From Pitlochry, it was more planes, trains, and automobiles to get to our next destination of Killarney, Ireland. Following a short flight from Edinburgh to Dublin, I learned of my only real error in trip planning--buying a ticket on an Irish train at the station does not guarantee one a seat! The train from Dublin to Killarney was packed, which led me and Sarah to hang out in the vestibule for most of the trip.
We eventually got a seat!
The soft light netted me this great photo of Sarah
Our first night was in Killarney, the largest town of County Kerry. We got in late, but had time for a pub dinner, and to make the rounds of the bars in the center of town. I had read a lot about the abundance of traditional Irish music, and was not disappointed. Almost every bar we went to had a couple musicians playing some lively Celtic music.
The next morning, Sean and I picked up two rental cars. For some silly reason, he had reserved one stick shift and one automatic, ensuring that he was the only one who could drive one of them. I decided to shell out for the extra insurance. I usually consider this unnecessary, but after seeing the extreme narrowness of the streets, I went for it. I would later be glad I did!
After a beautiful but harrowing 90 minute drive (even the country roads are narrow and bordered with stone walls) we headed to a horse stable on the Dingle Peninsula. It has been years since I've been on a horse, but I couldn't pass up the chance to ride an Irish Cobb horse on the beach. I couldn't talk Dad and Fred into it, but the rest of us saddled up for a leisurely jaunt on some tame steeds.
After the beach we headed up into the rolling hills
Rudyard Kipling called...he wants his helmet back
After riding, we tooled around the town of Dingle. The town is set on the south coast of the peninsula of the same name, on the southwest corner of Ireland. Dad picked this area to spend a few days at, and he chose...wisely. The town was lively and friendly, with great seafood and pubs. There were hills to the inland side, and cliffs and beautiful beaches seaward.
Dad picked a great B and B on the edge of town too, Greenmount House
Sunset view from the deck
The younger generation headed out for a night on the town. The music in Killarney had been good, but we had heard that Dingle boasted a traditional music scene far more influential than the town's size would indicate. Again, we were not disappointed. Every bar had music ranging from a couple of guys with guitars to some old-timers playing accordion and instruments I didn't even recognize. They also mostly sang in Irish!
This part of the country is in the Gaeltacht, or region where the country is trying to preserve the Irish language. Irish is above English on street signs, and in some villages, is the only language on the signs. It wasn't uncommon to hear people speaking it on the street. It's utterly incomprehensible, but sounds really cool in song.
That's not just a low doorway, that was the height of the ceiling inside!
Everyone was as friendly as can be
The next day brought more tooling around the quaint town, and a brewery visit for Sarah and me. We had tried Guinness (despite what people say, it tastes just as mediocre in Ireland) but had heard that the local brew was a lager by Crean's. We stopped in their tap room ready to try a full flight of different beers, given our American craft brewery history. We were politely told by the proprietor that "we do one thing, and we do it damn well!" The only beer they make is a fantastic lager that is light and refreshing and full of flavor.
Looks more like a bungalow in Key West
The best beer in Ireland. By far.
We wanted to get out of town a bit, so Sarah and Sean and I rented bikes and did a 50km loop around the western edge of the Dingle peninsula. About 10km west of town, we stopped at the ruins of an old Celtic fort from antiquity. It also had some beautiful views of the surrounding cliffs. A little farther up we rounded the cape, and had more breathtaking looks at the valley and beaches below. We rode through a half dozen tiny hamlets before cycling over the hills back into Dingle.
Looking from the fort site
View from a pass looking at the north side of the peninsula...
And looking south toward Dingle
Sarah and I had to head back to Dublin the next day, while the rest of gang had another day in Dingle. Someone who shall remain nameless had managed to ding up the rental car Sarah and I took back to Killarney to catch the train to Dublin, which resulted in a salty exchange between me and the rental guy. Sean took Dad, Fred, and Carol on the same loop the next day, by car. Since the roads were about the width of a bike path in the U.S., I'm glad he drove them, not me.
Dublin is an interesting city, but at the end of the day, it's just a city. We only had one evening there before flying home, and I'm glad we prioritized Dingle over Dublin in our planning. The one cool thing we got to see was the library at Trinity College. Besides the ancient Book of Kells, the main hall is a beautiful floor to ceiling collection of old books.
A storm the night before we headed back to Killarney left a dusting on the highest peaks in County Kerry
My darling!
The library at Trinity College
One more thing. Apparently, there is a dolphin named Fungi that lives in the bay near Dingle. Seriously, I'm not making this up. He's not in captivity or anything, he just likes hanging out there, probably because all the tourists feed him or something. There are tons of tours that go out into the bay, and Fungi dutifully swims around the boat and says hi. I'm skeptical that it's the same dolphin, or that he's not tethered to the seafloor or something, but he's sort of a local attraction. While we were on our bike ride, the elders went on a boat tour into the bay. Regardless of whether or not it is the same cetacean that's allegedly been tooling around the bay for three decades, it's a good way to take in the cliffscapes around town. Here are some of their pictures.
And of course, The Temple Bar in Dublin. A classic.