We left Killarney and drove north to Limerick, home of the eponymous rhymes ("There was man from Nantucket...") and the setting, I believe, for Frank McCourt's
Angela's Ashes. As usual, we were put off by the traffic and bustle so decided to pass through, stopping only for a few photos of King John's Castle (1212).
Instead we made for Knappogue Castle and Walled Garden (1467), a favoured destination of mine ever since trying the Knappogue Castle whiskey at
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. It's a good example of a medieval tower house, with a long and varied history, from a battlefield to a dwelling place. It changed hands a number of times over the years, in MacNamara hands throughout the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, then confiscated by Oliver Cromwell, subsequently returned to the MacNamara Clan, sold to the Scotts in 1800, then Lord Dunboyne in 1855. During the War of Independence, Clare County Council held their meetings at Knappogue Castle where they were guarded by the East Clare Flying Column. In the 1920s, Knappogue passed into the hands of a local farmer and fell into disrepair. It was purchased by a Texan in 1966 and extensively restored.
They now hold medieval costume banquets, and have a great hall for the occasion:
Some interior shots:
This is my attempt at a 'ghost' photo. I used a long exposure, and got Terry to walk briskly past the fireplace. Spooky!
An old bottle of the good stuff!
In the Walled Garden:
Stopped in Quin to see the ruined Franciscan abbey. Originally founded 1433, the abbey was built on the foundations of an earlier castle owned by the Norman de Clare family. Although mostly ruined, the structure of the abbey has been preserved and the foundations of its corner towers can still be seen.
Drove to Ennis (which Anna liked to pronounce as Eee-nis, instead of Eye-nis), a contraction of Inis Cluain Ramh Fhada ("Long Rowing Meadow Island"). Not much to see, but I did manage to find and buy a bottle of KC whikey. Success at last!
Followed the coast again to the 200m-high Cliffs of Moher, a heavily touristed stop, drawing almost one million visitors in 2006. An impressive site, but we preferred
the kilt cliffs in Scotland. I was, however, pleased to learn that these were filmed as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in
The Princess Bride.
The vistor center was worth noting, as it's all underground like a Hobbit home!
Rest of the day was spent in the car, passing through Ireland’s premier spa town of Lisdoonvarna, the bare limestone hills of the Burren, before arriving in Galway, where tradition holds that Columbus prayed before sailing to America.
Galway, a nice quite harbour...
And a great place to get a pint!
Genuine live Irish music, as performed by French, Scandinavian and American people (or so I discovered when I had a chat with them afterwards).
Kylemore Abbey, nestled in the beautiful Connemara national park:
We stayed in a lovely B&B in Westport, out in the countryside. I had a rather pleasant stroll around the block, got lost for a while, then had to start running because it was getting dark and starting to rain. Still I managed to say hello to some horses and eat some wild blackberries.
Instead we made for Knappogue Castle and Walled Garden (1467), a favoured destination of mine ever since trying the Knappogue Castle whiskey at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. It's a good example of a medieval tower house, with a long and varied history, from a battlefield to a dwelling place. It changed hands a number of times over the years, in MacNamara hands throughout the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, then confiscated by Oliver Cromwell, subsequently returned to the MacNamara Clan, sold to the Scotts in 1800, then Lord Dunboyne in 1855. During the War of Independence, Clare County Council held their meetings at Knappogue Castle where they were guarded by the East Clare Flying Column. In the 1920s, Knappogue passed into the hands of a local farmer and fell into disrepair. It was purchased by a Texan in 1966 and extensively restored.
They now hold medieval costume banquets, and have a great hall for the occasion:
Some interior shots:
This is my attempt at a 'ghost' photo. I used a long exposure, and got Terry to walk briskly past the fireplace. Spooky!
An old bottle of the good stuff!
In the Walled Garden:
Stopped in Quin to see the ruined Franciscan abbey. Originally founded 1433, the abbey was built on the foundations of an earlier castle owned by the Norman de Clare family. Although mostly ruined, the structure of the abbey has been preserved and the foundations of its corner towers can still be seen.
Drove to Ennis (which Anna liked to pronounce as Eee-nis, instead of Eye-nis), a contraction of Inis Cluain Ramh Fhada ("Long Rowing Meadow Island"). Not much to see, but I did manage to find and buy a bottle of KC whikey. Success at last!
The vistor center was worth noting, as it's all underground like a Hobbit home!
Rest of the day was spent in the car, passing through Ireland’s premier spa town of Lisdoonvarna, the bare limestone hills of the Burren, before arriving in Galway, where tradition holds that Columbus prayed before sailing to America.
Galway, a nice quite harbour...
And a great place to get a pint!
Genuine live Irish music, as performed by French, Scandinavian and American people (or so I discovered when I had a chat with them afterwards).
Anway, the ramparts overhang the side of the castle, and there is a narrow gap all the way around. The stone is on the over-hanging part, and has to be kissed upside-down. As a kid, I always found this extremely difficult to imagine, but it all becomes clear in person. Basically you lie on your back, then tilt your head backwards to kiss the stone. Only you have to reach it over a large gap. Nowadays there's someone to help you, and there are safety bars, but in the old days I expect you just had to hold onto some side rails and hope for the best. I'm sure Mum and Lisa will love giving this one a go one day...
From underneath:
Great views from up top!
The castle itself is quite interesting and worth a look over, and there are extensive grounds with many note-worthy features, such as the Rock Close - natural rock formations such as a Dolmen, Druid's Circle, a Witch and the Wishing Steps. There is also a newer mansion called Blarney House (imagine that!) built in Scottish baronial style in 1874.
There were millions big of big oarsmen bugs on all the ponds...
The rest of the day was spent navigating the Ring of Kerry, a beautiful coastal route around the Iveragh Peninsula. We passed the mountainous Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and Carrauntoohil, stopping in Macroom (crummy) and Kenmare, and also on the road in several places due to roadworks. These pics are from Macroom:
I also pulled over to take a photo of a beautiful Lough, where we met a salty old fisherman. Unfortunately we just missed a mama otter and her babies. Aww...
We also stopped in Waterville to see the Charlie Chaplin statue. Somewhat random, but apprently he visited there himself once.
Peat cutting field:
We stayed the night in Killarney (Irish: Cill Airne, meaning "The church of the sloe"), County Kerry. A nice enough, but not amazing, place. We wandered about a bit, saw the Franciscan friary, some big old statue of Jesus, and bought some decidedly sub-par fish and chips for tea (with a few cans of Guinness to wash it down).
