Kinsale to Kenmare

We arrived in Kinsale yesterday evening, drove through the town on roads so narrow that we could touch the people on the sidewalks, hunted desperately for a place to park, and finally found our guest house, only to find that there was nobody to let us in!  Oh no!  We found a note, but the problem was that our phones did not work.  Denise went across the street to a restaurant and called, and eventually someone came to let us in.  Tierney's Guesthouse was very clean, but had tiny rooms.  The beds were the worst we had slept on, but the showers were the BEST!    Probably our least favorite place so far.  But the location was perfect, and we loved our breakfast next door at the Lemon Leaf Cafe!  And because we didn't come to Ireland to stay in our rooms, it didn't matter at all!





We settled into our rooms last night, then walked through the town to find a place to eat, finally deciding on fish and chips from Dino's!  The food was delicious, and the view was the BEST!

This morning we explored this beautiful coastal town a bit, then headed toward the water.  We walked up a road overlooking the harbor and town.  It was SO very quite and peaceful, and once again, we didn't want to leave.

So many charming homes!

Mizen Head

We left Kinsale and made our way to the Wild Atlantic Way, and some of the most beautiful scenery EVER.  We pulled over on the side of the road to look at the map, and a woman came over to the car and asked if we were lost.  WE WEREN'T--just getting our bearings.  But she encouraged us to travel to Mizen Head, the most southern part of Ireland, and we decided to follow her advice.  And we are SO glad that we did.

We had been waiting to see sheep since we arrived in Ireland, and couldn't resist pulling over to take pictures.  We didn't know at this point just how many we would see during our two weeks in Ireland.

We visited the Mizen Head Signal Station, which was erected in 1906 to help prevent shipwrecks on the rocks.  The station was manned by three keepers until 1993, when it became automated and a visitor attraction was created.  We walked down a long path along the cliffs, and then crossed a bridge to get to the station.  Scary!  (But not as scary as Carrick-a-Rede!)

One of the gorgeous views from the path leading to the signal station

We left Mizen Head and traveled on the Wild Atlantic Way towards Kenmore, the next place that we would spend the night.  We were not expecting the curvy mountain roads, nor the breathtaking scenery.  We stopped at Molly's Old Tea Room (Molly Gallivan's Cottage and Traditional Farm) and met the nicest man.  He answered our many questions, pointed out his home-place across the valley, and sold Art a GREAT hat!

Planning a trip to Ireland?  Stop here!

He asked where we were headed, and when we told him that we were going to Kenmare and spending the night at the Lissyclearig Thatch Cottage, he laughed and said that he would give the owners a call and let them know that we were on our way.   It just so happened that they were friends of his!  He was able to give us excellent directions, and we were on our way!

Lissyclearig Thatch Cottage

The Thatch Cottage was by far our favorite place to stay at this point in our journey.  It was charming--so many wonderful details!  The cottage was built by the owner himself, and had beautiful window boxes, flower gardens, hand-made furniture, and such friendly hosts.

The view from our bedroom window

This was may favorite day so far!

Kilkenny

After a great first day with our rental car, we arrived in Kilkenny yesterday in time to find our bed and breakfast, O'Malley's, and walk around the town for a little.  We ended the day with a warm cup of coffee in a beautiful historic pub,  had a good night's rest, and then set out to explore beautiful Kilkenny.

O'Malley's Bed and Breakfast was in a great location, the owner/hostess was wonderful, the rooms were attractive and comfortable, and the breakfast was delicious.

Kilkenny Castle

Our first stop this morning was Kilkenny Castle.   It was built in the 1200s, but has been remodeled over the years until the 1930s when the last family members lived there.  We were fascinated, because we were in a real castle, and because it was not crowded.  We were probably four of only about twenty people there, and we were free to roam from room to room.

The Black Abbey

From Kilkenny Castle we walked to the Black Abbey.  It was was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland, and it is steeped in Irish history.  Its name probably comes from the black cloaks worn by the friars.

 St. Canice's Cathedral

Next, we walked to the Cathedral, and were disappointed to find it closed for lunch.  Although we wanted to wait around for it to open, we knew that if we did we would not make it to our next destination.  As with everywhere we had visited so far, we wished we had more time.   St. Canice's was founded in the 6th century, and worship has taken place here for over 800 years. The Cathedral was certainly impressive from the outside, but oh how I wish we could have gone inside!

We walked back through the quaint medieval town to our car, and reluctantly traveled on.  And Art entertained us--as usual!

Rock of Cashel

We traveled to Cashel, enjoying the BEAUTIFUL scenery, and ate lunch at a little cafe when we arrived.  Much to our surprise, our server gave us vouchers for free admission to the castle.  We were thrilled, because as it turns out, it was SO COLD at the castle that it was difficult to remain there.  The castle is a ruin, under renovation, and sits on top of a hill with amazing views.  I'm very glad we went, but even more happy that we didn't have to pay for the experience!

We left Cashel, on the narrowest roads yet,

and headed towards the coastal town of Kinsale. 

We are loving every single thing about Ireland!

Glendalough

 Driving on the Wrong (I mean LEFT) Side of the Road

We began the morning at our favorite little breakfast cafe.  Mine, Tim's and Art's food had been delivered, but Denise's muffin had not.  She saw a server trying to deliver it to different tables, so she got up to tell her where the muffin belonged.  As she neared the counter, she heard the girl at the counter say, "No no.  It's for the old people's table."  Ha ha ha ha!!!!  But when we looked around, we realized that we were the "old people".  Everyone else in the cafe was in their 20s!

So after this entertaining breakfast, we headed to the airport to get our rental car.  We chose Dan Dooley because the reviews said that there were no hidden fees.  We also purchased the maximum insurance available, because we had read that the chances of returning the car unharmed were pretty slim!  However, the people who advised that just didn't know our fabulous drivers!  Tim and Art were amazing!!  Art drove first, and we headed to the Wicklow Mountains.


Glendalough

Glendalough is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, and is the home of an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century.  So different from Dublin, and we were fascinated.

After exploring the settlement, we walked around the beautiful lakes of Glendalough.

And it HAILED four times!  (At least I think it was hail.  Could it have been sleet?)

We reluctantly left Glendalough to travel to Kilkenny, and got hopelessly lost, even with our rental car's GPS.  We saw a man with a truck working on a little gravel road, pulled over and asked for directions, but he wasn't local and couldn't really help us.  We gave him two snack-size Baby Ruth bars for his trouble, and left him laughing.  A little further up the road, a man pulled up beside us and asked if we were lost.  Evidently we looked lost!  When we told him where we wanted to go, he laughed.

Have you ever heard that expression

"you can't get there from here"?

He said, "Follow me!" and led us for miles and miles to get us back on track.  Then he recommended a good place to eat, and we were on our way. 

(See that little sticker on the dashboard at the bottom of the picture?  It's a reminder to drive on the left!)

Before we came to Ireland,

we read about how friendly the Irish people are, 

and we certainly found it to be true today!