Day 7

Blarney Castle - the gift of Eloquence

On our final day, we drove up to Blarney Castle (An Bhlárna in Irish). Of course I knew about this castle, because it is dicussed in "The story of English", the book we read as part of the course at the HRO. Although it was drizzling the whole morning, we climbed the stairs and kissed the famous stone and walked around in the park surrounding the castle.

This excursion concluded our trip to Ireland. We really enjoyed it and hope to come back some day.

Some info on the castle's history: (source: http://www.blarneycastle.ie/)

Blarney Castle was built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy, and has been attracting attention beyond Munster ever since. Not all of that has been welcome, as Good Queen Bess and Oliver Cromwell could testify. But over the last few hundred years, millions have flocked to Blarney, making it a world landmark and one of Ireland’s greatest treasures.
Now that might have something to do with the Blarney Stone, the legendary Stone of Eloquence, found at the top of our Tower. Kiss it and you’ll never again be lost for words. But don’t take our word for it – everyone from Sir Walter Scott to a host of American presidents, world leaders, and international entertainers has been eager to take advantage.
If people come for the Stone, many stay for the mystical and beautiful Rock Close and gardens. Time has its own rules here. So settle down and spend some of that time with us.

Day 6

Today we stayed in the surroundings of Killarney. We hiked through the hills (luckily we wore gore-tex boots, because it was soaking wet after the rain) and we visited an old graveyard. This scenic site has original cross markers and offers a lovely view over the lake.

We also took a guided tour along some original Irish farmhouses. In advance, we feared that the tour would be boring, but it turned out to be educational and fun. In every farmhouse, there were locals in costume fulfulling every day tasks like baking bread, churning butter and taking care of the animals. The "tenants" were chatty and some told us stories about their own past on farms.


This is the info from their website:
Traditional Farms at Muckross House
Muckross Traditional Farms
The National Park
Killarney, Co. Kerry
Tel: +353 64 3 1440
http://www.muckross-house.ie/
Set on several acres in the hills overlooking Muckross House is a model working farm recreating Irish life in the 1930s and 40s. Actors are busy about their chores and you may find yourself enlisted to knead bread or milk a cow. Traditional farming methods are employed throughout the complex. Depending on the time of year, you can witness traditional thrashing, ploughing, or making hay. All of the usual farm animals can be found, seemingly oblivious to the visitors. Children are often invited to offer the livestock tidbits and join in farming activities.


Here is some info on farming nowadays in Ireland. (source: http://www.ireland-information.com/reference/geog.html#AGR)


AgricultureFarms and enclosed fields dominate the Irish landscape. Two-thirds of the surface area is improved agricultural land and much of the remainder is used by farmers as rough grazing for cattle and sheep. Almost all the land is owned by the farmers who work it, the former defective tenancy system as was replaced by owner-occupancy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Farms of small and medium size predominate, over half the holdings being 10-40 hectares. Farm size decreases westwards and northwards and poorer land quality in the west adds to the agricultural difficulties of the area. Although the role of agriculture diminishes as the Economy develops, it is still a major source of income, export earnings and employment. Farm products contribute about 20 per cent of the total value of exports and agriculture's share of employment is 14 per cent (7 per cent in Northern Ireland). The agricultural labour force has halved over the last twenty-five years but the welfare of the farming community has increased, aided since 1973 by the market outlets and financial support of the EU. Irish agriculture is predominantly mixed pastoral farming with some subsidiary arable cropping. The mild, moist climate and the soils are more suitable for the growth of grass than for arable crops. Livestock farming has been further favoured by the large market demand for its products in Britain and continental Europe. Livestock products account for more than four-fifths of the value of agricultural output. Dairying is most important in the south-west and in the north and, apart from urban supply from areas near cities, most of the milk is processed. The beef cattle industry is widespread: the emphasis in the west on rearing young stock, whereas on the better land and the larger farms of midland and eastern areas it is more on fattening. Sheep are of greatest significance in the upland environment and in a traditional sheep area on the dry limestone land of south Connacht. The horse-breeding industry is most concentrated in north Leinster with many stud farms around the Curragh in County Kildare. Pig and poultry production was traditionally associated with the small- farm, dairying areas of Ulster and to a lesser extent with Munster but modern production units have been established in other places also. Tillage occupies one-tenth of the agricultural land, the main crops being barley, wheat, oats, potatoes and sugar beet. They are mainly on the lighter soils in the drier and sunnier east of the country, though oats and potatoes are better able to tolerate conditions in the west.

Day 5

Following our peninsula route, we decided to save the best for last! So, the ring of Kerry was to be visited last. However, the famous Irish rain kicked in and we were left with misty views over grey bays and wet sheep. We managed to get some good shots of animals and luckily remembered to take a picture of the roads signs in English and Gaelic.

The Ring of Kerry is part of the mystical & unspoilt region of Ireland that has attracted visitors for hundreds of years. Its spectacular beauty is beyond question and it is a natural centre for outdoor pursuits including golf, watersports, cycling, walking, riding and the very best fishing for salmon & trout. The Ring of Kerry has some of the finest beaches in Europe that provide all the facilities for a traditional seaside holiday. Above all the Ring of Kerry provides an amazing insight into the ancient heritage of Ireland - see the Iron Age Forts & Ogham Stones, Old Monasteries and a landscape carved out of rock by the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.

Ogham Stones:
Ogham Stones: Ogham was the earliest system of writing to appear in Ireland. The language used was an early form of Irish but was script based on the Roman alphabet. The letters represented by sets of strokes cut across or on either side of a vertical stem line formed by the edge or corner of a standing stone. There is a very good example of these stones between Beaufort village and the Gap of Dunloe on the left hand side.

day 4

Beara peninsula, the most southern of the three peninsula was our next destination.

We drove around and saw many, many sheep and lots of green hills. We also made it to Dursey Head, where the only cable-car in Western Europe is. This sounds a lot more promising then it actually was!

The cable car only crosses the water once every three hours and it looks antique, but not in a positive way. We decided to move on and to leave this experience for what it is. To prove that we were actually there, see the picture above.

In the afternoon we stopped at a typical irish pub to have tea with scones. It looked as if the shop front had come directly out of a Harry Potter movie. (see pic above)

The Beara Peninsula, situated in the most South-Western tip of Ireland, have numerous places of historical interest to visit.
The Ring of Beara is a scenic driving coastal route, where visitors to the Beara Peninsula can start their journey of discovery. The finger like peninsula that projects into the Atlantic Sea stretches from Glengarriff to Dursey and from Dursey to Kenmare, encompassing picturespue villages and towns, enchanting Islands, unspoilt and unique scenery and historical antiquities. The Ring of Beara is a must for any visitor to the area.
It also hosts a 197 km Beara Way Walking Route which is very popular with hikers and walkers as there are both long and short routes with a large concentration on the archaeological and historical sites of the area.
The site of the Final European Sunset of the Millennium can be found at Dursey which also boasts of having the only Cable-Car in Western Europe to cross water to Dursey Island, which is a Wild Bird Sanctuary.
Castletownbere, the 'capital' of Beara is the largest white-fish port in Ireland and seafood is abundantly available in the local hostelries, pubs, hotel and restaurants daily.
There is a fully serviced Marina in Bere Island which is also the home of the Irish Best Seafood Restaurant of the Year as well as a Martello Tower and Lighthouse.

(source: http://www.bearainfo.com/)

Day 3

Discovering the scenery of peninsula number 1 was next on our list. We drove around the most northern peninsula (slieve mish) and enjoyed the astouning views over Dingle bay.


The Dingle Peninsula / Corca Dhuibhne is a unique storehouse of Irish cultural heritage. Until recently, the peninsula was remote from the influences of the modern world, and this meant that the language and traditions of the area have survived intact to a greater degree than in most of Ireland.

Language
Much of the peninsula is a Gaeltacht or an area where the Irish language (Gaelige or Gaelainn) is widely spoken in home, workplace or school. In the early summer, many school students from other parts of Ireland stay for week-long Colaistí Samhraidh or Summer Language Colleges, staying in the homes of local people and participating in a rich programme of events. A number of courses for adults (daoine fásta) to learn, improve or just use Irish take place throughout the year.

Archaeology
The Dingle Peninsula is rich in archaeological sites: impressive Bronze Age standing stones, Iron Age promontory forts and early Christian monastic sites lie side by side with medieval ring forts and seventeenth century towerhouses. The visitor will come across these monuments as they make their way around Corca Dhuibhne on foot or by car or bicycle. Guided tours of the area's sites are available, and the history of the area can be explored at local museums
(source: http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/culture.html)


We saw an impressive example of this; a site where the stones were put up in a circle. It used to be a shelter for small communities to protect them from the weather and possibly to invaders. (see one of the pictures)

The next day we visited Killarney National Park (Irish: Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne), only a few miles from our cottage. We had perfect weather and were able to take some beautiful shots of Muckross house. This is a magnificent Victorian mansion completed in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert. It is the last in a series of large houses constructed by the Herbert family on their lands at Muckross. The location of the House is spectacular, close to the eastern shore of Muckross Lake and set beneath the impressive backdrop of Torc and Mangerton Mountains.



We also did a hike in the national part itself. Back at our cottage we treated ourselves to a hot chocolate near the fire place.

Ireland

I visited Ireland in October 2006. We had booked a fly and drive. We flew from Schiphol to Cork and picked up our car at the airport. Our package included an Irish cottage near Killarney Lake. (visit this website to get an idea of the beautiful scenery: http://homepage.eircom.net/~knp/ )Driving in our hired car, we were immediately impressed by the landscape; green meadows, green hills and blue skies (yes, no rain!).

We were welcomed in a friendly way by our Irish host. We did our best to understand him.