Killarney: The 2nd Attempt

Ok, so I admit it: I am a terrible blogger. It is always on my list to update my blog but somehow it always gets passed over, so my apologies. 

In this blog I have a bunch of photos from when my grandma and I traveled to Killarney during Spring Break. I had traveled to Killarney before with a tour from the University, however most of that tour was spent at places like Ross Castle and Torc Waterfall - places that are really hard to get to if you don't have a car. Also it rained like cats and dogs when I was there so I really wanted to go back and see the beautiful scenery again in the sun. 

Thankfully the weather decided to cooperate with us, for the most part anyway, and I was really excited to be back. The first thing we did was to explore the mall that is connected to the bus station. While it doesn't compare in the least to the ones we're used to at home it was kind of fun just to wander around and shop. And of course eat...which is always my favorite part!

We also walked in and out of the various shops in the city center. There are so many unique little shops and they are so brightly colored. We of course stopped in the gift shops, but I also found a cute little bookshop to go in for a bit, and while it was relatively cold outside we couldn't pass up some saltwater ice cream from Dingle.

Unfortunately with timing and the rather unexpected location of our B&B, we didn't get to spend our evenings in the pub. The Danny Mann Inn is a famous pub in Killarney that attracts a lot of tourists due to its international bar food and traditional music every night. But at least we can say we were there. 

Ok so, we decided to stay in a B&B in Killarney so that we could spend a whole weekend there instead of only a day since there is so much to do and see. Plus, the idea of staying in a B&B in Ireland was just too much to resist. The catch was that the online page's directions of  '3 minutes from the bus station' turned out to be 3 minutes by...car. What that meant for us was carrying our bags and suitcase about a mile and a half from the bus station. Perhaps that explains the not so enthusiastic look on grandma's face in the above picture ;) 

But while the B&B was not in an ideal location from the city center, the inside was really lovely. And best of all the staff were super friendly and helpful which made the stay all the more pleasant. 

This was the common room with a fireplace (with real coal!) and big bay windows overlooking the river. After hoofing it all the way from town and back a few times we retired with some wine by the fire and played games which was really relaxing. There was a young couple from Germany that were traveling through at the same time as us so it was fun chatting with them as well, talking about all the places that we had both been and whatnot. 

This is the dining room where we both had our first Irish breakfasts. They had personal heaters by each table which was really nice since it gets cold by the river, and we got served tea and toast before breakfast. An Irish breakfast, for those of you who don't know, consists of eggs, fried tomatoes, beans, sausage, bacon, toast, black pudding, and white pudding. Black pudding, also called blood sausage, is basically onions and spices combined with pork fat and blood congealed into sausage. I know what you're probably thinking: gross! Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I had no idea what it was so I ate some of it. And yes, it was disgusting. But hey, vacation means trying new things right? The white pudding was at least tolerable and didn't contain blood which is probably why I wasn't quite so disgusted lol.

As our B&B was a ways out from the city center, the neighbors were sheep rather than people. It was so nice to be out in the country, and since Killarney is famous for its scenic national park we decided to spend our last day exploring.

Since we were so close to the National Park, and because grandma wasn't feeling that great, I thought we'd pick a nice short trail to explore that would pleasant and easy. When we asked for directions we were told that the trail was "just down the road a bit" and that it would be super easy to get to. After walking for about 30 minutes and probably looking a little lost, we were stopped by a lady who was walking her dog, and when we told her where we were headed she informed us that in fact we still had another 2 miles to go....Lesson learned: Just down the road does not mean just down the road. Not wanting to give up so easily we decided to rest for a bit at the beautiful Lake Hotel that was just off the main road.

The Lake Hotel has been in business since the early 1800s and has earned a 4 star reputation. The hotel is family run and was originally a mansion which was expanded and turned into a hotel. In the 1860s during Queen Victoria's visit to Ireland it is said that she stayed in this hotel, and the lush interior is truly amazing.

The Lake Hotel is nestled right alongside Lough Lein, which is the lower of the three lakes in Killarney. The sun decided to come out for good this time and we were presented with incredible views of the lake and the McGillycudy's Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland.

When I had been in Killarney before on the lake cruise, the mountains were largely shrouded in mist and so it was nice to be back and actually get to see them out in the sunshine. The mountains rise up to over 1000 meters high, and the glaciated valleys that they form in Killarney are said to be some of the most beautiful in all of Western Europe.

Sunshine and blue skies proved to be good medicine for the both of us. Does this look like someone who didn't feel good? I don't think so! Here's grandma doing a little dance along the lake shore.

Across from the Lake Hotel are the ruins of McCarthy Mor Castle, a 12th century medieval castle also known as Castlelough (Castle on the Lake). The castle went through numerous leaders and was eventually battered by Cromwell's troops in 1935 after the defeat of Ross Castle. After the end of the war with England the castle was sold and purchased by various people throughout the years, until the early 1800s when a mansion (now the Lake Hotel) was built across from the ruined castle and purchased by the Lalor family of Killarney.

It was in the ruined stone walls of Castlelough that I saw my first leprechaun. He was hiding in a niche high up in the wall, grinning mischievously of course.

While the ruins were not as impressive as others I have had the opportunity to see, it is always interesting to dream about the people who might have lived there and look out at the landscape that they would have seen every day.

This is the view of the Lower Lake from the castle walls which is really beautiful and peaceful. Though we didn't see any, there are supposedly white tailed sea eagles that fish in the lake that can be seen from the Lake Hotel and Castlelough.

After spending a little while exploring the Lake Hotel and Castlelough we decided to go find the abbey which resides in the national park. You'd think we had learned our lesson about things being "just down the road a bit" but there you would be wrong. A staff member at the hotel had supplied us with maps of the surrounding area and told us we weren't that far from the abbey. So, innocent American tourists that we were, we decided to walk on.

It turned out to be much further than "just down the road a bit" and was more like "over the river and through the woods." But the Killarney National Park is extremely beautiful and it was really nice just to take our time and walk through a lot of it. The National Park consists of approximately 10,000 hectares which converted is almost 25,000 acres of land. It is famous for its scenic mountain and lake views as well as the native natural woodland habitat and wildlife.

We did manage somehow to reach our destination after who knows how many miles. Muckross Abbey  is a Franciscan Friary that was founded in 1448 by Daniel McCarthy Mor, a descendant of one of the families which controlled Castlelough. For almost two hundred years the friars at Muckross Abbey remained in occupation, even lasting through the infamous dissolution of monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 1500s.

In 1652 the abbey was plundered by the Cromwellian forces, however many of the friars managed to hang on. It wasn't until 1698 that the friars were finally pushed out, due to the penal laws which forced religious leaders to leave the country under pain of imprisonment and sometimes death. Most went to live in exile in France or Spain, though a select few plotted secret  returns to Ireland years later.

The ruins of the abbey are in remarkable shape and have been exquisitely preserved. The walls of the Cloister and several of the other attached rooms are still in their complete original state. There is also said to be a yew tree in the courtyard which dates back to the founding of the abbey in the 15th century. 

Outside the abbey is a burial ground where local chieftains were buried, and even today new burials are constantly being added.  

After leaving Muckross Abbey we decided it was definitely time to head back. However we were faced with the daunting idea of having to recover what seemed like the millions of miles we had walked to get there. Just a short distance from the abbey was a road where we found a Spa to rest in for a bit. The inside of the building was really amazing and I particularly loved the chandeliers which were made of Waterford crystal.

After walking out of the Spa we came across this sign which pretty much saved grandma's life and was the answer to our prayers: Jaunting cars! We had talked earlier about wanting to have a carriage ride through Killarney and here was our chance, not a moment too soon.

The jaunting car took us through some of the National Park which we had walked through earlier on in the day and all the way back to our B&B. I have to say - it was much faster than walking! This is a picture of us with the jaunting car in all of our tired cuteness ;) It really was a win win situation for us: we got to check carriage ride off our list and didn't have to walk the 3 miles back to the B&B. Afterwards we had tea and cookies and then checked out of the B&B.

We may have been tired but we still had a little goofiness left in us. Seeing the statue of the man playing accordion we decided that we should play a little music ourselves!

All in all, despite all the mishaps and grandma not feeling good, we really did have a great time in Killarney. The town is so colorful and the scenery is so beautiful, and I was really glad that I had the opportunity to go back. There is so much to do in Killarney that you could honestly spend a whole week there exploring.

Adare: Ireland's Prettiest Village

One of the places I knew I wanted to visit while I was in Ireland was Adare. I've heard about it and read a great many of books which mentioned it, so I decided to take Grandma there for a few hours. It turns out it is only 20 minutes or so from Limerick so it actually worked out really well. The weather was not very cooperative, however we managed to have a good day in spite of the cold and the wind. 

Situated along the River Maigue, Adare is considered to be one of the prettiest villages in all of Ireland, a medieval village dating back to 1200 A.D. The name comes from the Gaelic phrase Ath Dara - ford of the oaks - and is surrounded by beautiful rural countryside. The village has witnessed numerous wars, rebellions, and other forms of history, and leaves behind many different monuments. The existing streets and many of the houses were planned out and built in the early 1800s by the Earl of Desmond and were leased out to various tenants as was the system back in those days.

Many different historical centuries are visible in the architecture around Adare - besides the surviving medieval stone buildings, many of the thatched roof cottages can still be seen as well. Some are empty and being preserved while others are enjoyed by many as small shops. 

Grandma and I stopped in one of these cottage shops (I mean who wouldn't?) which happened to be an antique store. I'm not necessarily very much of an antique person but the whole atmosphere of Adare appealed to my romantic nature and it was kind of fun just to walk around looking at all of the old stuff.

This Augustinian Friary was built in 1315 by the Earl of Kildare, Thomas, and his wife Countess Joan. The Friary was the home of the Augustinian Order for approximately a century when they were run out. During the time of King Henry VIII it was greatly suppressed and eventually damaged. It lay in disrepair and was unused until 1807, when it was restored by the Earl of Dunraven and once again considered to be one of the best examples of Irish medieval churches. Since then it has been occupied as a Church of Ireland which is a form of Protestantism. There is also a religious school located in half of the building.

As Adare is a small country town with not a lot of shopping to do, we decided to pass some time in a pub getting warm. We found this great pub called Aunty Lena's and the people were so friendly.

And of course, what better to do in a pub but eat and drink! I had me a nice glass of Bailey's and then we shared this very interesting version of a salmon sandwich - finding out that when the menu says its an "open salmon" sandwich ..that means the fish isn't really cooked all the way. I stuck to the salad and homemade brown bread and let grandma eat the semi-raw fish. But it sure was pretty to look at!

The sun decided to grace us with its presence for just a few minutes but it was enough to see how pretty the village must be during the summertime. Unfortunately the castle was closed, but I hope to go back there before I leave and check it out. I love small towns in general and in Ireland they are even more lovely than at home. 

Newry: Coming Home

After leaving Dublin for the second time, grandma and I headed up to Newry in County Down, the place where her several-greats great grandfather's family was from. We always knew that we had ancestors from Ireland but when we discovered the exact town there was no question - we just had to visit. We had no idea what we would find when we got there but we hopped on yet another bus and headed north. 

Newry is one of the biggest towns in County Down, which is in Northern Ireland, and has been known for some time as the 'Gateway to the North.' It has been continuously settled in since at least 4000 B.C.  and was originally named Iuir Cinn Tra, which translated means The Head of the Strand. Legend has it that the name came from a yew tree that was planted by St. Patrick at the head of a lake - Carlingford Lough (Lake). Whether or not the legend is based in truth, Newry remains one of the oldest towns in all of Ireland.

The first thing we saw as we walked out onto the street from the bus station was this beautiful cathedral. Newry Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman, was built in the early 1800s.

The cathedral acts as the seat of the Bishop of Dromore, a faction of Catholicism that was founded in the 6th century by Colman of Dromore. The original cathedral was burned down in the mid-1600s and was later rebuilt. Then, just over 200 years ago, the seat was transferred to Newry and has remained there ever since.

Many parts of the city center have fallen into disrepair, however it was fun to walk around and see all the different pubs, shops, and the millions of hair salons. Who knew Irish people were so into hair! The accents were also definitely more noticeable there - understandable but with more of a brogue.

 Newry City Hall

 Cannon we found across the street from City Hall, near a memorial for people who died in WW1

 Proof that grandma was there! :)

 The River Clanrye runs right through the city center (which is a common feature in Irish towns) and actually forms the historic border between County Down and County Armagh. In the past Newry grew as a market town and was eventually made into a port town in the early to mid 1700s. A canal linked the River Clanrye to a nearby lake and helped the town gain status as an important trade center, connecting Belfast and Dublin.

Here's grandma on the bridge above the River Clanrye

 Even though much of the town has seen better days, the beauty that must have attracted ancient settlers was pretty clear. Newry is located in the center of both the Mourne Mountains and The Ring of Guillon, a rare volcanic area forming a geological ring through Northern Ireland. The area has countless archaeological monuments and has even been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. So while it may have been cold and gloomy while we were there, summer must be a totally different story. We may not have hiked the mountains and discovered ancient monuments but it was really an amazing feeling to know that we had gone to see where our ancestors were from.

Proof I was there! :)