Ireland - Ring of Kerry

One of our first stops off the Ring of Kerry was at an ancient churchyard, that of Aghadoe Cathedral, situated on a beautiful spot overlooking the lakes of Killarney.  We walked through the ruins of this church, with an elegant Romanesque doorway still standing, probably dating from the 11th and 12th century,   Our guide pointed out the markings on one of the stones on the wall believed to be an Ogham stone with markings in old Irish.  What a fascinating visit to this place, not on the typical tourist circuit.

Ruins of Aghadoe Cathedral

Decorative stone on wall of cemetery

This is an Ogham stone with markings in old Irish

A short walk from the churchyard are the ruins of a 13th century Norman castle - Parkavonear Castle, one of the few Norman keeps in Ireland built on a cylindrical rather than rectangular plan.  The walls are 2 metres thick.

View of Killarney Lakes from near the castle

We drove by the town of Cahersiveen which looked quite interesting with some quirky shops and pubs.

I find this scenario particularly intriguing - look at how many people are working on this small house all at the same time - I counted eight!  This is quite unusual and likely won't happen in North America, but then, this is Ireland...

It maybe blasphemous to say this, but in my opinion, the Kerry Cliffs, our next stop, is more spectacular than the Cliffs of Moher.  Of course, the Cliffs of Moher may provide a more all round experience as you could hike there and experience it more personally.  The Kerry Cliffs are for some odd reason, on private land, there is a small fee to visit and you could only view it - no hiking.  

Panoramic view of the Kerry Cliffs with the Skellig Islands in the distance

Amazing rock formations

Skellig Islands - something else to come back for

Waterville beach where we had lunch

Encountered a Eurasian jackdaw on the beach - a lifer for me!  It is a member of the crow family but not a crow.

 

At Coomatloukane - a statue of the Virgin Mary facing the road, guess that's why it's called Lady of the Wayside.  On the other side is this lovely view of the Ballingskellig Bay

Gorgeous scenery along the Ring of Kerry

The famous Ladies' View did not disappoint - the sun even broke through after a drizzly couple of hours and gave us a partial golden hour shot.

Irish humour...:-)

Just a drive-by shot - but I can't help but be amazed at how green the place is!

Killarney is a colourful town.  We spent one evening whisky tasting before dinner and enjoying some authentic Celtic music with the group Celtic Steps after dinner. There are plenty of live music venues if you have the stamina to stay in town for it.  Our group mentioned The Grand Hotel and the Danny Mann Pub.

Not a donut fan myself, but can't help but admire this colourful assortment

Downtown Killarney

The inevitable whiskey tasting

A wonderful evening of music with Celtic Steps

Singer and fiddler Roisin Ryan - love her beautiful voice!

Some of these performers are national champions

as if wielding his magic wand would really do it...

A very enjoyable evening to end the long day!