March 13 – Tuesday – Today we are driving to the Ring of Kerry, we leave the house about 9:00 and it’s a sunny morning. The drive takes us 2 hours to get to Killarney. Lisa has been looking through the maps and brochures we have and has selected a few likely spots to stop at. The first is called Ballymalis Castle, located halfway between Killarney and Killorglin. I almost miss the sign for the castle, but we turn off on a paved one lane track that leads back into the fields. The castle isn’t too far off the main drag, but when you get to the end of the drive, there is no way to get to the castle, it’s all fenced off, I got a couple pictures and we go back to the N 72 and on to the Ring. It’s 11:30 and raining when we hit Killorglin where we stop to stretch our legs and get a quick coffee and pastry. Killorglin is known for it’s mid August festival called “Puck Fair” where they capture a wild goat and crown it king of the festival. The sun is making another appearance making the drive much more enjoyable, but there is still a lot of mist and fog off in the distance.
Heeding the advice I have read, we decide to drive the Ring counterclockwise, this gives the best view and the tour busses travel this direction so you won’t meet any busses coming at you on the narrow roads. As we head out to circle the Iveragh peninsula we see the Dingle Bay to our right, and peat piles drying in the sun to our left. We pass the bogs where they collect the peat, and we can see Carrantouhill, the tallest mountain in Ireland. The curvy road follows the coastline, we would meet a few cars coming from the other direction so you had to take care. But the scenery was beautiful, driving on the side of the mountains, waves crashing on the rocks, sheep eating on the ledges, houses popping up where you wouldn’t think anyone could live. Just Grand!
Having read about Pat’s Crafts near Cahersiveen we stop there. “Not open yet” we are told at the gas station next door, so a quick potty break and on the road to Cahersiveen where we stop at the Barracks. This former home of the Royal Irish Constabulary is now a heritage center which we tour through. The Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church is also in town, but going through a restoration so we took a picture on the way by and continued on.
With plenty of time today, we decide to take the Skellig Ring, a route which takes you out to Portmagee with a bridge to Valentia a small island about 7 miles long and one of Europe’s most westerly points. On the island we went through the Skellig Experience which tells of the history of the Skelligs, two small islands that were inhabited by monks 1500 years ago. Back on the road, the Skellig ring rejoins the Ring of Kerry just before Waterville. We continue on around, find a sign for the Staigue Fort and drive back about 3 miles through a one lane road until we get to the Fort, which ends up being a stone ring about 6-12 feet high and 200 feet across, dated back to 1000 BC. Our next stop is a small restaurant in Sneem called the Village Kitchen, its almost 5 and we are both hungry. I have the steamed salmon, Lisa the goat cheese ficcotia, just delicious. The road from here to Kenmare finishes off the Ring of Kerry, and we take the R569 out of Kenmare back to the N22 and head back home, stopping long enough in Belgooly to have a pint at the Huntsman. A long day, its 9:30 when we get home, but not done for me yet, at 10:15 there is a show on RTE 1 about Donal Lunny, guitar player from Planxty among other accomplishments. Bedtime about 11:30.
