Ring of Kerry and Dingle

29 and 30 October

On Saturday, we left Kenmare to drive to Dingle, via the Ring of Kerry and Skellig Ring. The Ring of Kerry seems to be on every self-respecting Irish itinerary but, while we thought it was nice and some parts were interesting, it was not as good as the Dingle or Beara peninsulars. Best scenery by far was the small portion between Caherdaniel and Waterville. Ballycarbery Castle and the stone forts were interesting. The area around Castlemaine Harbour, the stretch of water between the Iveragh (Ring of Kerry) and Dingle Peninsulars, is the heart of Moriarty territory in Kerry.

We stopped for afternoon tea at the busy Inch Strand, a long sand spit that stretches into the bay, and watched surfers tackle little waves in cold water and children play in the rather dirty looking sand. It’s no wonder Europeans go mad over Australian beaches. We are very spoiled in that regard!

After arriving in Dingle and admiring the ocean views from our room, we walked into town and had ice cream from Murphy’s, made from the milk of Kerry cows, and a drink in John Benny Moriarty’s pub. Chatting with the bartender, Gary mentioned that he was also a Moriarty but the guy just shrugged. Apparently 92% of Moriartys are born in County Kerry and the name is as common as Smith or Jones in this area!

Today we drove some of Slea Head Drive, west of Dingle. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the scenery was stunning, much more spectacular than the Ring of Kerry. First stop was Dun Beag Fort, which was more of a fortified farm house but the surrounding cliffs, views and friendly donkey made up for it. Then on to Dunmore Point, the westernmost point of Ireland, along a road that seemed to barely cling to the hillside. We didn’t want to do the whole loop so took a road (farm track??) across the hills and found Moriarty’s farm on our way back to Dingle. 

We then walked into town, checking out the shops (several named Moriarty’s something) and found a teaching resource souvenir written by a relative - a picture book called “The Dog from Dingle” by Martine Moriarty.

In the afternoon we joined the crowd at the West Kerry Gaelic Football final. played just down the road between Dingle and their arch rival team. Play was fast and furious with plenty of “passion” and swearing, and the crowd and team runners were as entertaining as the game. It was close but fortunately Dingle won by 2 points. It was lots of fun.

We ended our Kerry stay with dinner at John Benny Moriarty’s pub, Guinness and some Irish music.

Ring of Kerry views

Charlie, Dale and Gary at Waterville

Skellig Michael - Anyone seen Luke Skywalker?

Ballycarbery Castle

Dingle Peninsular views

Dingle Peninsular views

Dingle have the ball, Gaelic football.

Moriartys...

...more Moriartys...

...and more Moriartys. Must be County Kerry!

Kenmare and Killarney National Park

27 and 28 October

County Kerry is lovely! And not just because the Moriartys come from here, although they do and they are everywhere! Pubs, shops and farms are named after them and any collection of names contains at least a few. Even children’s colouring in displayed in the ice cream shop reveals entries from Moriarty children.

We have stayed in Kenmare, a charming village about 40 mins drive along a picturesque but winding stretch of the Ring of Kerry from Killarney. It has a country feel, friendly locals, a village green, some nice Irish pubs and, essentially, a laundrette.

On our first day here we drove into Killarney, stopping to admire the views at several places along the way before checking out the city. (Unfortunately, Murphy’s ice cream shop was closed, Kate.) This was followed by a walk around Muckross Lake, the middle of the 3 main lakes in the park, through lovely lakeshore woods and over Brickeen Bridge, all surrounded by mountains. Afternoon tea on return to our bed and breakfast was Porter cake – a fruit cake where the fruit is first soaked in a pint of Guinness before being added to the mixture.

Today we caught the shuttle bus from Ross Castle to Kate Kearney’s cottage, passing lots of deer and some Kerry cows. Then we hired a jaunting car, driven by Mary and pulled by Bob the Irish Cobb (a draught horse), to take us through the Gap of Dunloe. The scenery is wild and majestic, a winding road weaving around lakes, waterfalls, rocks and crags up to the mountain pass. To give Bob a bit of a break, we walked the steeper parts of the route. Once through the pass, we jolted down to Black Valley, where Mary and Bob live (we understood at least that much despite Mary’s very broad Kerry accent!) and Lord Brandon’s cottage.  After warming up there with some hot soup, we caught a boat through the three lakes back to Ross Castle. More sublime scenery that photos just don’t capture. We walked around the castle but didn’t go inside. However we took a photo of the castle and the nearby ducks, just to continue our Ireland theme for Nanny Ruth.

To finish off a great day, we had a cup of tea and barmbrack cake, a special Halloween cake, baked by our host.  With dinner in an Irish pub in Kenmare, Dale had her first half pint of Guinness, which turned out to be her favourite beer (the only beer she likes!)

Lake walk views

 The holly....

 

...and the ivy. All plentiful at this time of year!

Mary and Bob with Gary.

Us with the Gap of Dunloe in the background

Ross Castle....

...and resident ducks, just to continue the theme.

Kinsale to Kenmare

26 October

Today we drove to Kenmare along the Wild Atlantic Way – lots of sea scenery and gorgeous villages. Highlights were the Dromberg Stone Circle and the Healy Pass over the middle of the Beara Peninsular. Oh, and a pretty special view from the bedroom window at our accommodation.

Dromberg Stone Circle

House, with well inside (at the back) and a cooking pit in the middle.

Some sort of bird. Species, anyone???

Hairpin bends weren't the only danger on the Healy Pass road!

Road up to Healy Pass

View into Co Kerry from the Healy Pass - with some drongo blocking half of it.

We will wake up to this view tomorrow morning!