Jack McDade

Day Five – Ring of Kerry & Dingle

Posted on 03. Apr, 2009 by Jack in Ireland

Ah day five. To say that the weather was incredible would be an understatement. Seriously, the sun could not be any brighter, the sky bluer, the grass greener, the weather warmer (for Ireland)… I wore a t-shirt the entire day.

That being prefaced and stage-setting, we began what would end up being a big day.

We starting by heading back a few kilometers south back into the Killarney National Park to take a small hike (quite small) up to the Torc Waterfall.

(Sidebar celtic trivia — my nerdiness coming out here: A torc is a decorative metal armband worn by Celtic Warriors. It was a status symbol, either of wealth or of valor in battle. They could be copper, bronze, silver, gold etc… scaling their value. They would often be given out by the King of the realm out of the spoils of battle, as a reward for their kills.)

After deflecting the advances of the jaunting car drivers (horse and buggy), offering us a ride through the park, we made it up to the Torc Waterfall.

It was quite beautiful, tucked away in a forest of moss-covered yew trees, shadows teasing my imagination. Jen made fun of me for my Robin Hud (Celtic Mythology’s version of Robin Hood) references, but I deflected them with my steller (note steller, not superior) wit. The falls cascaded a dozen or so times and fell into a river that worked its way back out to Center Lake, the stunning lake that rests up against the gardens of Muckross House.

Next we shot south and began the Ring of Kerry, in reverse, in order to come out on the north end giving us a few options as to the next destination.

The Ring of Kerry is a 4 hour driving route around the Kerry Peninsula, mostly coastal but also a fair amount of countryside to been seen as well. Having driven across much of the countryside of Ireland, this sight wasn’t anything new, although still beautiful. Of the 4 hours of the Ring, I would venture that about 45 minutes to an hour of it is what you’re really going for. A few of our friends came to Ireland last year and were recommended to skip the Ring of Kerry and just do the Ring of Beara, and if you’re on a time crunch, i would agree that it’s a good idea — you definitely get more views per hour on that ring. However, we did get to see some absolutely fantastic sights that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss, so we’re very glad we did both rings. Where the Ring of Beara is brown and barren (it’s own type of beauty), the Ring of Kerry is brilliant green. The mountains are bigger and more are visible in the distance, the loop is longer and the vista-esque views are more sweeping. All and all, breathtaking. Combined with the amazing visibility and crystal clear weather, we couldn’t have asked for more.

Coming out the Ring, our original plan was to head into Tralee, about 20km or so north of Killarney and right on the way out of N71, a really contemporary and cool town that really seemed hopping. However, we ended up with more time than originally planned so we went for broke and set the GPS for Dingle.

The Dingle Peninsula is one of the last remaining Gaeltacht (pronounced Gale-Tech i believe) areas in the country, where English is a second language and traditional Irish (Irish, not Gaelic. They’re similar but NOT the same) is still spoken. Road signs at first are in Irish first and English second, and then eventually Irish only. We learned a few necessary words: Mall = slow, Ceann Trá = Ventry, the little village outside of Dingle where we ultimately stayed the night.

On route to Dingle, along the coast, we came to what must have been a popular surfing spot. 3 or 4 surfers were out in the swells and a vast beach stretched out for at least a kilometer or two away from the mountainside. After watching them for a few minutes (and taking no less than 30 pictures), we continued on a snaking, winding, cliff-hugging road that brought us along some incredible cliffs and bays until we got to Dingle.

What a town! It was so unique and dripping with Irish flavor, we instantly fell in love with it. After scoping the land, shooting some photos of the harbor, sailboats and little shops, we headed a few kilometers further to Ventry where we stayed at “The Plough” B&B. What an incredible view, i can’t even describe it. Ceann Trá is literally translated as “Head of the Bay”, as the water came to (surprise) a bay. A large mountain shot up from the shore and smaller ones were on the other side of the water giving the B&B a priceless setting of which couldn’t stop taking pictures.

Our host was funny and talkative, bringing us tea and conversation as well as numerous recommendations for places to eat, drink and experience some live traditional Irish music. No less than 5 places had live music on a Thursday night before tourist season, showing you how much heritage just continues to live on in this town.

We ate at Murphy’s Pub, loving the atmosphere. A small dog followed the owner around inside, eventually making the roads and sitting next to me by the table like we were old friends. A fire roared on against one side of the pub as many different internationals jabbered on in one language or another.

Music doesn’t start in Ireland until after 9:30 or sometimes even 10:30, which i guess makes sense since that’s when the drinking crowd is in full swing and they want to make sure the music is paid for. The downside? After dinner we went back to the B&B to read a bit before heading back for some music…but we fell asleep. Again. We have yet to hear any live music, so we’re determined to achieve that goal tonight (It’s clear i’m writing this on Friday, the day after. One of the downsides to falling asleep before you intend to.).

In the end, a great freakin’ day.