Ring of Kerry, Ireland: Vistas, Limericks, and Spoons

Our next adventure to Ireland was a drive around the Ring of Kerry and visiting a quaint pub in Limerick.  Here is this leg of the trip:

W. B. Yeates

The Ring of Kerry is an 111-mile scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula. On the drive there, we stopped by the church where W. B. Yeates is buried.

I remember taking Humanities in college and reading poems by Yeates. As an Irish poet, Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in December 1923. He is buried at a small church and with a very unassuming grave.

His epitaph contains the last lines of “Under Ben Bulben“, one of his last poems written before his death:

Cast a cold Eye
On Life, on Death.
Horseman, pass by!

The Ring of Kerry

The Ring of Kerry is a beautiful drive reminiscent of some of our great California scenic coastal drives.

On one of our stops along the way, we stopped into a small gift shop. Cameron tried on Irish hats.

We also found a crest with our surname. It says that Miller came from Irish and Scottish heritage with a name of Muilleoir. It was common for families to change their last names to a more English sounding name when they migrated to America.

On to Limerick

Once we visited the Ring of Kerry, we stayed in Limerick. If you remember from Humanities, a limerick is a humorous poem containing just five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines must rhyme and the third and fourth lines have to rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm.

Our tour director challenged each of us to create a limerick. By this time in the trip, we were in a routine of traveling by bus to see fantastic sites, drinking lots of the local beer and Irish whiskey, and getting up early each day to start again. Here was my limerick:

Guiness, Jamison, Irish Cofee and the like,
Have clouded me memory of our time last night,
We danced and sang and partook some more,
When at “last call” they told us it was quarter past four.
I awoke at noon in a terrible fright to find that the bus was nowhere in sight!

Yet Another Pub

In Limerick, we found a really cool Irish pub, with the best Irish singers so far.

If you want to hear a clip of their music, click here.  They really made the evening fun. They taught us a traditional Irish dance and they had several people come up on stage and play spoons. Of course, Cameron was chosen and he played spoons like he knew what he was doing.

After the band stopped playing, we went downstairs and hung out for a few more hours. There were 2 Irish girls sitting in a booth downstairs playing and singing traditional Irish tunes. They were not paid to do it, they were just having fun — that’s the way it is in Ireland. The drummer from the band we were listening to earlier joined in and they all entertained us for hours.

Next Stop: Galway

We spent 2 weeks on this trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, so I will continue chronicling our journeys over the coming weeks. The next blog will cover our visit to Galway – a bustling college town.

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If you missed the prior posts, you can see them here:

• Dublin Ireland – 10 million pints of Guinness

• Waterford Ireland – Studs, Crystal, and Craic

• Cork and Killarney Ireland: Kissing the Blarney Stone

 

 

Cork and Killarney Ireland: Kissing the Blarney Stone

After visiting Waterford, we made our way to Cork and then to Killarney. Cork is the 2nd largest city in Ireland and looks very industrial.  Cork was settled in the 6th century and was taken over by Vikings in the 10th century (around 915 A.D.). One of the big attractions of Cork is the Blarney Castle, more about that later.

Killarney is a beautiful lake-side city complete with green rolling hills and a deep lake. It won the Best Kept Town award in 2007 and in 2011 it was named Ireland’s tidiest town and the cleanest town in the country by Irish Business Against Litter. We boated around the Lakes of Killarney and took a “jaunting car” (horse and buggy ride) around the beautiful Killarney National Park. More about that later.

To get your bearings, here is the trip route (the light red shade is from the prior days):

Blarney Castle: The Gift of Gab

When visiting Cork, we stopped by the Blarney Castle. According to Irish folklore, anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone receives “The Gift of Gab” (ability to speak eloquently). The Blarney Castle is a medieval fortress that dates back to the 10th century.

There have been 3 structures erected on this site, the first one in the 10th century was a wooden hunting lodge. Around 1210, the wooden structure was replaced with a stone building that was later demolished and replaced by what is currently standing.

 

To reach the Blarney Stone, you climb 127 stairs to the top of the castle. For over 200 years, pilgrims have climbed the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone and receive the Gift of Gab. The stone was brought to the castle in 1314 when Cormac MacCarthy, King of Munster, sent 4 thousand men to defeat the English at Bannockburn. After the defeat, the stone was split in half and sent to Blarney. A few years later, a witch was saved from drowning and revealed the special powers of the stone to the MacCarthy’s. And the rest is history.

The climb to the top provides incredible views of the surrounding area.

Once you reach the stone, you must lay down on your back and bend backward to kiss the stone.

Lots of people on our tour were hemming and hawing about germs and the like but when they got to the stone, all of that went out the window: they all kissed the stone.

The Blarney Castle is surrounded by beautiful gardens and caves.

Cameron and I wandered into some caves and almost had to climb through on our stomachs at parts. Once we reached the end of one cave, we saw lots of engravings from people that made their way here in the past.

Killarney: A Land of Lakes

Our first stop in Killarney was the Ross Castle where we boarded a boat for a tour of the lake. Ross Castle was built in the 15th century by O’Donoghue Mór and was eventually owned by the Earls of Kenmare. They owned an extensive portion of the lands that are now part of Killarney National Park.

Legend has it that O’Donoghue still exists in a deep slumber under the waters of Lough Leane. On the first morning of May every seven years he rises from the lake on his magnificent white horse and circles the lake. Anyone catching a glimpse of him is said to be assured of good fortune for the rest of their lives.

We took a nice boat ride around the Lower Killarney Lake and learned about the history of the area. We saw a huge eagle that was circling the mountains, we were told that there are a couple of eagles that inhabit this area.

Killarney National Park: Jaunting Cars

After our boat ride, we were picked up by Jaunting Cars (Horse and Buggy) and received a picturesque ride through the Killarney National Park, arriving back into the heart of Killarney.

Check out my slow-mo video of the Jaunty Car ride.

Our Jaunting Car driver works during the summer season and he takes care of the horses in the off-season. He said the horses will gain about 100 pounds in the off-season and it takes them a few months to get back in shape.

Muckross Traditional Farms

For dinner, we visited a working farm called Muckross Traditional Farms. It’s like time traveling back into the past, as they still use old-style plows, harrows, corn drills and horse-drawn mowers.

We had a demonstration of making butter without any use of electricity, as they did in older days.

After touring the farm, we sat down to a traditional Irish feast — I had lamb stew and it was incredible. A couple provided entertainment which included singing old Irish songs and playing an electric bagpipe. The electric bagpipe costs about $15,000 so it’s a bit difficult for young people to take up this musical instrument due to the cost.

On our final day in Killarney, our tour guide had a photo taken of our group with Lake Killarney as the backdrop.

Next Stop: Ring of Kerry

We spent 2 weeks on this trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, so I will continue chronicling our journeys over the coming weeks. The next blog will cover our visit to Ring of Kerry – a spectacular coastal drive with amazing vistas.

If you are not subscribed to our blog and would like to subscribe so that new posts come directly to your email, scroll up to the right top section of this page and type in your email address.

If you missed the prior posts, you can see them here:

• Dublin Ireland – 10 million pints of Guinness

• Waterford Ireland – Studs, Crystal, and Craic

 

 

 

Waterford Ireland – Studs, Crystal, and Craic

After a couple of days in Dublin, we began our journey towards Waterford, Ireland. If you’re unfamiliar with Ireland, here is the route of that trip.

Waterford, Ireland

As far back as I can remember, we’ve bought Waterford Crystal Christmas ornaments and items for the china cabinet. It was a treat to visit the factory where these heirlooms are all hand-made.

Waterford Crystal is almost as old as the United States, it started in 1783 by George and William Penrose. Upon the death of the owners, the business was sold several times. In 1825, Great Britan and Ireland placed a hefty duty on glassware and this eventually caused Waterford to go belly up. However, in 1947, Charles Bacik and Noel Griffin reopened Waterford Crystal and it has thrived ever since.

The artisans of Waterford Crystal go through intensive training. They first go through 5 years of apprentice training before they can test as a Master. If they fail to pass the Master test, they normally leave the company. If they pass the test, it takes another 3 years to become a Master artisan.

I was really surprised at the types of crystal they make. It’s not just vases, glasses, and ornaments — you will find NBA and NCAA trophies and all kinds of odd uses of crystal.

 

Irish National Stud Farm

On our way to Waterford, we stopped by the Irish National Stud Farm. This is where championship horses are bred. The property is beautifully manicured and has even been visited by the Queen of the United Kingdom.

It’s amazing how much they charge to breed Champion studs. The most expensive Stud on the farm is Invincible Spirit. His stud fee is £ 120,000 — that’s $158,168! This horse is bred about 4 times a day so he brings in $632,672 per day. Now that’s some serious money!

Japanese Gardens

On the grounds of the Irish Stud Farm sits a Japanese Garden. It’s an incredibly manicured garden of various native (and even some non-native) plants.

Jack Meades Original Irish Pub

We had a special dinner at the Jack Meades Irish Pub. This is a traditional Irish pub that carries a lot of history.

The pub dates back to 1705 and it has been in the current family since 1857. As you walk into the pub, you must duck your head because the ceiling height is only about 6 feet and some of the header boards are just over 5 feet high. As you look around the 200 square foot bar, you see locals bellied up to the bar sipping Guinness.

The upstairs is bigger and that’s where we had dinner. A local talent serenaded us with Old Irish songs and we all sang along. Danny Boy and 40 Shades of Green were the crowd pleasers.

The singer also told us about Galway girls. Galway is a coastal town we visited later and they supposedly have the most beautiful Irish girls there. Most have dark hair and blue eyes. They think this happened as the Spanish visited the coastal city and left a bit of their heritage behind.

The singer also said that in recessionary times, they converted the upstairs of the pub into a funeral home because in Ireland they like to celebrate a person’s life by pounding pints of Guinness. This was a logical fit and it ran as a pub/funeral home for many years.

I had the best seafood chowder I’ve ever tasted at this pub — it was  a wonderful night of craic.

Next Stop: Cork and Killarney

We spent 2 weeks on this trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, so I will continue chronicling our journeys over the coming weeks. The next blog will cover our visit to Cork and Killarney.

If you are not subscribed to our blog and would like to subscribe so that new posts come directly to your email, scroll up to the right top section of this page and type in your email address.

If you missed the post covering Dublin, you can read it here.

 

 

Dublin Ireland – 10 million pints of Guinness

We just finished up 2 amazing weeks visiting Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. We visited lots of interesting sites so I will be creating a series of blogs that highlight our adventures.

Guinness Storehouse

After traveling the red-eye flight to Dublin, we arrived early at the hotel but the rooms weren’t yet ready and wouldn’t be for several hours. Our tour guide suggested we visit the Guinness Storehouse — a museum and brewery for the nitro infused creamy beer called Guinness.

We’ve had Guinness before but during this trip, we grew quite fond of this original craft beer. It was sold in every pub at a cost of about $3 pounds (about $4 US Dollars). Compare that to $7 in a bar in the states — a great deal. Guinness is a hugely successful company, brewing 10 million pints a day in Dublin.

If you like beer and the science behind making it, you will enjoy the Guinness Storefront. They have lots of interesting ways of showing how beer is made — most of the demonstrations are backed with video and other audio/visual aids. They also have an entire floor dedicated to how they’ve marketed the product over the years. It was fun to see really old commercials and how they targeted their sales.

Included in the price of admission is a trip to the Gravity Bar to get a free pint of their nitro-infused brown ale. This is on the top floor of the building and it overlooks Dublin so it has incredible views of the downtown area as well as the surrounding mountains. Great beer and beautiful scenery, can it get any better?

How did you find it?

After we returned from our trip to the Guinness Brewery, we met our other travel companions. This was a Trafalgar tour, so we were traveling with 27 other people. One of the couples we met were Australian and they were a lot of fun. When we met them, I talked about our trip to the Guinness Storefront (they arrived later and did not go).

After I described it, they said: “How did you find it?”. I answered, “we caught a cab outside of the hotel”. They then repeated, “so how did you find it?”. I reiterated that the cabbie knew the directions.

Then they just started laughing hysterically. Then they said “I think in American English, I meant “how did you like it?”.

Nancy Hands

We got our first Irish pub experience at Nancy Hands. This is a late 1800’s pub with lots of tradition.

Back in the last 1800’s pubs could not sell beer during 2 hours of the day (that time was called Holy Hour). There was a bartender named Nancy that illegally sold beer to local soldiers during Holy Hour. She would pass the beer through a hole in the wall and the only thing they saw was her hand — that’s how it got its name.

Glendalough

Located about 30 minutes outside of Dublin stands Glendalough — a Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin.  St. Kevin moved to this area to become a hermit and monk but word travelled quickly across the area and people migrated there just to be near him and to follow his example.

The drive to Glendalough is inspiring itself. Beautiful rolling green hills lined with purple heather. In fact, Johnny Cash wrote a song about this area called 40 Shades of Green, it is now an iconic Irish song.

The surviving buildings and graves at Glendalough date back to the 10th century.

Around 1042, timber from Glendalough was used to build the second longest Viking ship ever recorded.  A replica of this ship can be seen in Roskilde, Denmark.

Taylors Three Rock

On our last night in Dublin, we learned what it was like to have “craic” (pronounced CRACK). On our cab trip to Guinness, our cab driver introduced us to the word. He said it was an Irish word that’s hard to explain even by the Irish. When you go out, meet people, have great conversations, and just have an incredible time, you just had “craic”. There’s an interesting article that explains it better, you can visit it here.

Taylors Three Rock is an Irish Night Club and Cabaret. When it was first described, I figured it would be a corny tourist attraction but we had a really good time. We experienced authentic Irish cuisine (I had lamb stew) and a passionate crew of Irish entertainers that included song, River dancing, and bagpipes.

They picked Cameron out of the audience to go on stage and play a traditional Irish drum. He was a bit embarrassed but did a great job entertaining the crowd. After that, everyone in our tour knew Cameron’s name and graciously volunteered him for many more events over the next 2 weeks.

Next Stop: Waterford

We spent 2 weeks on this trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, so I will continue chronicling our journeys over the coming weeks. The next blog will cover our visit to Waterford and the incredible Waterford crystal factory.

If you are not subscribed to our blog and would like to subscribe so that new posts come directly to your email, scroll up to the right top section of this page and type in your email address.