Blown Away

We were on the road fairly early but everyone was notably quieter than usual.

We navigated to Kenmare so we could do the Ring of Kerry drive along the Iveragh Peninsula to take in the coast and mountain scenery. Kenmare was a very pretty town with lots of shops and cafes with outdoor seating. A lot of the shops were closed this early on a Sunday.

Sheila selected our first hike at Derrynane Beach. The view was great and we were able to walk along the grassy path, the beach, and rocks while getting pelted with sand at times (the wind has really picked up). It was sunny during out walk except for the last few steps. I think the rain hurt more hitting my face than the sand.

We drove into Waterville and had lunch at Dooley’s Seafood and Steakhouse. Our meal was OK, not great but the view overlooking the water was great.

Along the way we stopped at Kerry Cliff’s, a privately owned viewing area past Lettercamps and before Portmagee and paid the entrance fee to climb up two hills for a viewing point. It was so windy that Sheila and I had to hold onto each other for dear life. There is no way my Mom could have done this walk, she would have blown away! From the top we could see Skelling Rocks in the distance but I don’t think Luke Skywalker was home today.

Killarney is bigger than I expected and very much geared for tourism - lots of hotels, restaurants, shops, and pubs.

We checked into our huge rooms at The Lake Hotel. True to it’s name, we have a very nice view of the lake.

It was a 2km walk to the Killarney Brewery. We had a pint and played cards before heading to the Mad Monk by Quinlan’s for a cozy and delicious meal. The skies opened up on our walk to the restaurant and we were pretty soaked by the time we arrived. Sheila’s crab claws is one of the best dishes we have had all trip. The award winning smoked salmon lived up to it’s reputation.

We had another pint and enjoyed some Irish music and general shenanigans at Dunloe Loose. Drunk Irish men seem very happy, love to sing, dance, and hug each other.

We were able to make “second” last call at Killarney Brewery on our walk home before heading to bed.

Today we saw swans, a common ringed plover, Choughs (black bird with red legs and beak), badger dens along the paths near the beach, a dead dolphin, live seals sunning on distant rocks, a white gull with black tipped wings, and pied wagtails.