Ireland days 6 & 7

Day 6: On the road from Galway and the Cliffs of Moher to Kenmare, with a stop in Killarney.

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Running behind (we had to check in at our next b&b by a certain time), we stopped in Killarney. Again, we only made it as far as the church before it poured. Are you seeing a pattern here? The sound of heavy rain made for a serene experience, embraced by the shelter of the church as we explored. And what a gorgeous church it was! A newer gothic revival church, St. Mary’s Cathedral was built starting in 1842.

From Killarney, we drove through Killarney National Park (WOW), with some absolutely insane curvy roads, until we reached the village of Kenmare. This was my favorite village of our whole trip. It was small, compact, and absolutely charming. Kenmare also was our best pub experience. After listening to live music at the Coachman’s, we headed to Crowley’s bar. This was a tiny bar, and on that night there was a woman, the bartender, and an older couple from Australia (a big football/soccer match accounted for the empty bar). Undaunted, we sat down for a drink and had a nice chat with the Australians (on a three month holiday! What joy!) and the bartender.

On their advice, the next day we headed out to drive the Ring of Beara. This is a route along the Beara Peninsula, partly in County Cork and partly County Kerry. Now, you may have heard of the fantastic Ring of Kerry, which is a must on tourist itineraries for the amazing views of the Irish coastline. Well, the Ring of Beara offers the same rugged, wild, blissful views but with almost none of the tourists and no tour buses. Heeding advice from locals and the Australians alike, we were not disappointed. One of my favorite parts was the village of Eyeries, County Cork. The houses were painted absolutely brilliant colors! The Australian couple asked some villagers why they painted them such bright colors. Did they have guidelines or rules or village ordinances? No, they replied- because that area can be so bleak in the winter, they paint their houses bright colors to brighten their spirits!

Then we spent some time in Killarney National Park. We visited Torc Waterfall, and then headed to Muckross Abbey (a former Franciscan friary founded in 1448). Muckross Abbey was another glorious ruin that we were free to wander on our own. Part of it was under construction and was barricaded, but the accessible parts were lovely!

That night, looking for some music but failing, we headed back to Crowley’s. This night it was packed – but the Australians were there too! We sat down with our new friends and enjoyed a few drinks. Then, when we were about to leave, we were told that the music was about to begin. One lone man pulled out his guiter, sat next to another gentleman, and began singing “Bye, bye miss American pie.…” Ha! Unbelievable. Even more amusing was that at the chorus, the entire bar chimed in. Two Americans, surrounded by Irish, being serenaded by an American classic.

After that, the guitar player went around and played while individuals sang. It was utterly lovely. A wonderful grandfatherly man sang a beautiful traditional irish song, someone sang a lullaby, someone sang Janice Joplin, you get the picture. I almost cried when we had to leave, the experience was so perfect.

Next, I’ll have a few more photos from Killarney National Park that wouldn’t fit in gallery 3. Then, on to central Ireland!