Ireland Travel Journal, Part II

3 September, 8:15 a.m. – Good morning, Kinsale! Lovely night out last night. I started at the place we’d gone to dinner, where a trio of musicians were playing traditional reels etc. Found mingling difficult, however, so after finishing my cider I wandered to see if another place would provide better company. I ended up at An Seanachai (The Storyteller) after I passed it twice (Kinsale is a smaller town than I thought) and a young Irishman named Nicky rushed out, saying he saw me pass the first time, and invited me in for a drink. He introduced me to some of his (unfortunately middle-aged) friends, one a talkative guy from Kilkenny (as was Nicky) and a guy from Wales (which I learned has a completely distinct language). We discussed the U.S., Obama, and Gaelic (which was actually very encouraging – they urged me to practice my Gaelic with them – “we’re still learning, too,” I was told, since the language was illegal for a hundred years and is struggling to resurrect).
Nicky laughed to learn my last name (his “best mate” shares the name, and Nicky claimed “they’re the craziest Irish out there”). I also learned that my Flanagan ancestors likely came from Cavan (a more Northern county, unfortunately not on this trip’s itinerary). Will have to look into that more later. In any event, I had very good company for the evening. The music at An Seanachai was wonderful (there were even some Irish tunes I recognized enough to sing along with, not to mention Brown Eyed Girl and Country Roads!), and the perfect setting for my very first authentic slainte toast. What a treat.
Gotta get dressed now – off to the Ring of Kerry! I am SO excited!

2:00 p.m. – About halfway round the Ring of Kerry! After weather that seemed a little threatening, we have been blessed with GORGEOUS skies, a mix a high clouds and sun for most of the journey. Amazing vistas, the most vivid greens and farms that look too perfect to be real – BUT THEY ARE!
The mountains are a definitely change from the largely flat southeast. Some mountains are rocky, others are gentle and sweeping, dotted with sheep and/or cows.
We stopped in Waterville, where we found free internet and availed ourselves of that (first communication I’ve been able to send back home on account of the international phone not working!). Now at the Beachcove Café for a bite, since we’ve both been peckish for hours. I love how chips are the presumed side for everything. My weakness for fries has been revealed as genetic.

8:00 p.m. – Between Lauragh and Kenmare as the sun sets at a pub called The Sailor, where I am enjoying a glass of Bulmer’s cider and anticipate the arrival of Irish stew at the end of a long day of seeing very much indeed!
The Ring of Kerry is, of course, incredible. We avoided a good deal of the tourist traffic, which was nice. We arrived at Kenmare around 4 and did a good deal of shopping. We ventured out to the Beara Peninsula to find out hostel, which ended up being quite the adventure (apparantly Google maps does not instantly convert miles into kilometers, even when you pull up maps for a metric system country... who knew... but then again we are the ones who took 4 days to figure this out), but so completely worth it. Some of the most beautiful vistas I have ever seen.
We accidently ended up going a wrong way that landed us in Healy’s Pass – one of the highest points in Ireland (!). The sheer cliffs were certainly the steepest I’ve seen yet! We were able to appreciate the view much better once we were off the mountain.
Found our lovely hostel near Lauragh, off Lake Glanmore. Great, homey little place – fire blazing to welcome us “home” from the chilly, drizzly evening. We ventured back out for food, striking out at the first two places we stopped (the concept of pubs that don’t serve food makes NO sense to me!), but The Sailor was worth the wait. The Irish stew was great, and we each got a dessert – apple crisp for me, bread and butter pudding for Allis.
Oh, but I forgot about the rainbow. Our longer-than-expected search for good found us driving between two fronts of rain near sunset. Not two minutes after I commented on how favorable conditions seemed for a rainbow (and even speculated on the origins of the pot-of-gold stories – a gorgeous rainbow end appeared! We finally found a place to pull over, and when I piled out of the car I discovered the rainbow was complete – a perfect arch over the green hills against a dark sky. It was brilliant – a true feast for the eyes! What. A. Day.


4 September, 12:40 p.m. – Just visited Dinis Cottage in Killarney National Park – a lovely little mini-hike down to a little tea shop. Had my first truly Irish coffee. So. Good. We enjoyed lovely views along the way. Early today we had gorgeous mountain vistas around Moll’s Gap and the Black Valley. Making our way through Killarney proper now – looks very touristy indeed. I’m glad we’re avoiding it for the most part.

2:15 p.m. – Just stopped in Abbeyfeale for lunch. I had a chicken and stuffing sandwich with mayo and cheese, and I have decided that could be one of the greatest culinary contributions the Emerald Isle has made to the world. Yum.

4:15 p.m. – Nearly at the coast to see the Cliffs. The landscape till Limerick was very similar to Kilkenny – equestrian, field and forests, similar to Winchester, VA. As we near the coast, its becoming a little flatter for now; fields and moors boxed in with ancient hedges or moss-covered stone walls.
Radio is interesting here: Hostel California, Viva la Vida, other familiar songs and artists. Paired with what I’ve heard in pubs, it’s clear that there is love for many sorts of music in Ireland.

7:30 p.m. – The Cliffs of Moher are fantastic... one of those “way to go, God!” places! Truly awesome views, and a breathtakingly drastic change between the rolling green hills (no high brush on account of the wind) and the harsh, drastic, rocky cliffs, some rising more than 650 feet. Allis and I tried to be brave and go out past the “danger” sign, but that did not last long. We tried, though, and got great pictures in the process!
We headed to Doolin to scout out our hostel; it proved to be the easiest to find of any we have encountered. We were concerned because it seemed so full, but we were quickly intercepted by the hostel owner, who induced us to come in. It will be a full house but the place seems well-kept, so it shouldn’t be too bad for one night.
We’ve wandered across two pretty little rivers to “town” (hard to call Doolin a proper town) to find the heartbeat of this little area – a collection of three small pubs known for their music. We settled on McGann’s, where we are awaiting some food (seafood chowder for me… couldn’t resist after seeing the ocean today!) and a session in an hour or so. I’m looking forward to more music!