We have been in Ireland for five full days and six nights. It is now late on our final night (Monday, Aug. 26) and we will hop on our first homeward flight tomorrow morning, at Shannon Airport.
In five days we:
-- drove from Shannon to Kenmare, via the Killarney Natl Park and Muckross House
-- spent the night in Kenmare and explored the Ring of Kerry via car and some walking
-- drove to the town of Dingle on the Dingle Peninsula and spent two nights there
-- explored the Dingle Peninsula via a clockwise drive on local roads
-- drove over the Dingle Peninsula mountains via Conner Pass and then on to Tralee
-- spent the afternoon in Tralee, in a museum and gardens
-- drove to Ennis and spent two nights there, including a bit of a pub crawl listening to "trad" Irish music
-- enjoyed the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, both in County Clare
We covered in five days perhaps 600 miles, 5 times the distance we hiked in 11 days. We experienced tremendously varied terrain, from mountains as high as the Lake District pikes to barren expanses of glacier torn rock. We enjoyed the Irish version of an English breakfast and beer - both similar to and yet quite different from the British versions.
One common denominator was, for better or worse, the weather. The overcast skies, showers, and cool temperatures mostly continued apace. However, as more than one Irish poet has opined, the Irish countryside has a lush, green beauty which is somehow intensified by mist and grey skies. When the sun breaks through the clouds it can illuminate a valley in a warm glow and blaze of color. On our drive over the Conner pass the crest was blanketed in heavy mist, but as we descended towards the north coast of the peninsula the sun broke through in patches, producing rainbows and highlighting the intense green of the pastures. Delightful!
Our arrival day was warm and sunny, an unexpected pleasure. Muckross House is set on a magnificent lake within Killarney National Park. It is a stately, elegant house with expansive, beautifully landscaped grounds; and is of special interest to us, since it was most recently owned by the same family that built Filoli in Woodside, CA. The park has some of the highest mountains in Ireland and they are beautiful and visually compelling in a way different from the Lake District fells. Most obviously, they are heavily forested; they are also more angular and steep, as well as more compact. This would be a wonderful place for day hikes. Perhaps the Irish do a better job of developing and maintaining their trails!
We liked Kenmare's unassuming simplicity and pleasant squares. Unlike Cumbrian and Yorkshire towns, the architecture is relatively modern and simple, with their use of a broad pallet of saturated colors as the only interest. Pleasant, but not remarkable. We saw virtually no indications of current poverty - all buildings were very well kept, the streets exceptionally clean, and the people pleasant and helpful.
Our drive clockwise (as recommended by Rick Steves) around the Ring of Kerry was informative and eye-opening. Derrynane House, the home of Daniel O'Connell, was our first visit. He is revered as the "liberator" of Ireland and was the first to use mass non-violent protests to create change - in this case full representation for Irish Catholics. We explored a number of ring forts, built by Bronze Age tribes, along the ring drive.
Ruins of houses abandoned during the potato famine dot the landscape, silent and mostly crumbling remnants of the hard work and dreams of many poor farm families. One set of buildings has been restored and provides much information about the famine, the politics and economics of the time, and the mistreatment of the poor by wealthy landowners. Some of Judy's extended Irish family ancestors experienced the famine.
The Skellig Islands, just off the coast, were the site of several monasteries which helped keep Christianity alive during the dark ages.
Our drive to Dingle occupied the rest of the afternoon, getting us to Dingle in time for dinner. While Rick Steves seems to prefer Dingle over Kenmare, we are not so sure. Dingle is crowded and touristy, while not particularly interesting in terms of layout or sights. It does make an excellent base for exploring the Dingle Peninsula.
The Dingle Peninsula is a rugged, wind swept spit of land which seems to defy subjugation. This was emphasized by the dour skies and light rain.
The Blasket Islands, just off the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula, provide a fascinating glimpse into the earlier, simpler life of the rural Irish. The Blasket Island Center, located on the peninsula provides much information about island life and, especially, about the island people's contributions to conserving and then sharing the Gaelic language. Ireland celebrates the poetry and stories of islanders who wrote their life and village stories in compelling ways (and in their native Gaelic).
After our 2nd night in Dingle, we drove over the Conner Pass and on to Tralee. We had intended to take the ferry across the River Shannon, but we arrived too late and so drove around the estuary. This was better than the ferry ride, as it turns out, because we got to explore Tralee town and see the Shannon estuary up close. We also came across ruins of an Abbey, not listed in guide books, which were the best preserved of any we have seen.
The County Kerry museum in Tralee was an excellent way to get closer to the history, scenery, culture, sports, and key figures of the area - including a recreated street scene from the 15th century.
Ennis is a full-fledged market town with the bustle of commerce rather than tourism. It is perhaps more quaint in its own way than Dingle and has a music scene just as good as Dingle's. We chose it as both a base for exploring County Clare and for easy access to Shannon Airport.
We arrived in time for dinner and an evening exploration including a pub with traditional music. We, of course, had to have a pint of Guinness! Our B&B was large, modern and well appointed.
The next day saw us exploring the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and sights in between. The cliffs had a first rate, multimedia visitor center and provided spectacular, one of a kind scenery that lived up to the hype.
The Burren is a stark, denuded area which was created by a combination of geology, glaciation, and despolation by early man. There were many burial and worship sites as well as large ring forts scattered across the 10 sq mile area.
That evening we had a very nice dinner at the Old Ground hotel and hoped to hear more music. It turns out that Monday nights are VERY quiet in Ennis (and perhaps elsewhere) so we contented ourselves with a pleasant walk around town and a relaxed preparation for flight home the next day.
How can one summarize five short days spent along the west coast of Ireland? Interesting and evocative. We learned much about Irish history, key figures in that history, the long standing clashes between England and Ireland, and the many tragic results of those clashes. We now understand some of the geography and can picture this part of Ireland in our mind's eye. We have a feeling for Gaelic and its role as the purest current form of the ancient Celt language. We experienced only a little of the wonderfully rich Irish music and literature, but can see why both are important and continue to enrich the world experience.
We got to meet Irish people on the street, in pubs, and at our B&Bs, but did not have time to really connect with people (unlike our experience hiking, where slow movement was an asset). Ireland is a complicated place, with much diversity and many contradictions. The ebullience of the economic expansion is gone, killed by the 2008 recession and its continuing problems in Ireland. It will be interesting to observe how Ireland copes and moves forward in the next years. In the meantime, the Irish seem to cling to their music, their language, and their dedication to the land.
