The Great Race of Kerry!

An unpleasant start to the day when we faced management with a list of maintenance & safety issues. Standards fall well short of those advertised. It's nothing short of bookings by deception. The Irish way? A thumbs down from us!

Today's itinerary included a tour of Ireland's south coast as well as the Ring of Kerry. From Cork to Kinsale the landscape unfolded in a series of gently rolling hills & dales, mountains & valleys, changing only in their shades of green.

Kinsale, free parking! It was market day so parking was difficult to find. In the allocated time I managed to find some traditionally made lace, a skill first introduced to the women, by the nuns, during the famine years of the 1840's. Kinsale, population 2 250, is a busy port located at the mouth of the River Bandon. During summer, Kinsale is popular with yachting enthusiasts.





I was almost relegated to the back seat after missing the turn to the Drombeg Stone Circle, a feature, dated 150 BC, of seventeen stones standing in a circle 31 feet in diameter. At the winter solstice, rays of the setting sun fall on the flat altar stone, which faces the entrance to the circle. No time to turn back!

While following the Bandon River, along with dairy, we saw the first evidence of potato farming. We also noted a shift from the austere grey to earthy Mediterranean coloured facades of the buildings. The colours sat well against a backdrop of grey skies.

Beware the pirates! Baltimore's claim to fame dates to 1631 when more than 100 residents were kidnapped by Algerian pirates & sold into slavery. Baltimore offers yachting enthusiasts a sheltered harbour, which was being upgraded with the construction of a new marina & ferry terminal. It's Ireland's Whitsundays with jacket!

A visit to Benane & Molly Gallivan's enchanting 200 year old cottage, which depicted the simple country lifestyle of rural Ireland before the discovery of electricity & modern conveniences, appealed. The peace & amenity of the area was serene. I'd return there in a heartbeat.

Kenmare was our starting point for the The Great Race of Kerry. I've not yet heard who won, but after two hundred & eighty six miles in eleven hours, I'm exhausted! I did however, appreciate the magnificent mountain & captivating coastal scenery. That alone was well worth the effort required to keep pace with he who doesn't falter!

The village of Sneem was awash with colour. Its brightly painted cottages along with the smell of peat-burning fires added a warmth & an earthy aroma to an otherwise cold afternoon.

We visited Staigue Fort. It is claimed to be the best preserved Iron-Age, dry-stone fort in Ireland. An amazing structure which has stood the test if time.

We doubt anything could surpass the coastal views from the cliffs above Hogs Head, near Waterville. Our photographs failed to capture the subtle shifts in light, which added to the awe-inspiring vistas.  








I understand Killarney offers lovely views of the Lakes Leane, Caragh & Muckross, but by the time we'd had dinner, a return to Cork was our priority. Perhaps we were somewhat ambitious in what we had hoped to achieve in the allocated time.

Today we passed through many towns & villages too numerous to mention. While each was different, in many respects they were the same. All charming, all welcoming, all very Irish.