Easter 2007: the Ring of Kerry

Top Irish Tourist Spot: Iveragh Peninsula (ēv-er-AH)

Quick link to photos (sorry, they aren’t great, all taken with phone).

Never heard of it? It is better known as the Ring of Kerry (in County Kerry). In the southwest corner of Ireland, Iveragh is sparsely populated, rugged with incredible views of the Atlantic. We went for Easter weekend, which is four days here with Good Friday as one holiday and Easter Monday as the next. It was half a days drive there (although it is only 119 miles). We did find an excellent picnic spot for lunch on the way in a town called Castletownroche. Our table was on a little green between a river and canal with an old stone bridge on one end and old stone mill at the other. Perfect!

Our first stop in Kerry was Muckross (mah-CROSS) House, a beautiful 19th century estate on the eastern end of the peninsula. Slim elected to take nap while a toured the fabulous house. Much of the furniture has been recovered, even though it was sold off when the original occupants left. I love these old estates and hearing about the lives of the people that lived there. The most interesting parts of the tour for me were the children’s wing and the kitchen. In the children’s wing, everything is smaller – shallow stairs and low ceilings, made to make the kids feel cozy! The kitchen had tons of old gadgets – hand cranked, ice cream maker (ice was imported from Norway once a year and kept in the ice house!), four-foot mortar and pestle, and a separate oven in the hall for bread so it wouldn’t smell like meat and onions.

Then down to Kenmare to check into our sweet B & B. We elected to stay in Kenmare rather than the busier Killarney per Rick Steves recommendations. We are followers of Steves mostly – one shortcoming of his is that his Ireland book only talks about where he likes to go. Rick recommends basing yourself in Kenmare for the Ring of Kerry experience because it is much less touristy and very quiet. We agree!

Saturday was a hiking day up Torc Mountain (535 meters) in Killarney National Park. It was a great hike – about two hours to the top with a pretty flat start, but pretty steep latter half. The view from the top was incredible – the Killarney lakes, Muckross and the hills and valleys of the Iveragh were all visible.

The afternoon was spent in noisy Killarney town. Upon the recommendation of our b & b proprietor (pk’s tip of the day: always ask for their recommendations!), we visited a fascinating piece of old Ireland. It was an old time store (reminded me of the Godfrey’s on Walton’s) where you go to the counter to tell the very old man what you want instead of wandering the aisles. The assortment of goods was quite strange – dishwashing liquid and candy being the most prominent items. But in the back, was this grand marble counter with two old codgers, who looked like permanent fixtures, drinking on a sunny afternoon. You order at the counter and are given a can of beer with a glass – it is an off-license (liquor store), so they can’t actually pour, but you are welcome to open and consume the beverage there. What a kick!

Dinner was enjoyed at a chipper – a fish and chips take away counter. This one happens to have a few tables upstairs, so we ate in. Very nice example of a fish and chips dinner – light flaky fish and golden fries. Then off to the first of our excellent pub finds in Kenmare, Crowley’s (locals pronounced the first syllable like “crow” the bird – we thought it rhymed with howl or towel). Great craic (talk or atmosphere, hard to translate, pronounced “crack”), dark wood, lots of cosies to sit in, grimy, lots of locals.

Sunday’s plan was the Ring of Kerry drive. Again, per Rick, we drove the opposite way that most people do, that way we avoided being behind tour buses and had unobstructed sea views as the water was to the left. This amazing day was capped with a drive over the Gap of Dunloe, a very narrow, old road cutting north-south across the eastern end of the peninsula. The deep valley of Dunloe cuts through rugged hills which are pretty tall – averaging around 900 meters – called Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, which are the tallest peaks in Ireland. Here are some nice photos and details of the park: Killarney. We ended the day with a fabulous dinner at Bacus. We started with a blue cheese, pear and bacon salad, then I had lamb cutlets (we had seen so many adorable baby lambs that day – how sick is it that they made me think cutlets?!), while Slim enjoyed monk fish. After dinner drinks: Batt Lorries, another quaint, local joint with a peat fire a-blaze.

Monday we enjoyed one more delicious breakfast at our b & b, poked around Kenmare a little then headed back to Waterford.

While the Ring of Kerry is lovely, my honest opinion for visitors is, go to Dingle instead. We enjoyed the Dingle Peninsula on our 2001 trip here. There was a bigger variety in historical sights – from the first Christian church in Ireland to the Great Blasket Islands. While the Gaps of Dunloe and Ballybeama (another north-south through road that we tried Sunday) are stunning, Dingle has Conor pass, which is just as amazing. You still get the experience of driving on the side of a sea cliff, but you miss the coach loads of tourists (yes I know that I should be a little more appreciative as coach loads of tourists were the foundation of our livelihood for so many years!). But all in all, Dingle is a more interesting experience.

Das de why!