Around Ireland: Adare & Galway

After our tour of the Dingle Peninsula, we moved on to less dramatic sights. We had a short stop in Adare and then drove on to Galway (mostly divided highway) where we are for two nights. Friday was the first really rain day we have experienced on this trip. It was hard rain some of the time and also cold (high 50’s) and windy. When there was a break and it became just drizzly, we took a walk. One of the natives told us that this type of heavy rain was atypical for Ireland in June.

ADARE

Adare is a village in County Limerick and considered by some to be the prettiest town in Ireland. Its history dates back to 1200, and it is a government designated Heritage Town. What strikes a visitor immediately are the thatched cottages and shops along the main drag.

Row of thatched cottages
Holy Trinity Abbey Church

There is also this historic church, portions of which date from the 13th century, and on the edge of town the remains of Desmond Castle. The town is located on the banks of the River Miague and has a lovely small park.

Adare Park with thatched gazebo

Based on the heavy traffic on a Friday afternoon, it is popular with tourists. In 2027, this area will be the site of the Ryder Cup, a golf tournament between Europe and the United States held every two years.

ON TO GALWAY

The drive to Galway was rainy, and it remained cold, breezy, and mostly rainy the remainder of the day and evening. Once in the city, finding our hotel was a bit challenging due to the small winding streets with tight turns. But we are now nicely located in The Hardiman overlooking Eyre Square, the city’s main green. The official name of this square is the John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in honor of his visit here in 1963.

Braving the elements, we took the a first look-see in this neighborhood and then later, we walked to dinner at cozy Oscar’s Seafood Bistro. Many of the nearby streets are pedestrian only and despite the weather, lots of folks were out and about.

We deliberately made an early dinner booking and were glad as the restaurant quickly filled up. Their menu was seafood and fish as stated, but the preparations were slightly different and somewhat more sophisticated. I had some tasty smoked codfish cakes on a yogurt sauce with pumpkin seeds to start, followed by plump and delectable scallops sitting on blue cheese potatoes with some greens and a swoosh of crab bisque. The Chief Penguin had their version of shrimp scampi on a polenta waffle and then also the scallops.

We exchanged pleasantries with a French couple at the next table. Oscar’s is friendly, casual place that’s been successfully doing business for more than 20 years.

Codfish cakes at Oscar’s Seafoood Bistro

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is also of Adare Park.

Around Ireland: Dingle Peninsula

WHAT

Our itinerary stated that we would explore the Wild Atlantic Way including along the Dingle Peninsula and then out to Slea Head on one of the points. If we thought that the interior roads we’d been on were narrow, the Slea Head road was known to be even narrower and not very accommodating of more than one car side by side, let along a car and a tour bus.

Common sense being the better part of valor and both of us wanting to experience this dramatic landscape, the Chief Penguin investigated whether we could get a driver for this day trip on the spur of the moment. Lo and behold, the very efficient hotel staff receptionist made a call and one of their favorite drivers was free right then! Hastily scooping up jackets and cameras, we quickly met Paudie Murphy in the lobby. This adventure would take about five hours.

WHO

Paudie Murphy is a big man in spirit and adventure. In his early 60’s, he spent more than 30 years as a policeman and after retiring from the force, took up offering private tours. Based in Killarney, he has been doing this for the past 10 years. He was professional, knowledgeable (pointed out local landmarks as we left Killarney: castle, bishop’s residence, boys’ school, e.g.), calm, and a skilled driver. A world traveler himself, he brought a wider perspective to the sights we would see than we might have anticipated. We couldn’t have asked for a more seasoned guide and would gladly choose him again. He does business as Wild Atlantic Tours and his web site is: www.wildatlantictours.ie. Contact info is: wildatlantictours@gmail.com.

THE SCENERY

The reason to drive the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head is the scenery. It is a mix of beaches, farmlands arranged patchwork style on the gentle hills, islands, stone ruins, and jagged outcroppings of rock. Leaving Killarney, you travel north to the town of Castlemaine and then head west along the lower side of the Dingle Peninsula, this stretch called the Wild Atlantic Way. Our first stop was Inch Beach, a pretty stretch of tawny sand where we watched a man walking and training his horse along the waterline.

Patchwork of green fields

Continuing the drive, we went on to Dingle, the largest little burg in the area, where we had ham and cheese toasties for a quick lunch at Paudie’s Cafe in the Dingle Hotel. Driver Paudie (no connection to cafe owner) recommended this cafe. The bread was excellent, the ham and cheese tasty, the lettuce with the cole slaw perfectly fresh, and the service as speedy as we’d hoped. Like other Irish towns, many of the building facades are painted in strong colors. You cannot miss the cranberry red of the hotel.

Hotel in Dingle, home of Paudie’s Cafe

As we made our way onto the narrow Slea Head route, our driver knew just where to stop to get the best photos. The Chief Penguin made good use of his big camera with its strong telephoto lens. Even I broke out my “real camera” as I refer to my SONY, and used it as well as my iPhone. A cove at Ventry Beach was the scene of one set of photos, including several the driver took of us.

Ventry Beach & Harbour
Up the road from Ventry Beach cove

As we continued around the head, it became more rural and the coastline more dramatic. Drivers are encouraged, but not required, to drive the route clockwise so that most everyone is headed in the same direction. This minimizes the number of times you have to pass someone mirror to mirror or back up to let another car or tour bus come by.

View on Slea Head route
Clouds, mist and green expanses

Having made the loop around Slea Head and coming back south to Dingle, Paudie then took us north along the Conor Pass. This road runs basically parallel to the Wild Atlantic Way, but is, by far, the narrowest and the most winding road of the day. Up and down hills and mountain and around until we reached the outskirts of Tralee.

Blennerville Windmill, Tralee

Here we stopped to gaze upon the Blennerville Windmill. It is the largest windmill in Ireland at about 60 feet tall, is a working windmill of five stories, and today grinds wheat. Built in 1800, it was restored in the 1980’s after a long period of disuse. Tralee was also a port of embarkation for people leaving Ireland during the great famine.

From Tralee, it was a relatively easy drive south on Route N22 back to Killarney where we arrived at 4:30 p.m. We did dinner on the town at Quinlan’s Mad Monk restaurant. The Quinlan family are known for their exceedingly fresh seafood and fish. We shared a starter of lightly fried calamari with chili jam and a small green salad. The Chief Penguin enjoyed his proper scampi (breaded and fried little shrimp) with chips and salad.

Salmon fillet on potatoes with carrot purée

My panfried fillet of salmon was heavenly, some of the best I’ve ever had. Moist and delectable. It came with their version of Lyonnaise potatoes with asparagus spears on top and a ring of carrot purée (an unusual touch) around it. This was a memorable meal.

After dinner we strolled across the street to a carnival with a choice of rides. Revisiting younger days, the CP tried out the bumper cars.

CP rides again!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington

Around Ireland: Killarney

GETTING THERE

Killarney is a tourist town in County Kerry. Our “straight shot” drive on N22 from Cork wasn’t quite as straight or simple as our instructions made it sound. Like much of what we’ve traversed in Ireland, there were many roundabouts, sometimes one every 500 or 600 meters with female Google announcing which exit from it you should take, “take the 3rd exit toward Blakedene and R481.” Getting on the proper spur requires careful listening, counting, and then remembering to always bear left. While I sometimes sat on my hands or folded them tightly, I was very glad I was not the driver! Even roads near cities and towns become narrower. Then the roadside signs read, “Traffic Calming 400M ,” which translated means: slow down and proceed with caution.

The Chief Penguin did an admirable job! And we arrived in Killarney around 10:45, in time for some hot tea and homemade scones in our hotel’s comfortable lobby. The Killarney Royal is a sister property to our previous hotel in Cork and to the Great Southern Killarney just down the street. It was built in 1900 and has been modernized. The hotel staff welcomed us warmly. Lisa, in particular, got us sorted on where to park the car once we unloaded and even made sure we were in the correct lot.

JAUNTING CAR ADVENTURE

We spent part of the afternoon on a jaunting car ride in the Killarney National Park. Jaunting cars are horse-drawn covered wagons with bench seats on both sides. Lauren was the driver of our jaunting car. It was a very pleasant experience as the horse went clip clopping along the main road midst car traffic, then turning off onto a paved path in the park. Looking about 15, Lauren is a local man born and bred in Killarney who’s been driving for two years. Unlike the other Irish men we’ve met, he was laconic not loquacious.

Jaunting cars awaiting passengers
Our driver viewed from the passenger seat

Killarney National Park was the first national park in Ireland and created in 1932 when Muckross House was donated to the Irish people. Today the park covers some 25,000 acres and includes several lakes, woodland, and the only red deer herd in the country. In 1981, the park was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It’s a main attraction for visitors who come to hike or bike its many paths.

Jaunting through the park, there were views of Lough Lake, and both grassy meadow areas and heavily wooded lanes. The first stop was at Muckross House, a large Tudor mansion built in 1843 for the Herbert family. Over the years, it belonged to a series of owners, the last of whom presented it to the country. It has extensive gardens, a cafe, and a gift shop. It wasn’t a long stop, so we mostly wandered the grounds admiring the flowering plants and paying a visit to the shop.

Front of Muckross House
Formal garden at Muckross House

Back in the jaunting car, we continued on our park loop and were able to get out and walk around the ruins of an old abbey. The Muckross Friary was founded in 1448 by a branch of Franciscan monks and had a violent history. The abbey was damaged and reconstructed many times until being done in by Cromwell in 1652. Today, it’s in remarkably good condition. I found it immensely attractive and appealing.

Muckross Friary in Kilkenny National Park
I loved the arches inside arches in the abbey interior

BACK IN TOWN

With cafes, bars, and restaurants galore, it’s easy to see that Killarney attracts lots of visitors. In our travels, we’ve seen many Americans, many playing catch-up after the pandemic lockdowns. The town was bustling in the late afternoon, and as is my wont, I was able to browse a bit in the local Eason bookstore.

Downtown Killarney

For dinner, we decided to dine at our hotel and ate in the more casual dining room. Having had no real lunch, we noted the generous portions and quickly assuaged our hunger. Our waiter was a delightful older man with a great sense of humor. A good end to another fun day in Ireland.

Apple crumble dessert

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo taken at Muckross House.

Around Ireland: Cobh

Cobh (“Cove”) is a tiny town about 45 minutes south of Cork noted for its harbor. It was the port of embarkation for many Irish from around the country leaving for America in the 19th and 20th centuries. The harbor is well situated militarily and protected and has only one way in and out.

On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore from Cork was the first person to pass through the recently opened Ellis Island immigration center. She and her two brothers had traveled in steerage for the journey to America and settled in New York’s Lower East Side. She was the first of millions of individuals who entered through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.

Annie Moore and her brothers

Cobh’s more recent maritime history far surpasses its size. In April 1912, Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic, taking on passengers just three days before its tragic encounter with an iceberg. Many passengers arrived in Cobh by rail, stayed overnight in a rooming house, and then went to early mass at the cathedral before boarding their ship. The first class passengers were taken out to the ship by tender; other passengers were packed onto a ferry.

Historic train station still in use

In May 1915, the RMS Lusitania en route to Liverpool from New York was torpedoed by the Germans off the coast of Cobh during the First World War. More than a thousand passengers on the Lusitania lost their lives, but seven hundred were rescued and survived, largely due to the efforts of the local people of Cobh. About 150 bodies were buried in a mass grave in a local cemetery. The memorial sculpture in Cobh features two mourning fishermen and an angel urging that there be peace.

Lusitania Peace Memorial dedicated in 1968

Cobh is a charming town, parts of it set high on a promontory. The streets are narrow, twisty, and a challenge to navigate, especially if you’re used to driving on the right, not left. The Chief Penguin earned his stripes getting us to and from Cobh and out of the town.

Staircase up to Cobh Museum conveys the challenges of navigating the town

We had a tour of about an hour given by historian Michael Martin. He earned his PhD at Berkeley and has spent many years researching the maritime disasters affecting Cobh. He created created this “Titanic Trail” tour. You can even see some of it on YouTube.

Colorful facades backed by church spire

The town buildings have remained mostly the way they were a hundred years ago. Many facades are painted in bright solid colors. The contrast between these colors and the gray stone of St. Colman’s Cathedral, which looms above them, makes the cathedral with its detailed stone work stand out even more.

The tour covered only a short distance, but lots of history and several monuments to historic events. There is a fairly recent monument to the Titanic, but I didn’t think it was interesting enough in itself to merit a photo. Michael Martin was an excellent guide. We ended at Kelly’s Bar for Irish coffee, a chat, and copies of two of his books. A most enjoyable outing.

View from waterside park toward St. Colman’s Cathedral (completed 1919)

ADDENDUM

We would have liked to go up to St. Colman’s Cathedral to see the interior and also the Gaia (My-earth.org) exhibit in the sanctuary. It is an artwork of the globe and is a traveling exhibit. Alas, we ran out of time as we were expected at Fota House and Gardens outside Cobh.

It turned out that the tour we were to take at Fota was later than originally scheduled. We were a bit underwhelmed by the property and being concerned about traffic back to Cork, we decided not to wait around. Thanks again to Google, we successfully got out of Cobh and arrived safely back at Hayfield Manor.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)