Dennis is our driver and he starts with an introduction and a rundown of the rules and then he plays an Irish folk tune and we're off. We get an idea of the sort of day we're in for when he points out the tallest building in town - the church - and tells us he has touched the cross on top - it just wasn't at the top of the church when he touched it!
Killarney is a town of 15,000 and that number swells to more than double that during peak tourism season. It's basically a tourist town but there are a couple of factories as well. We do pass the school that Michael Fassbender went to.
We pass the church, and the national park we went through yesterday and the golf course that has hosted the Irish Open four times in the past. Past the Gap of Dunloe, a popular hiking spot.
A brief stop for cows crossing in their way to milking - love this!
The first main town we go through is the town of Killorglin, also known as Puck. Here they hold the Puck Fair once a year where for three days a wild goat is captured and crowned King and the pubs are opened 24 hours a day and festitivities and parties carry on day and night. Dennis spoke of pre-Puck, where it's all anticipation, Puck, the celebration for three days, and post-Puck, where most annual leave is taken! There is a statue of the Puck King...
And I was happy to hear that the goat is very well treated and he is tagged and released and never used again. Dennis did say he thought the goat would be released and head back to the mountain thinking, "what the hell just happened?"
First pit stop - the Red Fox Inn, which is just next to Bog Village. The bogs are a primitive form of fuel - ancient big marshes that are cut and used for fuel. They take thousands of years to form. The farmers help each other to cut the bogs. Apparently the old timers prefer the old style manual way to harvest - because it creates more thirst and they can have a pint at the end of the day. These are the bog fields past Dennis. And the inn.
Photo stop at Caragh River.
Into a beautiful little town that I'm not sure of the name of. It has an oval - apparently every town has an oval where they play Gaelic football and hurling - not necessarily at the same time.
There is also a school where the children learn Gaelic. Only 3.2% of Irish speak Gaelic daily but if you want a job like a teacher or lawyer, you need to speak it. We had asked the guy at the car rental place if many people speak it, as it is on all the signs - he said that is only for show and hardly anyone speaks it!
Dennis gives us some Gaelic words, including failte, which we see everywhere, it means 'welcome' and is pronounced 'folje'.
Next stop is overlooking Dingle Bay, where Dennis quips on a very, very clear day, you can actually see the Statue of Liberty... Beautiful spot.
Past Kells Bay, where it was raining - we had bouts of rain and it was very light and gone in a moment, and then mostly sunshine.
And in to Cahersiveen - a town with a population of 2,500 people and 52 pubs. Dennis told of pub life - how important it is to the community, and you go to the pub to find out who is getting married, who is getting divorced, who is selling wheat, who is doing what with whom and basically every aspect of village life.
It was the home of Daniel O'Connell, one of the important figures in Irish history, he helped reform the penal law, where it was illegal to practice Catholicism. His original home is here...
..and as Dennis said, it's just a few weeks off completing its renovations...
Into Waterville with a photo stop...
..before the lunch stop.
The Scarriff Inn was so well organised for tour bus lunches - you lined up with your tray, moved along, selected and paid for your food and they carried it through and lead you to a table. Basic good food and great service. This is where we sat - can't see me, but look at our view!
Silent Valley. When the people were starving, they weren't allowed to fish as they didn't have licences and to be caught with a fish could result in deportation to Australia with hard labour.
This was a place where there were some ancient stone circles - over 2,500 years old - didn't photograph too well, but never mind! We could also see in the distance, but it didn't come out on the photos Skellig Michael, a small island off Ballinskellig Bay, and is a popular spot.
Apparently this area gets the tail end of some of the cyclones so the winds are really strong and cause this...
Dennis told why there are Irish folk all over the world - it comes from the old days where families had lots of children - ten or more - the eldest son would get the farm, the eldest daughter would get marry and get a dowry, one child would usually get the call and become a priest or nun, and the family was so poor the rest of the children had to venture off and they did, to the four corners of the globe.
Sneem was the afternoon stop, lovely town with a river running through it, often wins the Tidy Town award...
Here's Dennis - not the best of photos but it's all I got!
Here's a lake that they say Saint Patrick rounded up all the snakes and threw them into so now there are no snakes in Ireland. And eagle valley with the sun shining on it where they are trying to save the native huge eagles - second largest bird with a massive wing span.
We head into the national park section - pretty roads, but this one has a 100km/h speed limit! You would have to be crazy to do that, particularly as there are tour buses and other traffic all over it. Also here is the wishing tunnel - Dennis said he closed his eyes and made a wish...
Last scenic spot is Ladies View, so named for Queen Victoria's visit in 1861, they organised a picnic up here at the most picturesque spot, her ladies-in-waiting arrived and worked hard to set it all up beautifully. She arrived and was in a temper and was not nice to anyone, so they named the spot Ladies View, in honour of the ladies-in-waiting and not the queen.
That was the last section and it is an absolutely beautiful part of the world, and Dennis told lots of stories, played lots of Irish music and made it a wonderful day.
Dropped off back in town, quick coffee, then I really wanted to see the deer in the park, closer up and Torc Waterfall, and as both were nearby, we popped down to see them. It's mating season and the stags were bleating.
This is when Alison discovered that I really can't park a car! We drove back to the hotel...I drove and she parked the car!
No comments:
Post a Comment