Did you know that Killarney is a sister city to Springfield? Pretty cool! But first I want to write about how we arrived in Killarney.
We were in Galway, and needed to get down to Killarney, and did not have a car. The options were to take a train or bus or train/bus – and each of these options would have taken several hours plus a transfer point. Laura and Tim both found another option through a site called My Day Trip – we could hire a driver to take the six of us to Killarney, with a stop at the Cliffs of Mohr. Win – Win! Yes, it was more expensive than the train or bus, but well worth it for me. Dave, Laura, and Julie had never been to the Cliffs of Mohr, and if we had not scheduled this private driver, they would have had to have gone on an all-day tour from Galway at about $100 per person. So they actually saved money!
Our driver Seamus picked us up at The Eyre Square Hotel. The van was very clean and comfortable, with plenty of room for everybody. And Seamus was a great driver – he would give us information about the area we were traveling through, or he would notice everybody nodding off and not say anything. I like that! We also found out that we can book with him direct, and he would be our driver for the whole trip. So, instead of taking a bus trip to Kylemore Abbey, Seamus would have driven us. This sounds like a great option for our next trip.
We stopped at the Cliffs of Moher, which is about 1.5 to 2 hours south of Galway. The cliffs are just majestic and awe inspiring! It seems like it is always very windy here, and we were lucky we had a nice sunny day. There is also a cafe in the Visitor’s Center where we got a bite to eat.
Onward to Killarney! We arrived around 2:00 p.m., and were staying in two different hotels. Tim and I stayed at The International Hotel, and Dave, Laura, Susan, and Julie stayed at The Fairview Hotel. Both hotels were great, and close to everything. I would stay in either hotel again.
As soon as we got checked in and situated, I told Mr. T I wanted to go for a walk, while he rested. The truth was I wanted to check out Brian de Staic Jewelry since I didn’t know if I would have time any other day. The main store is in Dingle, and many of the pieces are inspired by artifacts and sites on the Dingle Peninsula. If you have seen the pendant with the Ogham script that Mr. T wears every day, this is where I got it. I found a pair of earrings and a necklace for myself and got them right then.
Next, I was on the search for someplace to have a drink. I found a sign for the Curious Cat Wine & Cafe – exactly what I wanted! As it turned out, the Curious Cat Wine & Cafe was next door to Little Italy Pizzeria. I ended up sitting in the Pizzeria section (I had no idea since they all ran together) and had a delightful glass of wine and an appetizer nonetheless. Susan, Laura, Dave, and Julie soon joined me.
We walked around the town that night for a bit looking into shops (but not really shopping, and this almost became a concern later – stay tuned). We ended up at Hannigan’s Bar and Restaurant, which was part of The International Hotel. Good food, good drink, and time for some sleep!
The next day we had booked a private tour of the Dingle Peninsula. This is also one of my favorite parts of Ireland. Our driver was Billy, and he was fantastic. I actually had to confirm his name with Laura, and she said, “Oh, yeah, Billy was great! He spent a couple of extra hours with us and then we almost got killed!” Yep, that’s him 😜! More on that later …
Lucky for us the day was really beautiful, with no rain to speak of. Our first stop was in the Killarney National Park at Torc Waterfall. We did a small, easy hike to stretch our legs and get to the waterfall.
The next stop was also in the Killarney National Park at Muckross House. We did not go in, but had a nice walk around the house and garden area. And this is where I learned to never leave the hotel (or car) without your raincoat 🙄! I left my jacket in the car since we were only going to be out of the vehicle and walking around for about 20 minutes. And, it was really sunny with only a few puffy clouds in the sky. Once I was on the backside of the house, farthest from the car, it started to rain of course! I should have known when I saw a rainbow that this was going to happen 😂!
Once we made it over to the Dingle Peninsula we stopped at Inch Beach for a few minutes, a place that is popular with swimmers and surfers. No swimmers or surfers on this day.
On to Dingle! Even though we were on a private tour, we were kind of on a schedule, so we only had time in Dingle to eat lunch and basically walk around the harbor or do a small bit of shopping. We ate lunch at The Marina Inn, and had a really good toastie and some soup. If you don’t know what a toastie is, it is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with tomato and onion, or a panini. We became obsessed! And our server really cracked me up … she was very witty and kept calling us all “lads” 😂!
We took Slea Head Drive out of Dingle and drove around the peninsula – it was just stunning! You will see beehive huts, beautiful beaches, and rugged offshore islands. Here are some of the highlights …
- Coumeenole Beach, which is where a scene from Ryan’s Daughter was filmed. Billy, our driver, got us where I did not think any car, or for that matter van, should go, down a narrow paved road that took us from the cliff half-way down to the beach. We got out, looked around, got back in the van, and Billy did a scary 3 to 5 point turn to get us out of there. He knew what he was doing! Dunmore Head is also located there, a short walk uphill. We saw a lot of people going up the hill, and Billy told us they were probably Star Wars fans, since some scenes from “Star Wars The Last Jedi” were filmed there.
- Gallurus Oratory, an early-Christian church believed to have been built in the 8th century. There are beautiful fuchsia hedges that you will see inspired some of the jewelry found at Brian de Staic Jewelry.
- At Kilmalkedar Church, you will find the ruins of a 12th century church (not the first church on this site though), but the real appeal is the cemetery. You will find a sundial from the 8th or 9th century, as well as stones with the ancient Ogham language dating from the 6th or 8th century. If you go to Brian de Staic Jewelery you will find some jewelry inspired by these ancient artifacts.
Everything was amazing! After Kilmalkedar Church, Billy drove us back towards Dingle, and we asked him if we could stop at the South Pole Inn in Annascaul, a favorite from one of our previous trips to Ireland. Tom Crean, a famous explorer, was from Annascaul, and after his great expeditions to Antarctica and retiring from the navy, he returned to his home town and ran the South Pole Inn. Not only is this a great pub, but you will find many photos and memorabilia of Tom Crean on his famous journeys.
After finishing our pints (and Irish coffees), Billy took us back to Killarney. And here is where we almost got killed ! Although Billy was a great driver, you can’t always count on your fellow drivers to also be as good. And that is what happened – he got cut off and had to slam on the brakes. The only people who had their seatbelts on were Billy and Tim, who were both in the front seat. The rest of us were relaxing (maybe snoozing) and went flying! Nobody was hurt, and I learned another good lesson – always wear your seatbelt!
The next day we had decided to be our “down day” – just hang out in Killarney, go shopping, do a jaunty cart ride to Killarney National Park, and eat and drink our way through the day. Mother Nature had other plans …
We woke up to rain … and I mean RAIN! We looked outside and it was really windy and coming down hard. These storms were a result of weather coming off of the Atlantic Ocean. But what is a little rain when you are on vacation? We ate breakfast and met up with everybody around 10 to go shopping.
We were only in our second shop when the lights went out. They had flickered a couple of times before, but this time everything was off. We looked outside, and nobody had electricity. The shopkeeper closed up shop, like it’s no big deal. I think they are used to this in Killarney. Of course my thought is, when is the electricity coming back on??? This is our shopping day!! And this is why when you see something you buy it then, and don’t wait. Some in our group had found things they wanted to purchase while looking on the two days prior, but waited until this day to purchase. Ughhhh!
So, we waited. Tim and I went back to our hotel (they had electricity), and Laura, Dave, Susan and Julie went to a pub across the street from their hotel to wait it out. We ended up meeting them there a couple of hours later. The rain let up and the electricity finally came on around 3 p.m. Hallelujah! No jaunty car ride for us that day though!
Back to The Hat! I’m so glad I had it during the rain storm – probably the only spot on me that was dry was my head!
Dave, Susan, Tim, and I ate at Hilliard’s of Killarney that night, and Julie and Laura went back to the Little Italy Pizzeria. Both places were good!
We loved our sister city, and all of us said we could have spent more time there, especially exploring the national park. The next day we were headed to Kilkenny – stay tuned!
Tales From The Wine Store 