Ring of Kerry, Killarney, Cliffs of Moher 5th-8th August
Left Mallow and drove through Cork to Killarney 5th & 6th stayed at Best Western Eviston House which has a great pub (good food & live music) Danny Mann's under it. Drove the Ring of Kerry including the Ring of Skellig which was well worth the little bit extra of driving. Visited Muckross House which was a great tour but no photos allowed. 7.5 euros but free on English Heritage card.
Caught the ferry across the Shannon and drove to Doolin 7th & 8th stayed at Pairc Lodge right near O'Connors pub which had great meals & music. Doolin is a wonderful little town, and ever so busy at this time of year. The staff at O'Connors pub where we enjoyed all our meals were absolutely run off their feet but took it all in their stride and always had a smile and time for a little Irish banter.
A local farmer named Pat Sweeney offers a guided walk along the Cliffs of Moher for 5 Euros and it was excellent. He was full of enthusiasm and stories and has a real passion for the area. We walked from Doolin along the new pathway he has created all the way to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. We walked a pretty good pace and there were a couple of steep hills but thanks to him stopping to tell us stories along the way we got to catch our breath every so often. He had great stories from 6 generations of farming the area plus fishing and general life in Western Ireland. I'm sure we will remember our walk with him as one of the highlights of our trip http://www.doolincliffwalk.com/
We will start you off with a pub video to get you in the mood:-
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| driving the Ring of Kerry |
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| Just love this natural marina |
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| And the panorama attempt |
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| Sandy is missing her horse Charlie and this didn't help things |
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| Good spot for a caravan park |
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| Killarney National Park |
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| We picked up 2 young French guys hitch-hiking who took this shot - but we were distracted by the bagpiper starting up and forgot to get a photo of them. They couldn't believe their luck getting a 2 hour lift stopping at the sights and then dropped right to Ross Castle in Killarney where they were going to put a tent up in the bush. |
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| Piping Busker in the bush |
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| Another day another castle |
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| O'Connors pub in Doolin great music - 4 people just sitting around a table just like they were in their loungeroom. This pub does an amazing amount of meals this picture and the videos only show a small part of it. They do 800 or 900 meals a day in the season and are amazingly fast. The staff are so upbeat rather than look worn out the waitresses squeeze past the punters with a smile carrying meals and pints. |
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| Pat Sweeney (our 5 euro walking guide) has this farm and this bridge was the old road |
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| Our walking group 3 hours to the visitors centre over 39 farmers land that Pat negotiated with. All but one allows access so we walked around number 39 but he hasn't given up yet. 1 min video of Pat talking about his walking trail and the life of people on the Wild Atlantic Way:- |
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| The lines are from generations of cutting stone for buildings and fences |
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| This 3 tonne rock is a long way from the sea but the waves in a storm in the winter picked it up and put it through the fence |
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| Nice little waterfall |
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| Baby seagull on a ledge in the rock |
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| Ireland is covered in wildflowers this time of the year (plus lots of Ragwort all over Ireland which does look pretty) |
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| Cliffs of Moher Visitors Centre built into the hill |
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| This is a big pub with a massive thatched roof |
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