The Dingle Farmhouse

Yesterday we traveled on the Dingle Peninsula on our way to our next accommodation.  We had read that while the Ring of Kerry is the most popular tourist destination, the Dingle Peninsula is just as beautiful and not nearly as crowded.  I cannot vouch for that, because the only part of the Ring of Kerry we explored was the part through Killarney National Park (which was breathtakingly beautiful!), but I can tell you that Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula did not disappoint!!

So very beautiful.

After traveling over some of the most beautiful, narrow roads ever, we arrived at The Dunbeg Farmhouse, or Jack's House, on the tip of the Dingle Peninsula.  We had looked forward to this since we started planning our trip.  OH MY GOODNESS!  We were not disappointed.

The house is located in the village of Ventry.  It overlooks the water, and sheep graze on the hill between the house and the water. 

Our view!

Although our hostess, Mary, had a coal fire burning when we arrived, the house was really cold.  She left enough coal for maybe one more fire, and when we had used that, we bought more at a store in Dingle Town.  (Turns out they sell coal in the grocery store!)   In what I thought was an unusual arrangement, our hostess read the electric meter, and when we left we paid for the electricity we had used.  The house did have electric heat in addition to the fireplace, but we never really did warm up.   It was very cozy sitting by the fire wrapped in blanket/throws, and we very much enjoyed our evenings here!

Sure did enjoy our cold evenings by the fire!

We slept warm, and woke up this morning so thrilled to be in this farmhouse by the sea!

One of our neighbors - it was lambing season!

The yellow building is our house - the kitchen to be exact - and the stone building is the barn out back.

Tim and Art on the road in front of our house

Tim learned how to use the coffee machine!  Mary, our hostess, left fruit, bread, and marmalade for us.  We set out to explore after our delicious breakfast of toast and lattes!

 Can't wait to come back to our farmhouse tonight!

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!

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!