Blogs from Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, Europe
What's the craic? Shamrocker Ireland! Spotty dog! That's Grand!
Published: May 26th 2012Europe » Ireland » County Kerry » Killarney
April 16th 2012
Off on a another 7 day bus tour to try and maximise how much of Ireland I could fit into a small amount of time. Shamrocker all Ireland rocker started with meeting Candra when I had got back to the hostel late the previous evening. I accidently woke her when I got into the room so we had a chat and discovered we were on the same tour in the morning. Bus buddy organised before I had even started! We discovered when we all boarded that the 5 and 7 day tour travel together til Galway before they head back to Dublin and the rest of us continue to Northern Ireland also it was yet another tour with all Aussie's except for Candra who is from New Zealand. Our first stop was the county of Lavish ... read more
August 30th 2011
Killarney National Park is yet another gem of County Kerry. Although the town of Killarney is a bustling tourist trap, it is surrounded by pristine lakes, mountains, gardens, waterfalls, streams, forests, and a treasure trove of other spectacular natural wonders.... read more
Chapter 2 - Day 13 - Limerick to Killarney
Published: August 15th 2011Europe » Ireland » County Kerry » Killarney
August 14th 2011
BUNRATTY CASTLE Today started with a visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in north Munster. It was just a short journey from our Hotel – in fact right next to Durty Nelly’s . Bunratty Castle was built in 1425 and after falling to ruin from the early 1800s when it was abandoned by its owners in favour of a more conventional dwelling. It was completely restored in 1954 and is now the most complete and authentically restored castle in Ireland. We had a guided tour of the main rooms and an excellent explanation of how the castle functioned in its prime. The initial introduction was done in a room which had the original floor dating back to the 1400s-amazing! We were then free to roam, we climbed up to the turrets at the top of ... read more
August 8th 2011
Has a lazy morning yesterday, as I opted out of the optional excursion (as did about half of the group.) I think we all needed some time off, while this is truly a comfortable tour pace, always being on the go does get a wee bit tiring. We left the hotel at 11 yesterday to begin our anti-clockwise excursion of the famous and picturesque Ring of Kerry. Just prior to leaving it was raining (go figure) and I was concerned our day would be ruined, but by some stroke of luck the clouds parted and the blue colours we are so familar with from home and even the sun came out. I tell you when the sun does come out the landscape is truly remarkable! I have never seen so many shades and textures of green, ... read more
It's Christmas in Killarney (well, not really)...
Published: July 8th 2011Europe » Ireland » County Kerry » Killarney
July 8th 2011
Today has been my favorite day here! We left Kinsale early this morning, heading toward Killarney (and I've had the Christmas in Killarney song stuck in my head ALL DAY). Along the way, we stopped at Bantry House and Gardens. Bantry House is a historic house that looks like something out of the pages of a Jane Austen novel. In fact, my favorite comment in the guest book was, "Where is Mr. Darcy?!" We toured the house, and gardens (pictures posted!), and had lunch at the tea shop before heading toward Killarney. The drive through County Kerry is amazing - it has the isolated, rugged green landscapes that you usually see in pictures of Ireland. I am also in love with the sheep - EVERYWHERE! (We even passed a farm where you can adopt a sheep: ... read more
May 17th 2011
Day 33: Glencar-Killarney A road trip today, down the Clare coast. We stopped at a beach that you can drive on in an ordinary car (we didn’t). We walked around the little tourist town of Dingle, famous for (i) a resident dolphin and (ii) that Marie Antoinette nearly fled there, but didn’t. I had a haircut/beard trim/eyebrow clip there for the princely sum of 11 euros (about $16). Visited another clifftop fort, a small one – Bronze Age, I think it was which was – patrolled by sheep and a Doberman named Roxy, which is suitable for a place with a lot of rocks. Some superb sea views, of course, and finally a two-way mountain view at Con(n)or Pass (like many other places here, it has alternative spellings). Liam at Glencar had looked up the local ... read more
May 15th 2011
Day 30: Doolin-Glencar Off to the cliffs of Moher, which were truly high and with many buses – the tourist season is not far away. The roads wind around and are as usual not sign-posted all that well. It took most of the day to reach Glencar, and the further we went the wilder the country. Glencar House Hotel originated as a hunting lodge built in 1620 and added to in the nineteenth century. Situated in the middle of extensive woodlands, it is a one a half star establishment, according to Liam the manager (in joking mode), and it is a very homely, friendly place. Besides us there were twelve English people, a group (possibly on a Tory party branch outing) from the same village in Worcestershire who were there for a week of fishing and ... read more
Killarney: the calm before the awesomeness
Published: May 14th 2011Europe » Ireland » County Kerry » Killarney
May 14th 2011
Today I arrived in Killarney around noon, a little weak in the knees from last night haha I stopped in to an outlet mall which was right next to the bus station to pick up a hat b/c it smelled like it was going to rain. I was right, and the hat has come in handy a few times today : ) I found my hostel with no problems whatsoever; Killarney is a really small town, full of nice people and geared toward Eire-philes (it's more than a little touristy haha). I've been fighting my instincts all day today about buying a super-cute illustrated book detailing 6 different Irish legends. So far, i've held out. we'll see how it goes. No sooner than i'd put my bags in the storage room in my hostel here, Neptune's ... read more
May 13th 2011
Day 27: Ballindine – Connemara outing The day dawned cold, with a blustery wind. First south, to Galway city. The outlook over the famous bay was grey and bleak, which didn’t deter three or four mad swimmers in a seaside suburb from jumping into it, sans wetsuits, for a swim. As we continued around the coast road we suffered our regular fate and got lost, this time impressively reaching the extremity of a coastal island when we thought we were still on the mainland. The local who gave us directions back said it was a regular occurrence. In addition to the road signage being inconsistent and frequently absent, in Connemara it goes from being bilingual to only in Irish Gaelic (or simply Irish, as it is known). Often the Irish bears only a faint resemblance to ... read more
The Ring of Kerry and the Gap of Dunloe Day15
Published: May 2nd 2011Europe » Ireland » County Kerry » Killarney
April 29th 2011
We had a very BIG DAY today. How unusual LOL! We were very excited today as we are going to drive around the Ring Of Kerry. First stop, Torc Waterfall. This was a beautiful waterfall at the start of our journey, As we continued on around the Ring of Kerry we were met by a smorgasboard of scenery....starting off with Lakes and Mountains and continuing along with fabulous views of the ocean and islands. At every turn there was a beautiful vista to absorb. We stopped for lunch at a lovely town called, Waterville and had some fish and chips and a walk along the boardwalk. We then continued on to Valencia Island, we drove onto the Island and got the Car Ferry back to the mainland. As we were driving back to our accommodation, after ... read more
