July 18, 2024

July 18, 2024

Since Ireland gets lots of rain, flowers grow everywhere, in gardens, and wild on the side of the road. Aimee loves all the Hydrangeas of every color. We have been intrigued by this hedgerow bush with a red teardrop bud that opens into an umbrella or ballerina-shaped flower. Aimee identified it online last night as Fuschia. It is native to Chile but has spread throughout the West of Ireland.

This morning we finished our Ring of Kerry drive. Our first stop was twenty minutes north at Ballycarbery Castle. This is a ruined tower house. It was mostly uninteresting. Very close by are two ancient Stone Ringforts from the Iron Age. Each one is a little bit of walk to reach. The first is called Cahergill. We are the only tourists and we have the place to ourselves finally. It sits atop a hill surrounded by farms. Interestingly it has a smaller structure inside.

In the distance we can see the second fort called Leacanabuaile. The interior of this ringfort has lots of structures as if it was a permanent home for some clan. It is interesting how intricately placed all the stones are without any mortar. Not surprisingly the ancient Irish, whoever they were, were masters with rock. They had an infinite supply to work with. These ringforts were likely taller but much of the stone has been repurposed over the years to build fencing.

We continued our drive of the Ring at Kate Kearney’s Cottage, famous for being the start of the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow mountain pass. Unfortunately, it is drizzling and foggy, so the view is almost non-existent. We have found the Irish weather to change quickly, so we decided to wait it out and have an early lunch. The soup was delicious. Afterwards, we head out on foot up the pass road. The weather has not improved. In good weather, there are lots of Irish Jaunting Cars making the journey, so the road is wet with horse droppings. We don't go very far. The rain is in our face on the way back.

At the bottom we stop again and have a Pear Tart and Cappuccino. Yummy! Maybe I need to embrace Aimee’s idea of a vacation more often.

We left the Ring of Kerry and crossed over onto the Dingle Peninsula. It is a fairly easy drive and there are no tour buses to dodge. The scenery is also nice.

Halfway down we made a detour to another Tower House called Minard Castle. While also in ruins, I like the scenic setting on the bay much better.

We finished the day in Dingle town. After checking into our Bed and Breakfast, we walked around the town center. The weather has turned sunny and warm again. Like Kinsale, Dingle has lots of brightly painted and decorated pubs, restaurants and stores. Ireland has an annual Tidy Town contest. It seems each village is trying to make their own town more colorful to win this award.

Next to St Mary’s Church, we make a stop at Deseart Visitor Center. This is a former Convent that is now a tourist attraction showing the wonderful art that decorates the interior spaces. Who knew this kind of stuff was hidden inside a nunnery. The most famous are the stained glass panels in the chapel. They were done by Harry Clarke, renowned for leading the Irish Stained Glass Revival. He was inspired by the Art Deco movement.

The convent also has two more decorated rooms. One is a modern Last Supper in the dining hall. But I like the Nano Nagle room better. She was the founder of this order. Her family had sent her to Paris for schooling because it was illegal to educate Catholics in Ireland at the time. On her return she dedicated her life to teaching the poor of this country.

For dinner we had Fried Prawns caught in Dingle Bay, with a Caesar Salad. I washed it down with a draught cider. Surprisingly good.