Day One - Not Done Yet

     On Monday, September 28, we spent the rest of the afternoon driving the Ring of Kerry. The sights of the coastline on such a sunshiny day took your breath away. We couldn’t get over the serenity of the scenery, and the visual dichotomy of the rough stone walls and soft green fields. 

Along the Ring of Kerry, in the afternoon

     The tour at that point in the afternoon became quiet. We had Irish music playing for a while. Some tried to lose the jet lag from the trip the day before. We needed to have some quiet time to absorb everything we all saw so far.

     One of the highlights of the afternoon was a visit to Kissane Sheep Farm. Here we got a chance to watch border collies in training. It was fascinating to watch the young pup collies being trained by their humans to herd the sheep. The two trainers showed us all how the dogs respond to the individual handler on command. 

Kissane Sheep Farm - Yes, it's a working farm!

One of the border collie handlers explaining how they train the dogs

     The process requires the handler and the dog to bond completely. One dog’s handler cannot call another handler’s dog. Their signals are unique to each command, too.  Each dog knows their position in the herd. They can drive the herd up steep mountainsides and down into valleys… or directly into the enclosures. 

Border Collies in action...

...moving sheep together in the herd...

...keeping the sheep together toward the pen...

or collecting them from around the hillside

Time to lose the excess coat

     Our bus tour guide, Mort, took a count after we were finished at the sheep farm. His goal was to get us all as many experiences as possible in his home town of Killarney. He did that with a quick ride around the Killarney State park. Well, he didn’t drive us… his brother, Miah, did… in his horse-drawn buggy. We had an hour’s tour with Miah around a picturesque state park and preserve. He pointed out the brown deer herds in the park, which were running freely. It was getting close to mating season for the deer, so we got a chance to see some “courtship” and “deer dating”. Nothing nasty, mind you. Just educating us all on how deer tend to herd from year to year.

On our buggy ride through the Killarney State Park

Herd of brown deer ready for mating

Now this is a tea room

     In the park is one of the nicest castles I’ve seen yet. We rode past it on one side of the lake. As we got closer, we spotted a sizable crowd touring the inside, and passed on joining them. We needed to be back at the Malton Hotel in time for our dinner seating. We also needed time to get ready for the evening’s activities.

Castle in the park

Killarney State Park - a quiet place to walk, or hike...

...or just enjoy nature's glory

Across the lake

As evening comes

      I felt like I was in a time warp in the dining room. Each place was set formally for the entire meal. We were waited on quite well in this hotel, and given ample time between courses to enjoy the social parts of the meal. Our menu was set each time: an appetizer or salad (choice of four), a main course (choice of four), and dessert (again, four).  Roll and butter were waiting for us. Spirited drinks were available separately. Many nights our table shared a bottle of wine, which added to the dining pleasure.

Malton Hotel, Killarney

Sunset over Killarney

      Tonight, though, we were heading to a local theater to see “Celtic Steps”. This is a troupe of musicians and dancers who focus on the music of historical Ireland. As we watched, we all could pick out similarities to American music and dances. It’s well known that the Scottish and Irish settled up and down the East Coast of the United States. The congregated in the South Central portions of the Appalachian Mountains. What we call Bluegrass Country music has its instrumental roots in Ireland. What we call square dancing, has its roots in the Irish reels. I, personally, felt like I found a piece of American history root in the Old Sod.

Waiting for the show to begin

     Back at the hotel after the show, many of our group decided to check out the local pubs. Well, it was only a short walk to town from our hotel, so why not? There were a sizable number of us who decided to rest a bit before Tuesday’s adventures… but we did so only after a night cap or several down in the hotel bar. After all, tomorrow we were headed to Blarney. We needed all of our strength to kiss the Stone if we chose to do so. Then it was off to old Dublin Towne.

Photos by Marge McGugan. No reuse without permission.

Stop for the perfect luncheon

     The Ring of Kerry is a road circuit N70 around County Kerry that gives the most incredible views I’ve ever seen. We drove through small towns and villages that took us back in history. Yet, all of these towns had their own character. Plenty of shoreline is visible for photos. The weather cooperated with lots of sun and great lighting – and miraculously, no rain.

Along the Ring of Kerry

      We stopped in Sneem for lunch on Monday, the 28^th. Coming into the town, visitors see a view of the shore line and a beach. As we rounded road N70, we rode into yet another beautiful town, with brightly painted buildings, a town square and living flowers all over. Baskets, window boxes, and hanging planters all abound in Sneem since it, too, is competing in the national Tidy Towns competition.

Near Sneem

The Town of Sneem in Ireland

      Our driver pulled in near the city square and dropped us off at Bank House B&B for lunch. Our hosts, Noel and Margaret Harrington, greeted us at the door warmly. Each one of us felt welcome in this establishment, as if we were old friends returning from a long trip.

The Bank House Bed and Breakfast

      We were shown into the dining room, just inside the front door. The tables were all set perfectly for a light luncheon of sandwiches and scones. As we settled in, Noel brought tea and coffee to each table, where we served each other. Conversations rang out, where just a few minutes earlier, many of us were quiet on the bus. We heard many stories of the town from our driver as we rode in. Now we were sitting in a historic building of 202 years old, having lunch.

     Fresh sandwiches, presented in baskets, waited for us on the table. Margaret brought in fresh out-of-the-oven scones. Fresh butter was on the table as was cream for our tea.

Suite 1 at the B&B

Small, but comfortable and relaxing rooms

      Many stories were shared during this meal. Noel retired from firefighting several years ago. Afterward, Noel and Margaret took over her childhood home, and turned it into a bed and breakfast. We had the opportunity to explore the second floor guest room after we were finished eating. One of their favorite guests was Maureen O’Hara, the actress. She was Noel’s neighbor when he was growing up in the countryside. She stays with them each time she returns to Ireland. Noel proudly showed us all photos of the two of them throughout the years.

The River Sneem

Town with a bridge in the middle

Peggy, Carol and Patti on the Stone Bridge

     After eating and our tour of the bed and breakfast, we took a stroll through the town. It was good to get some exercise, especially after sitting in the bus for so long. The River Sneem has a narrowing near the town. It’s not the type of river you could easily tube or kayak along – no, not at all. But the water rushing along the rocks gave us all a peaceful feeling as we walked along the main road. The river also cuts the town in half. Connecting the two parts of the town is a stone bridge, strong enough to hold cars and coaches. We passed the Wrestler’s Bar with a story behind it. The bar was named in honor of native sons and former wrestlers Steve and Paddy Casey.

South side of Sneem with the Wrestler's Bar

      The group spread out around the town, walking and taking pictures. We spoke to a lot of the local people who welcomed us to their town with warm smiles. Being so close to the coast, the town is known for their fishing. The church even has a fish at the top of the weather vane.

Local church facing the river with...

...a fish at the top

Music, music everywhere

Town center in Sneem

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     Our visit to Sneem was too short, but one to repeat when we all come back on our own. So much history! So many friends! Now to continue on the Ring of Kerry...

Moving on around the Ring of Kerry

On to out next stop in Kennmare

Photos by Marge McGugan. No reuse without permission.