Day 5 - by Nancy Jordan

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Ring of Kerry

We started off with a ride in jaunty carts from the hotel in Kilarney to the National Park where we visited Ross Castle. Being early in the morning, the castle reflected in the lake there to create some wonderful pictures. We saw swans and mallards swimming in the lake. On the way the jaunty driver pointed out a few deer along the way.

After the jaunty ride, we boarded the bus for the Ring of Kerry. A gift shop was our first stop where we were offered complimentary Irish coffee and gracious clerks helped us spend our money.

From there, we were treated to spectacular views as we were in the mountains. We were treated to Dingle Bay and the greening hills beyond. There were many quaint villages to see. From off in the distance, we could see the oldest Staigue Fort, Cathair Geal, a well preserved round fort said to be about 2,500 years old. During the summer and winter soltace light flows through all the rings through the doors to shine in the center ring.

In Waterville, we paused to see a statue of Charlie Chaplin who purchased property there and spent time there. We were also treated to a statue dedicated to St. Brendan and the monks. It’s an interesting statue rising high above the ground and showing the monks in canoe.

Out in the Atlantic, we viewed the Skellings which are peaked rock islands, small enough to see, but too rugged to live on. The fields again are bordered with rock walls. We passed through Caherdaniel , a village where Daniel O’Conner, the great orator lived much of his life. The walls of his home still stand there.

The last stop along the way was Sneem Village. We stopped here and were encouraged to have a“99”. This was a delicious soft serve ice cream cone with a bar of cocoa sticking out of the ice cream. Also there was a lovely lace and linen shop and music store.

On the rest of the trip, we were treated to gorgeous views of lakes, farms, and forests. We were also treated to a “very bending” road as they say. We ended our journey back in Kilarney. We sang in the Danny Mann Pub. After our performance, we were treated to a delicious dinner and some entertainment. (Nancy Jordan)

Limericks from Sharon Steingass

There once was a man named Pete

Who lived on the bog with his sheep

He sang in the pub

And loved all the grub

And made all the patrons weep

Along came a man named Stan

Whose choir was called a "clan"

They joined him in song

While others sang along

And the Irish all became their fans

The choir was led by two gents

Who showed them many a stone fence

The guide was named Conor

And the driver was Eamon

They sang songs and limericks made for a prince

Day 4

There will be no pictures, just yet, from today, but they will be coming, for there were many taken. (There might even be a second post from today from Sharon Steingass!) We left Galway this morning and began meandering through "The Burren", an area around Shannon. Our first significant stop was at the Cliffs of Moher, and in this case the word word significant is not strong enough. It is a spot on the western Atlantic shore of Ireland that drops off 700+ feet into the ocean below. From the bluffs you can see centuries of sedimentary deposits. Atop the bluffs sit several ancient settlements, including a castle that was built by the O'Brien family at one point.

Stops after that included Adare and a pass through the city of Limerick, before we arrived in our new temporary home, Killarney. It is a beautiful city in Kerry County, and we look forward to a day touring County Kerry tomorrow, culminating with a performance here in town at the Danny Mann Pub. We rehearsed tonight when arrived, so we are gearing up for our exciting performances to come in Cork and Dublin. But for tonight, it's "Goodnight Killarney!"