo album). In addition to that, there are several other historic sites right in town, which we may not have had an opportunity to see with a tour bus group. We had lunch at a local pub and stopped at a local grocery store for misc items before heading out to Killarney. The remainder of the drive was an uneventful couple of hours. The afternoon's excitement came when we went to check into our hotel in Killarney. We were booked by our tour company at the Killarney Towers hotel and leisure center, but when we came to the main door, it stated "Closed for Season". We were both somewhat surprised by this new development, and decided to go around to the leisure center door which was open. A desk clerk there did confirm the hotel was closed for the winter season, but was kind enough to call their sister hotel, the Plaza which was less then a block away, who confirmed our reservation had been switched to there. Not a big deal, I would have slept in the car if I couldn't have found a hotel room. The Plaza was also a very nice hotel, and very conveniently located on the main strip in Killarney. We walked around for a few hours after checking in, made a few purchases from the Aran Sweater Market (should be here any day now) and had dinner at a nice little Pub. While out walking, we noticed a Pub less then a stone throw from our hotel had a couple hours of live traditional music lined up for that night (come to find out, it's almost every night they have live traditional music, but it's all good). We both had a few pints before crashing for the night. Coming up, Day Three: The Beara Penninsula, The Ring of Kerry, and heavy, heavy rains

Quick lick to the Images for the day...

We are back from a week in Ireland and Amsterdam. The trip was fantastic, with lots of new experiences and sights. As a recap, I wanted to do something adventurous and exciting for my 40th birthday this year, so some kind of road trip seemed like a good idea. I worked with my travel agent on some various ideas after being pretty dead set on a drive up the Pacific Coast highway. He made some initial estimates for time and costs and presented me with some various options. After reviewing those, he also gave me an option for a self-guided driving tour of Ireland which came in considerably less than the Pacific coast idea. Knowing Ireland is a hot button for me, my dead set intentions quickly crumbled and I started to get excited about Ireland instead. We had visited Ireland a couple of years ago, but there was still more of the country I wanted to see. Combined with an extra day in Amsterdam on the way home, that pretty much sealed the deal. The tour package we used was the Independent Irish Spirit package courtesy of C.I.E. Tours, a pretty big travel agency in Ireland for guided tours. The reason it was such a good deal was because November is largely considered very off-season for tourism in Ireland. This means many major sites have limited hours (if any at all), colder weather, and around 8-9 hours of daylight available for driving. So I planned as best possible with these caveats in mind, and took advantage of the three major cities we would be staying in Dublin, Killarney, and Galway.

To start off, we had a very late flight out of Detroit Metro (around 9:45 pm). We got to the airport a bit earlier than necessary, and passed the time playing Gin and reading. The flight out from Detroit to Amsterdam was pretty uneventful. KLM's Airbus 330's have in-seat entertainments with movies, music, and games to help pass the time on an eight hour flight. The fact that it was at night also helps if you can actually manage to sleep in Economy class. We landed in Amsterdam on time and had only a brief layover for our flight to Dublin. That flight was definitely more "exciting". Dublin airport was experiencing gale winds and rain due to a heavy low-pressure system battering them and the U.K. for the past few days. The heavy turbulence started a few minutes before landing, which really made it feel like more of a roller coaster ride. Perhaps it was just lack of sleep, but Jen and I both had an inappropriate chuckle when the stewardess reminded us (shortly before landing) to "double-check for the nearest emergency exit to your seats"...the landing was a bit of a roller coaster ride as it felt like the plane came in pretty hot, but we came to a safe stop and had a great view of a rainbow forming. over the airport (Ireland welcomed us back).

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We spent about an hour and a half in the passport control line since they appeared to be a little understaffed. This killed my idea of doing a Guinness brewery tour, but it was probably for the better since we were both pretty exhausted. The bus ride out to our hotel in Ballsbridge was slightly humorous as well. One of the main routes through Dublin (O'Connell Street) was closed for Christmas decoration lighting, and this seemed to irritate the bus driver beyond description as he tried to maneuver a very large vehicle through winding Dublin streets already clogged with overflow traffic. As a brief aside, the Dublin area has a population of around 1.6 million with a density of around 11,000/sq mile within the city. There also does not seem to be a very clear layout for the city. This, coupled with the staggering lack of road signs in Ireland in general, had us very much lost while traveling on the bus and very much unsure when our stop would be. The bus driver assured me (in a slightly cantankerous manor) that he would call the stops out when we got to them. After a stream of obscenities from his direction (mostly related to traffic), we arrived at our hotel for the evening. The rest of the night was spent at the hotel pub with dinner and a Guinness for my birthday treat. I will say this for Bewley's hotel though, besides a great breakfast and free WiFi, that is one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in. I would have tried to smuggle that home if I had bigger luggage. Coming up, Day Two and the journey to Killarney.

We awoke to our last full day in Ireland on Thursday. Not wanting to stray too far across the country, we decided to drive the N71 between Killarney and Kenmare to see the many ruins and natural sites along the way. We drove this route a couple of days before, but were on a time table to start the Ring of Kerry after Kenmare, so we skipped many places along the way. We were chatting with the woman at the hotel reception desk trying to pinpoint were the Torq Waterfalls were. She said if we were driving there, we might as well stop at several other points along the way, marking them on a map.

The first stop was Ross Castle, built in the late 1400s by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues. Ross Castle is located in Killarney National Park and is a short drive off N71 right from Killarney. Located right on Lough Leane, there are many boat hires to tour around the lake to places like Innisfallen Island with many ruins. Parking is very easy as this is also one of the many entrances to Killarney National Park. You could easily spend a whole day exploring the park, either on foot, horseback or boat, but we had much more to see along N71.

Our next stop was a few kilometers down the road to Muckross Abbey. Construction began around 1440, about the same time as Ross Castle, and the Abbey opened in 1448. The Yew Tree in the Abbey cloister was planted when the Abbey was built making it over 560 years old and the oldest living thing in Ireland. The Abbey was undergoing some minor construction when we visited, largely work to shore up walls, and preserve what is left of it. Much of the Abbey was still open to visitors and is simply amazing to see and touch. This is a must-stop for anyone in the area.

We packed back into the van and drove a few more kilometers to Torq Waterfalls. Part of Killarney National Park, Torq Mountain is a very lush and heavily wooded region of the park. The path leading to the waterfalls is surrounded by so much life it's almost overwhelming. Everything here is alive and the vibrant colors reflect this. When I think back to the wasteland of the Burren a few days earlier, the contrast is staggering. We took some photos of the waterfalls and Roger, Anne, and myself decided to take a short forty-minute walk on the yellow trail. After quite an uphill hike, revealing stunning views of Lough Leane and County Kerry, we eventually made our way back to the parking area where Jen, Dave, and Stephanie were patiently waiting. While the trail was definitely a moderate hike, the short trail to the waterfalls is very easy and should not be missed if you are in the area.

We continued to drive south to Kenmare, stopping at Ladies view for some pictures and food (there is a cafe and gift shop here). Unfortunately, there were problems with the power so the cafe was closed for the day. Everyone was starting to get very hungry for lunch and not wanting a revolt, I remembered a cafe at Moll's Gap a few more kilometers up the road. We loaded up the van and pressed on, through the winding roads of N71 which were even more spectacular in the sunlight (it was quite foggy a few days earlier).

We arrived at Moll's Gap and the Avoca Restaurant. Not being quite sure as to what kind of food to expect, we were overwhelmed by the amazing gourmet quality of the food they had to offer. It was our oasis in the desert. The ladies running the restaurant had a variety of quiche and salads (including a particularly grand mushroom salad). You received a mountain of food which was very reasonably priced. I didn't think I would finish it all, but is so tasty that it didn't seem to be an issue. After days of pub grub, the quality of food in the cafe was refreshing and amazing. Almost too amazing, scary amazing...I almost felt a little like Hansel & Gretel, waiting for the nice ladies to cook us up in a pot...but that never happened, instead we browsed the vast gift shop located here. The tour buses started to roll in from the Ring of Kerry, so we piled back into the van and proceeded to Kenmare.

Kenmare is pretty easy to navigate once you get your bearings. Which, of course, took us several minutes while staring at a map of the town and trying to determine where we were. We finally spotted the tourist information office, which we knew the stone circle to be only a few hundred yards from. The Kenmare Stone Circle is reported to be the biggest in the southwest of Ireland. Stone Circles were built during the Bronze Age (2,200-500 B.C) for ritual and ceremonial purposes. They were often orientated on certain solar and lunar events, such as the position of the sun on the horizon on a solstice. In the center of the circle is a Boulder Dolmen, which is unique for stone circles. Dolmen's often marked the burial place of someone important. We spent a while playing, relaxing, and enjoying the sunshine and mild temperatures.

The day was wearing on so we decided to head back to Killarney and the hotel to freshen up for dinner. Once back in town, we located Murphy's Pub on College Street (right behind our hotel). A gentleman in the corner of the pub recommended the Guinness Stew (reported to be the best in the area, if not the country) which a few people did try and enjoyed. I had the fish & chips (something I had been wanting since we arrived) and pint. We had a great evening listening to live music at The Grand (I think that was the name) located on Main St, a short walk from the hotel. We didn't stay out too late though. We had an early morning with a two-hour drive back to Shannon to catch our flight to the states. We packed up that night feeling a little blue. I think this was the first vacation Jen and I had taken where we felt we belonged...so anyone up for Ireland in 2010?

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There was really only a handful of things I wanted to do and planned for when we went to Ireland, one of them was taking Jen to see the Waterford Crystal Factory. Jen, Stephanie, Dave, and myself packed up and hit the road. Ann and Roger were going to drive out to see some of the ring forts on the Ring of Kerry we had seen the day before. Both groups discussed going to see the Rock of Cashel later in the day, but without cell phones, there was no way to coordinate this, so we planned to meet for dinner or drinks later that night. Waterford is no short journey being a good 2 hours away from Killarney (on a good day with a breeze to your back) unless you get stuck behind a trailer hauling a horse. Since two-lane routes in Ireland are almost non-existent, if you get stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle on a busy route, you may be there for a while. We managed to pass the trailer a few kilometers outside of Lismore where we had to stop for fuel. Getting back on the road we noticed a few cars ahead of us were the same horse trailer. It was just not our day on the road and we arrived in Waterford an hour later then we wanted to. On the plus side, the Crystal Factory was very easy to find and tours start quite frequently. The tour is only about an hour and takes you through a working factory showing glass blowing, inspection, marking, etching, custom carving/molding, and hand engraving. The tour ends up at the factory store (how convenient) which is stocked with many items you may not find in the states. We shopped for a few small trinkets and had lunch at the visitor center cafeteria (very big cookies to be had).

Still running behind schedule, we headed north to Kilkenny to see Kilkenny Castle, a fully furnished 17th-century castle. Tours are limited in size and fill up fast. When we arrived in Kilkenny we managed to get lost, yet again. but soon recovered after a nice petrol station clerk pointed us in the proper direction. Parking is not very easy either, but we finally made it to the castle. The tour was at least 45 minutes from starting and it was already late in the day. We opted to skip the tour this time and take some pictures around the grounds (btw, cameras and bags are not allowed inside the castle) since we also still wanted to get to Cashel. When leaving Kilkenny, we noticed this giant black limestone statue/head/bust on Parliament St. We don't know who it was supposed to be a monument to, but there were people gathered around touching it. I think the conversation in the car went something like this:

Stephanie: Why are they touching that head
Dave: Maybe candy comes out of it
Craig: Ooo, maybe giant size pez, like the size of a brick
Jen: I want one of those

I guess you had to be there, but trust me, it was a comedy moment that had me gasping for breath I was laughing so hard.

Onwards to Cashel! Being disappointed by not taking the Kilkenny Castle tour and running late in general, we drove to Cashel. Any disappointment we had would soon be forgotten when we saw The Rock of Cashel looming in the distance. We parked the car and ran to it like kids in a toy store. The ruins are absolutely amazing as is the surrounding countryside. While exploring the main cathedral, we ran into Anne and Roger (we even parked right next to their car and did not notice). We were all quite surprised to see each other and had a good time describing the adventures we had that day. We took a lot of time exploring the grounds as there is so much to see. We eventually closed the place down before heading over to the Hore Abbey (yup, that's spelled correctly), located near the base of the Rock. There is no admission to get into the Abbey, and really not much as for as information. You can explore it extensively though (I do love history you can go up to and touch). We explored the grounds for a bit before the sun started to get lower to the horizon. We found a nice and cheap restaurant in Cashel before heading back to the vehicles and back to Killarney (still about 2 hours away). Anne and Roger headed straight back while the rest of us made a quick detour to Tipperary. It was only about twenty kilometers away (not a long, long way at all) so we had to drive through so at least we could say we'd been to Tipperary. We eventually got back to the hotel and had a pint before sleep could no longer be held at bay.

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The rain had finally ended when we woke up on Tuesday morning. There was still a light fog and mist around Killarney, but the pounding drizzle had subsided. Anne & Roger were intent on climbing Carrauntuhil, Ireland's highest mountain located in county Kerry (very close to Killarney actually). The rest of us decided to take a day trip and drive the Ring of Kerry. Most tourist books and maps will show the driving loop as counter-clockwise, and most of the tour buses will take that route also. Acting on a tip from a Rick Steves guide, we drove the loop clockwise to avoid the traffic and crowds.

The drive starts out going south from Killarney to Kenmare. There is a national park/forest situated in this area, so the scenery is incredible. The roads are also very narrow and winding as they cut through the rugged terrain separating these two towns. We stopped by Upper Lake for a few pictures of the clouds rolling over the higher elevations. There are also a few great stops along this route. The first of which is Ladies View, a scenic lookout on N71. The name apparently stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit. The next stop is Moll's Gap. The Kenmare valley to the south is linked to the mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula only by this relatively low ridge at the western end. There is a great little restaurant here that I will describe in my day 9 recap.

The Ring of Kerry starts up just before Kenmare and most of the interesting sites are after the town of Sneem. Our first site on the Ring was just outside of Castlecove: Staigue Fort. A stone ring fort built during the Celtic period, probably around the first century BC. The fort sits in a valley, surrounded on three sides by rugged mountain terrain and a clear view to the Kenmare River. The fort is also surrounded by grazing sheep, so watch your step! The road leading to the fort is quite narrow, usually only wide enough for one vehicle in most areas, so I don't think tour buses make this a frequent stop.

We stopped along many of the scenic lookouts around Derrynane Bay, a very rocky harbor that is sparsely populated. At one stop, we could hear sheep, but could not see them. We looked around the bend in the road and saw a few of them by a fence. Since they were so noticeably audible, we decided to mimic their bleating which made them even more chatty. The funny thing is that when we started doing this, a few dozen more joined them at the fence. Our guess is that they wanted something to eat.

We continued on to Waterville. A small town located on Ballinskelligs Bay and an excellent place to stop for a Scones and Tea break. We stopped by The Chedean Cafe were the service was as wonderful as the food. Still feeling a little punchy from the drive, a sample conversation from the Cafe:

Dave: What is the proper way to eat a Scone in Ireland?
Craig: You chew it with your back teeth

That little snippet of conversation followed us everywhere we went after that...Finishing our lite lunch, we strolled around the beach and took some pictures with Charlie Chaplin (a monument by the beach). Waterville is a charming little village, but we had more of the Ring to explore, so it was back to the road.

Near Waterville is a point where you can split off the Ring of Kerry (rejoining it later) on to the Skellings Ring. This is a short driving loop that many tour buses avoid due to narrow and steep roads. The weather was starting to show vast improvements (blue sky peeking through the clouds) so we decided to take the driving loop. The bigger decision was the Skelligs Chocolate Factory, but we'll discuss that in a moment. The Skellig Ring takes you through a few small villages with a large number of ruins and abandoned homes (from the famine and subsequent emigration) while it twists along the rugged coastline of St. Finan's Bay. Along this route, you will find the Skelligs Chocolate Factory. I highly recommend this stop. There are free samples of some amazing combinations and flavors. We dropped quite a few Euro, but it was well worth it.

Shortly after the factory, there is a nice, albeit rocky, beach to stop and enjoy your purchases. This is a good place to relax before the R-566 pass that takes you to Portmagee. I think this mountain pass is one of the main reasons tour buses avoid this route. I thought we were going to burn out the transmission at several points going uphill. Once at the top there is a nice parking area where you can take in the valley below (Portmagee) on one side, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other (and let your car transmission cool off). We had a few moments of nice scenery before a large cloud rolled in and blocked everything out. We put the van in neutral and coasted down the other side towards Portmagee, riding the brakes and still hitting 100K/m.

Portmagee is a brightly colored harbor town where most Skellig Island boat tours originate from. There is no guarantee when they will run, as the conditions on the Atlantic Ocean dictate that. On this side of the R-566 pass, the sun had finally come out and it was becoming a very pleasant afternoon. We stopped for lunch at the Morrings Pub before crossing over the bridge to Valencia Island. The island has a nice driving loop that takes you along the highest points before ending in Knights Town where you can catch a ferry back the mainland (only 5 Euro for a car) and cut 20 minutes off your drive be not backtracking to Portmagee.

Very close to the ferry port is the town of Cahersiveen. A bridge in town will take you to the Cahergall ring fort. While the Staigue Fort was interesting, this ring fort is massive. The walls are very high and thick and you can walk along the entire perimeter. There is also a second ring fort very nearby (the entrance is hidden around the east side of the fort. This one is significantly smaller, but worth checking out. We walked around the perimeter but could not find the entrance (Anne and Roger went there the next day and told us where to find it). We did get some great pictures of sheep though! One more very close attraction is the ruins of Ballycarberry Castle. The terrain is fairly flat and the castle stands out from a distance.

It was back on the road for us and back to Killarney. We had a great day and wrapped up the evening at a small Thai restaurant along High Street and drinks at the hotel pub that evening. Anne and Roger recounted their adventures in mountain climbing and we turned in for the evening so to be rested for the next days' adventure!

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We knew this day would come. We packed and prepared and understood that Ireland is green for a reason: rain. This actually gave us a good excuse to lounge around the castle, as one does in Ireland, before hitting the bricks for Killarney. Ballyseede Castle, like the Old Ground hotel, had a traditional Irish breakfast set in a very elegant dining room. We returned to our rooms and finished packing and getting ready to travel again. We spent a little time in the drawing-room planning our trip to Killarney (a short drive by comparison to the day before) while Dave and Roger played chess and Stephanie gave us an impromptu recital on the castles piano. After the rain had let up a bit, we loaded up the cars and headed towards Killarney.

Killarney is a popular tourist town where some sections streets are lined with tour buses. The town has an abundance of hotels and restaurants and is a good jump point to areas like the Ring of Kerry and other area attractions. Like most towns in Ireland, we found our street map was woefully inadequate. After driving down High street a couple of times we finally managed to find our hotel, the Killarney International, which was only a minor victory. We needed to find a place to park next. The hotel is located near the town center and does not have its own parking lot. The next best thing was a pay lot at the end of the block. Perhaps it was the drive down to Killarney and getting lost trying to find our hotel, maybe the lack of parking, or just the fact that we had to walk to the hotel in what can only be described as "pounding drizzle", but Craig was not in the best of moods. That soon faded though, even if we did have to pay to park, it was only between 9 am and 6 pm, when we would be out driving somewhere, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. We left the luggage in the cars and hoofed it to the hotel lobby.

We were still a little early for check-in, but the rooms were all ready which was a welcome relief. We opted to go check out our rooms first before retrieving the luggage. The hotel is wedged in between several other buildings and we began to refer to it as the MC Escher hotel. The halls and staircases would twist and turn with no obvious structured floor plan...perhaps calling it the Winchester Mansion hotel would be more appropriate. At one point, there were two different hallways that both point to our room number but looked to be going in opposite directions. We finally found our room (really quite appropriate to not only get lost in Killarney, but lost in our own hotel) which was very modern in comparison to everywhere else we stayed (complete with hot tub and flat panel TV).

After freshening up a bit, Roger and I ran back to the van so I could pull it around and unload the luggage, (no need to haul it through the rain). We paid for the rest of the day at the lot and decided to explore a bit of Killarney despite the rain/drizzle. The first stop was to acquire some lunch. Right across the street from the hotel was a tiny pizzeria, just the thing for a rainy day. Feeling a bit refreshed, we stopped out to the Killarney Outlet Shops (not to be confused with the outlet shops we have here, it really is more of a shopping mall where things are a little more expensive). Anne and Roger were intending on climbing the highest mountain in Ireland and needed some outdoor supplies like a compass. Having acquired that, the next stop was the local TI (Tourist Information Office).

I like to think I had done a pretty good job of finding activities to do up until this point, but the only thing I really had for the Killarney area was the Ring of Kerry and a day trip to Waterford. The TI had some other brochures of area attractions as well as a pretty good gift shop. We all split up and decided to meet in the hotel lobby for dinner at a set time. Jen and I roamed the streets of Killarney in search of trinkets and gifts as well as a good place for dinner. Killarney is not lacking in gift shops which is good for bargain hunters or people on a budget. We made note of several restaurant ideas to pitch to the crew and returned to the hotel to relax for a bit.

Anne & Roger may have spent a bit too much time in the rain since they had lost their voices and wanted to spend the rest of the evening resting up. Dave, Stephanie, Jen, and myself headed to the logical choice in restaurants when in Ireland: Chinese. I was very pleased to see some Irish inspired dishes. I've never had a garlic salmon dish before, at least not quite like that, but it was very tasty. We returned to the hotel to meet in the local pub and discuss Tuesdays adventure over a well-deserved pint: the Ring of Kerry.

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The morning of Day 5 was the closing of the chapter on Ennis and the start of the adventure in Tralee. We spent the morning having our traditional Irish fare one last time at the Old Ground Hotel and figured out directions to Tralee and the Ballyseede Castle Hotel. It would be a long drive taking us back through Shannon and Limerick to Tralee and the edge of the Dingle Peninsula. The driving in Ireland was getting very easy at this point. My subconscious had finally stopped screaming about being on the wrong side of the road (actually I think it left altogether and was waiting at my Kia parked at Detroit Metro) and I was getting the hang of spotting street signs and direction markers.

On the way down to Tralee, we stopped to take some scenic photos before getting to Ballyseede. The castle is more of a fortified mansion, but it says castle in the title, so we officially slept in a castle in Ireland. The castle was undergoing some renovations, so we could not get everywhere, but that was o.k. since we had bigger plans of driving around the Dingle Peninsula and the Slea Head loop (we call it the Dingle Ring). We checked into our rooms, except for Anne & Roger whos room was not quite ready. We also were introduced to Arthur, the castle's Irish Wolfhound who was very docile and slept quite a bit...usually where you wanted to walk through.

We piled in the van and headed towards N86 for our first stop in Camp and Ashe's Tavern for lunch. The pub was very tiny but there were only a few people and that made it even cozier. An older couple also came into the pub a bit later and wanted to talk all about what was going on back in the States and also gave us a lesson in some simple Gaelic phrases. A little bit outside of Camp is a great area to stop alongside the road and take in the valley below.

The next stop/attraction was a little after the town of Dingle (or An Daingean as the Irish government wants it called) to a stone fort known as Dunbeg. As a brief tangent, the story behind the rename of Dingle to An Daingean is quite amusing if you have some to research and read about it, there is a huge push by the government to preserve Irelands heritage which most people are in favor of. But the folks of Dingle are quite against renaming of their town, and many of the welcome signs to An Daingean were spray-painted over with the old name of Dingle.

The Dunbeg Fort is an iron age fortification which is teetering precariously on the edge of the sea. It is a dry stone structure with some amazing views of the coast. On either side of the fort are fields of sheep, natures lawnmower, who all seemed to be attracted to Jen. We figured out the color of her raincoat is close to that of the people that tend and feed them.

Continuing on our drive out to Slea Head, we stopped to get some pictures of a beehive hut (another dry stone structure) and enjoy the winding road and coastal views. Slea Head is at the western edge of Ireland and overlooks the Blasket Islands which were occupied through pre-history until very recently when they were vacated in 1953. The sloping hills and fields overlooking the ocean and islands is quintessential Ireland. The beauty of this sometimes harsh landscape is worth the drive.

We rounded Slea Head and found our way to the Reask Monastic Site. The roads are very narrow leading to this place, so tour buses won't get you there. There are some beautiful stone carvings from early Christianity and a wind fired kiln at the south end. Nothing remains of the buildings but low walls and a cross-slab standing stone which sits in the middle of the compound. Excavations revealed the ruins of an oratory, four clochans (stone huts), a graveyard, and about ten stone slabs.

Back on the R559, we headed to the Gallarus Oratory, a dry stone church probably built in the 8th or 9th century. The construction is done in such a way to allow rainwater to run off, leaving the inside dry. A tip on seeing the Oratory, when you see the sign for parking on the left, keep driving about 200 yards to a public access point where you can get the Oratory for free. The first parking lot is apparently on someone's property and they charge a small admission fee to cross their land and see the Oratory (thank you, Rick Steves, for pointing that out). There is a gift shop and restrooms there, so if you need any of that, then it's worth stopping at the first parking area.

Our last stop was to the Kilmalkedar Church site. The cemetery is still actively used, and it appeared as though there was some work being done on the ruined church (perhaps to shore up the walls and prevent further crumbling). Kilmalkedar Church is an excellent example of the Irish Romanesque style of architecture and dates back to the 12th century. There is a great stone cross outside of it, along with a sundial and an ogham stone. The stone is said to be a place where people would go to 'seal a deal' by touching thumbs through the hole at the top. In modern times, it is used by couples to renew their vows and commitment to one another by touching thumbs then kissing. Located just across the road is another ruined structure of a house or abbey, not really quite sure as there were no markings, but it was fun to explore just the same.

The fog and rain had finally set in so we made our way back to the Castle for the evening (and I think my driving had gotten the better of Anne who missed taking her Dramamine). Jen, Dave, Stephanie, and I opted to head back into Tralee to find some cheap grub. While this sounds really lame, we came across a McDonald's and we all just had to know: was it as bad as it is in America. We stopped for a quick burger, I had a quarter-pounder (which really should be named in some metric equivalent, like the 0.113 kilogram or something...anyhow, the burger was actually quite tasty! A sign in the McDonald's read that they only use Irish beef in their burgers, so no kangaroo.

Back at the Castle, we spent the rest of the evening in the Castle's pub joking with the barkeep and reminiscing on the sites of the day.

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