Killarney National Park

This morning we left the lovely Thatch Cottage, and decided to drive into the town of Kenmare to see the Kenmare Stone Circle we had read about.  We each deposited 2 euro into the "honesty box" and walked back to the circle of stones.  This one is supposedly unique because it is egg-shaped instead of round.  Stone circles were built during the bronze age (2,200 - 500 BC), and were used for ritual and ceremonial purposes.  I'm sure we just don't understand the subtleties, but we just weren't impressed.

We left Kenmare and traveled on a portion of the Ring of Kerry towards the Killarney National Park through the most beautiful mountain range, pulling over whenever we could to enjoy the views - and take pictures of course.

We were excited to see snow on the mountain tops in the distance!

This is what we dreamed of when planning our trip.

The Lakes of Killarney, as seen from The Ladies View.  This overlook supposedly got it name because Queen Victori'as ladies-in-waiting were so awed by the view during their visit in 1861.

We entered the Killarney National Park, and our first stop was the Torc Waterfall.  Such a beautiful (short) walk to the falls.  We were fascinated by the beautiful green moss everywhere.  AND we encountered another hail storm!

 

Next stop - Muckross House.  We had planned to tour the house, but the next guided tour (no self-guided walk-throughs allowed) was an hour later.  We decided instead to walk down to the lake and through the arboretum and stream garden.  SO BEAUTIFUL!  There just never seems to be enough time!

From the gardens, we drove to Muckross Abbey.  This was our favorite thing!  The Abbey is an ancient Irish Monastery, and also a graveyard.   It dates back to the beginnings of Christianity in Ireland, with the first monastery supposedly having been built in the 6th century.  The buildings there now are ruins of a Franciscan friary that was founded in the 15th century.  The monks of Muckross Abbey were driven out in the 1650s by the infamous Cromwell in his efforts to rid Ireland of Catholicism.   The graveyard next to the abbey is still used as a burial ground.

We left Killarney National Park and drove towards our next accommodations on the Dingle Peninsula.  We did not have nearly enough time in the park, and would definitely come back should we ever find ourselves in Ireland again. 

And I'm thinking that's a good possibility!