Blogs from County Kerry, Ireland, Europe

Up and breakfast bit more laid back this morn at 8 am …. Left for The ring of Kerry at 9 am weather was perfect !!! stopped at the Red Fox Inn for an Irish coffee with Baileys to start …. Drove through the National Park and out to the coast certainly the Emerald Isles green and pristine… Enjoyed a lunch stop at Waterville and had tea scones jam and cream a look around and back on the bus stopped for spectacular views over the Coast ….stopped at Sneem a cute little village for half hour and back towards Killarney through the National Park again ….Molls Gap Johnny gave us Baileys or whiskey shots at the look out ….back at the hotel by 4 pm and dinner in the hotel at 7 pm turned in early ... read more

Our trip to Ireland started with a few days at West Hawk Lake watching the ice destroy our dock (May 5,6,7) We left Winnipeg on the 7th , had a short layover in Toronto, then a nice short flight to Dublin, arriving at 9.00 AM.(only 45 minutes late) I had paid for 2 aisle seats for Jan and I but my aisle seat involved sharing space with 2 Sumo wrestlers so ended up in a middle seat in another row etc...Flying to Dublin is fairly painless except for the wait in Toronto airport (flight time to Dublin is 6.25 hours) After arriving in Dublin we got the efficient airport bus to downtown - 14 euros return-it let us off at a stop about 8 blocks from the Blooms Hotel. After a shower we went for a ... read more

I continue to revise and update this email about corned beef. This was written a many years ago, but still applies today. These days, we have our St. Patricks' Day meal at home. I actually enjoy preparing it. It is one of the few meals I know how to prepare. In years past, we had parties! I think they have become extinct. St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to have one of my favorite dishes, corned beef and cabbage. So, aside from buying and preparing this dish, I wondered about the origin and history of corned beef. The term "corned" comes from the large rock-salt kernels, or "corns of salt" covering beef in a crock. This process preserves the meat. The term has been in the dictionary since 888 AD. Leave it to the Irish ... read more

SAT, 06 AUG 2022 – “Day 7: Sheepdog Demonstration and we enter the Kingdom of Kerry - We’ll take in a portal tomb at Poulnabrone, locally referred to as ‘Hole of the Sorrows’, the oldest megalithic burial site in Ireland, dating back to 3000 BC. From the long-time dead, we’ll meet up with the lively farmers of Caherconnell who’ll treat you to a sheep dog trial. With a whistle here and a whistle there, watch as they direct the collies to run rings around the sheep. The rest of the day belongs to Dingle, home to a very famous dolphin and where Inch is a strand with miles of beaches. Tóg go bóg é (take it easy) and wander round its craft shops selling Irish flutes and seaweed cheeses. As evening draws in, take a trip ... read more

One shinning day in July 2022 Bird and HP hopped abord a boat for a one hour ride to Skellig Michael that mystic home of ancient monks and puffins. Monks arrived at Michael during the sixth century, not long after the remnants of the Western Roman Empire were extinguished. They scratched out a meager existence until the early 12th century, eventually being driven ashore where another monastery was established boasting only meager remains. But Michael's are impressive, and all are at least one thousand years old, Landing upon the island apparently can be something of an acrobatic act with our guidebook likening it to "jumping off a trampoline onto an ice ring". In fact boat captains report they are able to affect successful landings on only five days per week, which created no small amount of ... read more