We're In Irrrrelund ....    After departing the ferry at Rosslare Harbour, we took a quick trip in to Wexford before coming back to Rosslare Harbour and our very comfortable Old Courthouse B&B run by Mary No 1.  The next morning after an Irish Breakfast including black and white pudding, we headed south following the coast and visiting the towns of Kilmore Quay, then across the estuary on the car ferry (Euro8.00 one way) at Arthurstown to the small harbour town of Passage East.  Despite the blustery wind blowing, we managed to have a morning tea break here before continuing on to Dunmore East on the Waterford Estuary.   Dunmore East is a pretty little village with whitewashed cottages and thatched roofs. It was then on to Dungarvan for lunch before heading north to our two night stay at Cashel.   The weather was brilliant with sunny skies and a coolish wind blowing and thankfully no rain.   

Rocking In Cashel ....

The Three Rings ....   From Cashel we drove to Killarney in the County of Kerry.  Killarney is a large town and a base used by tourists to explore the region, particularly the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula.  The town itself is large with brightly painted Irish Pubs, gift shops and the usual array of colourful shops selling Irish merchandise. Our B&B stop was Hazelbrook Heights at Aghadoe, a suburb of Killarney, for three nights.  This was a pleasant self catering B&B run by Hazel and her husband Gerard, who is an Irish singer and plays in some of the Killarney pubs as well as a full time job in the police force.  On our arrival we decided to drive the Ring of Kerry while the weather was good. It was an amazing drive of approximately 150 kms for the entire loop.   We commenced the drive with a visit to the Gap of Dunloe where pony and carts take visitors into the Gap for an hour's ride.   We continued on visiting small towns along the way until we reached Portmagee, a small fishing village known for its fishing, smuggling and ship wrecks.  From this point we drove up and through the Coomanaspig Pass where the landscape becomes rugged and more spectacular.  The drive through the mountains provides outstanding views of the coastline and the massive Kenmare River.  We were surprised with the absence of tourist buses and cars on the Ring of Kerry.  We had been told that you had to travel anti clockwise and that it would be a slow trip because of the traffic, but it seemed at times that we were the only ones on the road and it enabled us to stop and take photos and admire the views.  Apparently, the economy has been hit hard in Ireland and the tourists numbers are down from previous years. We passed through the towns of Waterville, overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay and onto Kenmare which is a most picturesque town before heading back to Killarney.  The road from Kenmare to Killarney is really beautiful with spectacular scenery.  You pass through Molls Gap and onto Ladies View where we stopped for a drink and sat and admired the view towards Lough Leane before returning to our B&B.

Singing By Night ....  It had been a long day but then we heard that Gerard, our B&B host, was playing and singing Irish ballads at the local golf club so after a meal we set off to have a great night.  Gerard entertained for a while then anyone that felt like singing could do so. Once the Irish have a couple of drinks, they will get up and sing and everyone joins in. By the end of the night, and once Gerard had finished singing, a group of Irish golfers sang in tune and entertained for the rest of the evening.

Quaint Dingle, The Second Ring ....   You can be lucky or unlucky with the weather in Ireland.  We woke to a little rain but we were off to Dingle for the day and to catch up with Liz's sister-in-law's sister, Jill who is now living in Dingle and loving it.  Dingle is a really pretty town about 65 kms from Killarney located on the Dingle Peninsula and is well worth a visit.  It is a fishing port with lots of colourful pubs, and quaint shop fronts all along the streets.  After coffee and a catch up with Jilll, we toured out onto the peninsula to Slea Head which looks out towards the Blaskett Islands.  A most interesting area of the Dingle Peninsula were the prehistoric Beehive Huts which were built in 2000BC.  These simple circular huts are known as "clochans"  and are scatted along the coastline just west of Dingle.   Again the views of cliffs and sloping hills down into the ocean make it a great photographers paradise. We were unable to cross the Connor Pass as it was closed for road works due to the very bad winter experienced this year.  Apparently the pass was closed for 6 weeks due to inclement weather.

Oh What A Coastline ....

A must stop was the Doonbeg Golf Club.  This is a magnificent links style golf course set in sand dunes right on the Atlantic Ocean.  And what a club house.  Unfortunately we did not play the course but it gave us a taste for golf when we return to Australia.

The World Cup, Not Quite ....

Irish Music In An Irish Pub ....    Doolin was a 15 minute drive from our B&B.    Again it's a small Irish village with a number of Irish pubs and a place to listen to Irish music being played most evenings.  O'Connor's Pub was our pub for dinner that night and we enjoyed the Irish music along with many other tourists.

And On To Dublin ....

Dublin Sightseeing ....   O'Connell Street is the widest and premier street in Dublin and is lined in the middle with statues of Irish heroes and the Spire of Dublin.  It is also the hub of the bustling shopping precinct.  A short walk to Trinity College which is also a must see.  Built in 1592 and the home of Ireland's most treasured possessions, the 9th century "Book of Kells".  The "Book of Kells" dates back over 1000 years and were written in Latin by scribes and artists who spread the message of the life of Christ in gospel books.  From this exhibition you moved into the Trinity College Library called The Long Room which is 65 metres in length and houses around 200,000 of the Library's oldest books on two levels.

Now Time For A Drink ....   The Temple Bar area is the place for live Irish music until well into the early hours of the morning.  Tourists and the Irish flock to this area where there is a pub or restaurant on every corner and every second building.  We visited the "The Temple Bar" itself named after Sir William Temple 1555 - 1627 who was the founder of this pub and so the whole area became known as theTemple Bar district.  We enjoyed a drink here and returned again the next day for lunch as we had enjoyed it so much.  Grafton Street which is another shopping precinct has the statue of Molly Malone which commemorates the heroine of the traditional ballad, who sold cockles and mussels from her wheelbarrow and is a favourite ballad sung in the pubs around Ireland.

Back On The Ferry To The UK ....

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