As the focal point of Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry, Killarney is a pretty, but tourist orientated town. It proved to be a noisy and busy place aggrevated by the timing of our visit over a long weekend and the influx of additional tourists in need of copious amounts of liquid refreshement to lubricate their singing voices.
And so today we moved from Killarney to Limerick via a detour around the Dingle peninsula. We started by visiting Ross Castle located only a few kilometres from the centre of Killarney.
Ross Castle sits on the edge of Killarney’s lower lake and was built by O’Donoghue Mór in the 15th century. The Castle came into the hands of the Brownes who became the Earls of Kenmare and owned an extensive portion of the lands that are now part of Killarney National Park. Ross Castle was the last stronghold in Munster to hold out against Cromwell. It was eventually taken in 1652.
As our drive around the Dingle peninsula continued, the weather closed in with gale force winds and bursts of heavy rain. We stopped at Inch Beach when we found a group of swimmers in the water apparently learning to surf. The following picture shows me leaning backwards and being supported by the onshore blowing wind.
The surfers turned out to be a group of teenagers wearing wet suits and fluorescent buoyancy vests. They emerged from the water with a glazed look that I can attribute to the effects of mild hypothermia.
We enjoyed a warm drink and shared a slice of Rocky Road at Inch Beach before continuing our drive around the Dingle peninsula. Dingle itself is a quaint fishing village and we stopped for a few photos down near the wharf but the weather was foul enough to prevent any further inquisitive activities.
A lookout near Dingle would have presented stunning views over the township and harbour but alas, the evil fog monster had breathed a mighty mist such that visibility was limited to only a few metres making for interesting driving conditions as we continued along.
We stopped for a photo at Castle Gregory – expecting to see a castle but instead finding a flat and rather uninviting beach instead. A dark storm was approaching as Chris wielded the camera and we managed to get back to the car just as the rain tumbled down again.
We arrived in Limerick late in the afternoon and having parked the car found our way to the Savoy Hotel. Chris thought she must have made a mistake with the booking as the Savoy Hotel is a five star facility in the heart of downtown Limerick and very upmarket from our previous digs. Our suite on the eighth floor overlooks the quay and waterside of the River Shannon and our bed is turned down at 5:30 pm each day with a small mint chocolate left to remind us of the grandure of the establishment.
Wow. Posh! Pity about the mist. Clear skies are much better for the photos. Still seems like your trip is filled with different experience every day.