Weather-wise, Wednesday was our worst day. It had rained overnight (as usual) and was just misting as left the B&B. We got to our destination, Muckross House, and as we were walking to the entrance we were asked if we wanted to go on a jaunting cart ride. Of course we had to ask what that was and it’s basically a small two-wheeled cart pulled behind a horse. Though when we looked at it we realized it was the same type of cart that Mr. Steele & Miss Holt had appropriated from Mrs. Armdale in Steele Your Heart Away when Mr. Steele got knocked off the seat, fell back into the cart and finally got the good klonk on the head that Mildred had wanted to give him earlier in the episode. The driver looked like a youthful Pierce Brosnan, the horse looked like an old Xanadu and they took us up to see the waterfall on the property and gave us a good overview of what we were seeing along with a brief history of the grounds. The property was beautifully tranquil, natural lake views and formal gardens showcasing the masterful blending of planned and organic landscapes, a rare treasure we would have loved to explore more thoroughly.By the time the jaunting cart tour was done it was raining steadily so it was time to tour the house. The house was built in the 1840s and has 65 rooms. In 1855 the owners were given 6 years’ notice that Queen Victoria would be visiting. The advance notice was so they could get the estate up to royal standards. The queen visited for two nights. The money spent preparing the estate was so substantial that it virtually bankrupted the owners who eventually had to sell the property. The final owners received the estate as a wedding gift from the bride’s father and when the bride died at a young age, her husband and her parents donated the estate to the country. It became the majority of what is now the 25,000 acre Killarney National Park.
Ireland has a number of peninsulas, one of the more famous being The Ring of Kerry. When we were planning our route we were wary that drive might be more populated than we wanted so we opted for the also-scenic-but-much-less-crowded Dingle peninsula. Yes, yes, laugh away, we chose to ride the Dingle, drive the Dingle, wingle the Dingle. OK, we made that last one up. The further we drove towards the coast, the sunnier it got; well, sunnier for Ireland. That means alternating sun & clouds but mostly sunny. It’s also where we turned off National roads and on to Regional roads. That means a narrower paved area and essentially no shoulder. The small car suddenly felt fat and very hippy maneuvering through this curvy and hilly terrain.
We got into Dingle town and it was a picture postcard. Brightly painted shops lined the streets and brightly colored boats dotted the harbor. With all the mist and fog at this seaside town, the vibrant colors were a beacon of defiance. If the sun doesn’t shine enough here, the town of Dingle will provide it. This haven of artists is fiercely proud of all things Irish, particularly the Gaelic language. All signs are only allowed in Gaelic, unlike the rest of Ireland which use both English and Gaelic on signs.
We stopped to visit the Fungie the dolphin statute and walk along the pier to enjoy a well timed burst of sunshine. Auburn walked too close to a light pole where a seagull was perched and was very nearly hit with a messy surprise. Fortunately the bird’s aim was not quite good enough or it would have been time for unscheduled souvenir shopping excursion.
After checking with the tourist bureau we decided to drive along the peninsula and hopefully make the full loop. But shortly after we started our drive we stopped at the Famine Cottage and the Beehive Hut which were examples of mortar-less buildings where farm families lived and stored their goods just before and during the Great (Potato) Famine of the 19th century. The total population of Ireland fell by 2 million people in five years. One million emigrated and another million died. The Southwestern region of Ireland was particularly hit hard by this horrific event. Some estimates had it losing 40% of the population.
Our stop put us behind enough that we realized we wouldn’t have the chance to make the entire loop and still make it to our next B&B for check-in. So we drove down near the end of the peninsula where the wind was just whipping around but the views of the coast were amazing and had our photo op. But the drive between the Famine Cottage and the end of the peninsula was not an easy one. This was by far the most terrifying road we’d traveled. It was virtually one lane with a few wider spots. Had we come upon traffic driving the other way one of us would have had to back up to let the other car pass. We did have a scary moment when we rounded a bend and found a sheep standing outside the stone wall, though fortunately not on the roadway. Had she been there we’d have had fresh mutton for dinner that night. Holy Sheep Batman! Speaking of sheep, there are millions of them in Ireland. During the drive, Auburn noticed what appeared to be blue, red, yellow, green and rainbow colored sheep grazing in the pastures. Mickey explained that in mating season the ranchers attached colored chalk bags to the male rams to identify the lineage of the baby lambs.
We eventually made it back to a national highway (which seemed much wider now, practically first class) and drove toward Tralee. As we passed through one small town Auburn did a masterful job of slamming on the brakes in the rain yet keeping perfect control of the car and then backing up just so we could take this photo.
However, one Palermo walked out of the bar with nary a wobble in her walk nor stain on her shirt. But the other, adorned in all colors of the rainbow, was given a group escort to the car.
We arrived at our B&B in Tralee just a few minutes past midnight, oops we mean the requested 6 pm check in. We unloaded our bags and set out in search of dinner or at least snacks. While we found a very smoky bar and several carry out restaurants that didn’t look appetizing, we had a hard time finding a place to eat without health concerns. After abandoning our hosts’ advice not to leave town, we finally came upon a restaurant in the next town. They actually had really good food (and Wi-Fi!). It was very late before we got back to the B&B for a well deserved night’s sleep.
