DINGLE PENINSULA AND THE RING OF KERRY

September 18, 2013
The B&B we stayed in last night, The Shores Country House, is advertised as a romantic get-away destination with bedrooms decorated “Laura Ashley style”.  That pretty well sums it up.  There was nice landscaping and the home was thoroughly modern.  Our hostess was ALL dressed up, including strands of beads, as she prepared our breakfast.  I cannot say that I have seen that before!  Oh, yes, she probably gave us more “misinformation” than anyone did on our trip.



The Shores Country House

We headed out early because we had a long day planned.  We wanted to cover both the Dingle Peninsula and the famed Ring of Kerry.  Our first “Ahhh” for the day was the drive up Connor Pass, the highest pass in Ireland at 1500’ above sea level.  The scenery was both serene and spectacular as we climbed.  Weather had turned nice, so the views were incredible.  The countryside got more rugged as green fields down low turned to rocky hillsides with sparse vegetation.  We stopped at a small waterfall along the way to view the scenery and to watch sheep grazing nearby.



Driving up to Connor Pass, County Kerry

We passed by the ancient Iron Age Fort Dunbeg and took pictures of a 170-year old stone building that serves as a visitor center and café at that location.  It really was a unique structure.

Stone Building at Fort Dunbeg

A little further along we stopped at a Fahan Group of “beehive huts” known as Caher Conor.  This group of five small stone structures was within an enclosed space, denoting one family likely inhabited it.  The huts were inhabited from ancient times to 1200 A.D.  The structures were round like a beehive and the stones were laid in the form of a circle with each layer laying a little closer to the center than the one beneath.  Only a small opening is left at the top, which can be closed with a single small flagstone or capstone.  There was no mortar used in the buildings and the stones have a downward and outward tilt to shed water.  We continued to be amazed at the ingenuity displayed by both the ancient people and later generations in how they constructed stone structures through the centuries in Ireland.

Beehive Hut

 Interior showing capstone

Richard

We continued our drive around the Dingle Peninsula to Slea Head, which is the western-most point in Europe.  The drive along the south side of the peninsula continued to reveal more wonderful sights as we rounded each bend or came over the crest of each hill.  This drive was beautiful in all respects!

Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry

Monument along the road at Slea Head

Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry

Leaving the Dingle Peninsula, we drove immediately onto the Iveragh Peninsula and the famous Ring of Kerry drive.  This, too, proved to be a beautiful drive with rugged mountains, beautiful valleys with emerald pastures, scenic seaside villages, and a coastline with cliffs falling into the sea.  Wildflowers were in bloom on both peninsulas making hillsides a sea of color—mostly yellow and pink. 

 

 Ring of Kerry drive, Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry

A couple of "local residents"

We did not make as many stops on this drive because there were not as many ancient sites to visit along the road as on the Dingle Peninsula.  We planned to tour Derrynane House, the family home of Daniel O’Connell, but it was closed for restoration.  The walk through the subtropical gardens from the parking area to the house provided a much-needed stretch break.  O’Connell is known in the Republic of Ireland as The Great Liberator, the foremost campaigner for Catholic emancipation, and is highly revered in the country.  We closed the day’s touring by driving inland on the peninsula through Killarney National Park on our way to Killarney where we spent the night.  The park had beautiful views and is an area I would liked to have had more time to explore.



Killarney National Park

FAST FACTS:  Of nearly 4.6 million residents, about 3.7 million (approximately 80%) in the Republic identify themselves as Roman Catholic.  This is followed by 3% identifying as Protestant, 0.5% Muslim, and the rest an assortment of other beliefs including none at all.  In North Ireland (population approximately 1.8 million) the breakdown is about 53% Protestant and 44% Catholic, with about 3% other or no religion.  Most Irish Protestants belong to the Church of Ireland, an offshoot of the Church of England, and the Presbyterian and Methodist churches.

The Catholic Church’s influence has gone down dramatically, especially since the turn of the century.  Most young people see it as irrelevant and out of step with the major social issues of the day.  Many older residents have felt betrayed by the Church’s handling of child abuse cases, which has resulted in questioning their lifetime of devotion to local parishes.

HEADING FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE WESTERN COAST

September 17, 2013

After breakfast in the Galway city centre, we again headed south with our first stop being Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, County Galway.  The castle was built in 1520 and was last used as a home in 1968.  Although it is called a “castle”, it is in reality a “tower house” typical of that era .  Tower houses were fortified residences built as a “fashionable” Irish house for a gentleman or wealthy farmer between 1450 and 1650 A.D.  Dunguaire is a four-story structure and the owners have done a nice job of furnishing it in “period” furnishings.  Mediaeval dinners and other events are held there on occasion but we opted to skip tonight’s dinner and continued on our way.

 

Dunguaire Castle  (ca. 1520)



Looking at the landscape around the castle

Thatched roof cottages near the castle

Further south, we drove through part of an area known as The Burren in County Clare, a portion of which has been designated a national park.  This is a very large plateau composed of barren limestone rock in unique striated patterns that used to be below sea level in ancient times.  The land was later thrust upward by some kind of massive geological event.  This was fascinating scenery unlike any I have seen before.

 

The Burren

Our next stop were the Cliffs of Moher, said to be Ireland’s most-visited natural attraction.  The cliffs are vertical limestone cliffs that plunge 500 to 700+ feet into the sea.  Although conditions were not the best today, the cliffs were spectacular!  It is understandable why the area has been used as a setting for movies and TV shows.  The wind was blowing very hard here—I estimated the gusts at 50-60 mph.  It was very hard to walk upright and Richard was even blown over by one gust!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cliffs of Moher

Richard and Essie at the Cliffs of Moher 



We continued our drive on down to the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, in southwestern Ireland where we stayed the night.  The landscape changed as we came south with larger fields and fewer rock walls and trimmed hedges around the fields.  More farming was in evidence and there were more trees.  Houses were also evolving into fewer of the tall, box-style, homes of the north country into more homes similar to those we see in the States.  We did not see as many sheep today as further north; however, we did see more dairy herds.

 Driving along a couple of country roads--and, yes, the speed limit is 50 mph!

 

 

 

 

I asked our hostess if this cold, wet, windy weather is normal for September.  She said it was not normal, that this is winter weather we are experiencing!  She went on to say the only difference between this week’s weather and the real winter weather is that it can get even windier with storms during the winter months.

FAST FACTS:  Ireland regularly leads the world in binge drinking.  Although efforts are being made to educate the populace, especially young folks, about the devastation caused by excessive alcohol use, drinking remains the country’s most popular social pastime with no signs of letting up.

Urbanization is breaking down traditional family/community interdependence that was prevalent during times of poverty in the country.  These traditional values can still be found in isolated rural communities and on islands.  The average number of children per family has fallen to 1.4, the lowest in Irish history.