Friday, March 5, 2010

A Winter Visit to Kerry

My husband and I have visited Killarney in February several times. I love the smell of burning peat (called turf in Ireland) in the air, and though the trees are bare, the grass is green, and tropical plants blessed by the warming Gulf Stream flourish outdoors. We’d always seen pots of pansies hanging on the poles throughout the town.

Not this year. One pub owner told us the snow on the mountains was only designer snow. Another said Ireland had endured its worst winter in sixty years. But the atypical chill in the air didn’t hinder our touring plans, and I’m happy to report that the rain-to-snow forecasts for each day of our visit were wrong.

We armed Gertrude, our trusty GPS, with Irish maps to help us explore. She did her best to navigate our first daytrip, which took us south through Killarney National Park. Fog and showers obscured the views, but we were still adjusting to the five-hour time change and didn’t mind. Our twisty, narrow-laned drive brought us to the town of Kenmare, a colorful 19th century market town. Its Irish name, Neidin, means “little nest, ” as the town is nestled between the mountains of Kerry and Cork. We spent an enjoyable few hours browsing through shops, and I acquired several new CDs to feed my addiction to traditional Irish music. The weather had improved by the time we caught an Irish highway back to Killarney, seeing more than one rainbow along the way.


Above and Below - Scenery Along the Dingle Peninsula

Gertrude received a more vigorous workout the next day. A pleasant mix of clouds and sunny skies shone over our first visit to the Dingle Peninsula, the northernmost arm of Kerry stretching out into the Atlantic. I’d been researching ring forts for a writing project and didn’t realize I was about to see the prehistoric remains of more than one. The famous Beehive Huts and ancient Dunbeg Fort overlooking Dingle Bay would set anyone’s imagination awhirl. We drove out to the breathtakingly beautiful Slea Head, viewed the Blasket Islands, and drove on to see the Gallarus Oratory. On our way back to Killarney, we stopped in hilly Dingle Town for a stroll and a pub lunch.


Above - Ring Forts and Beehive Huts

Below - The Gallarus Oratory and the View From Its Door



Part two of our winter break will feature the Beara Peninsula and Killarney Town. Stay tuned!

15 comments:

  1. Great pictures, Pat, and so many of them of places I know. That's priceless. I remember Kenmare very well and I swear the fish I ate in Dingle was the best I've ever had. That's saying something, because the fish all over Ireland is awesome. But I think there it jumped from the ocean onto my plate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorgeous photos--I'm absolutely pea-green with envy! I'm looking forward to the next set. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like an awesome trip Pat! I almost got chills looking at the fort pictures, like you could feel the history there, very cool! The scenery everywhere is just fantastic. Someday, someday. Thank you so much for sharing:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Miriam, we really enjoyed Dingle Town, busy even off season. Didn't know you'd been out there ahead of me. I would have picked your brains before I went! Don't know if you saw my note to you on CH, but we made it to the Laurels for lunch. To die for mushroom soup, good Italian wine (don't tell anyone I don't like Guinness!) and a fabulous turf fire. You were in my thoughts, ma'am. Thanks for stopping by today!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Lisa! Glad you enjoyed the photos. I don't usually post pictures with me in them, but as my husband said, "You're smiling in all of them." Hope to get to Part 2 over the weekend. Thanks for visiting!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Dave. I found a book about ring forts in Killarney, but the $75 price tag made me leave it on the shelf. Who knew I'd get to see the remains of ring forts the very next day? I've given up trying to figure out the apparent coincidences that abound in Ireland. I hope to meet you in a pub over there one of these days. Thank you so much for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What wonderful photos, Pat! I so envy you. I'm still in an Irish mist over my trip last July, and I can't wait to visit again. And I understand what you mean about the Irish roads - we got lost several times, but as far as I was concerned, it was just one more research opportunity. Don't know that hubby and kids felt the same way, though. Can't wait for Part II!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cynthia, I'm sure you'll get back over. It's addictive! And you have all that research to do . . .

    Lexi, Glad you enjoyed the photos. I have to say, they really don't do the scenery justice. It's so amazing.

    Thank you both for visiting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, breathtaking pictures, Pat!! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad you liked them, Nicole. I'm thinking I should go back and take more . . .

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Pat, i love your pix!! Thanks for posting them.
    Those beehive huts do stir the imagination.
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey Julie! Glad you enjoyed the photos. Thank you for visiting!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a wonderful place to be. Lovely pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks, JQ. I recall that because of the time of year, we had the place pretty much to ourselves, though we did meet a young couple from Los Angeles in one of the ringforts. A memorable visit.

    ReplyDelete