Today was another long, beautiful drive! We finally have started the tourist-y "Ring of Kerry" it’s quite a change from our last two nights, which felt quite authentic, and "truly" Irish! There are tourists everywhere out here!!
This morning we had a great breakfast (traditional Irish, of course) and headed north toward Kerry. On the way we stopped at a stone circle dating to around 100BC B it was just incredible to be looking at a sacred place that was just so old! Additionally, the scenery surrounding the circle was spectacular and we were blessed with beautiful weather. And to think that I thought the medieval churches we visited were old! This stone circle was small in comparison to Stone Henge, but you really can’t argue with the number of tourists who were there! (Just us!)
After the stone circle, we stopped in Skibberine for a visit to their Famine Heritage Center. This area of Ireland was greatly effected by the potato famine in the 1840s. There are 8,000 to 10,000 people buried in the Skibberine cemetery who died from starvation and what a horrible plight they suffered. The videos in the heritage center do a good job of bringing how desperate the situation must have been.
We continued along the road and started the ring of Kerry in the afternoon. The scenery on the road leading into Kerry from County Cork was really spectacular. The 2-way road over the mountain pass felt like it was about 2 feet wide! We met a couple of huge trucks on the road and we literally had to pull all the way off the road into the bushes just to get past them. What an adventure! Once we got onto the actual ring of Kerry road, we were a bit disappointed. I expected it to be green and traditionally Irish until we arrived at the West Coast, but it is actually quite mountainous and cliffy with very little green landscape. Still, it was pretty, but not breathtaking.
The guidebook pointed out what was thought to be the best part of the ring... and when we got there I said to Mark, "Pull over anywhere along here... even if it’s just at that pub up ahead." So we stopped and gawked at the view (which really was quite great!) and started discussing where we were planning to stay for the evening. It was then that we realized that this pub was actually an Inn with wonderfully affordable (and beautiful) rooms! So... our decision had been made!
The evening was spent in town enjoying a few pints and watching people watching the Manchester United vs. Real Madrid game. I’m not sure why... but Man U is huge in Ireland. Everyone seems to be a fan... and they were out in full force to support their favorite team in this big European game. All of them, that is, expect for one little boy around age 7 who was in the pub with his Mum and a couple of friends (also around the age of 7) and their Mums. This cute little guy was the only Real Madrid supporter in the whole place! Well... when Renaldo scored his 3rd goal on the night and the coffin had been nailed shut for Man U, the little one danced about and said, "Hat Trick Renaldo... bye-bye Man United! Ha Ha Ha!" Ahhh... .The power of football!
