I awoke early the next morning and made the walk across Dublin to the car rental agency. We would be renting several cars to make the drive to Killarney for the next few nights. I arrived and received my car, driving back to the AirBnB to retrieve the family. When we returned, the rest of the family was waiting for larger vehicles, since the rental agency considered the Opel Zafira large enough for 6 adults with luggage. The group ended up renting an additional car, and off we headed for Killarney.
The trip was uneventful for the first half. I took a detour with Harry to see some more of the Irish countryside before returning to the group, and we all arrived safely at the Rock of Cashel for a sightseeing break. We walked around the chapel and cathedral for a bit before grabbing a spot of grass outside to enjoy the view and let the kids play a bit. Joe and Cade picked up a few friends as they tossed a water bottle back and forth.
We grabbed a bite to eat at Ladyswell Restaurant before making a quick stop at the ruins of Hore Abbey. We jumped back on the M8 for a bit before hitting the narrower, winding secondary roads to take us into Killarney. We were about 15 minutes out before Greene had to make her customary roadside visit and leave a little part of herself in Ireland. Trying to keep up with Dad on those roads almost got to me, too.
We arrived at the inn and got all of the luggage unloaded. We had a few minutes to rest before heading out to the Beaufort Bar and Restaurant for some pretty good ole grub. The long day caught up with us all and we headed back to rest up for the next day’s adventure.
And what an adventure it was. We drove out to Ross Castle to park the cars and jump on a bus. The bus drove us around to the Gap of Dunloe. We exited the bus and looked for some coffee, but we were too early for most of the shops in the area. We walked up to the group of trap drivers and began sorting ourselves out by fours in order to minimize the load in each trap. The pony-and-trap ride through the gap was one of the most beautiful routes we have visited. We got out to walk a few times, partly to ease the load on the pony, but mostly just to slow down the trip and soak in the views. Our driver (and most of the other drivers) lived in the gap and made his living this way. He left Ireland for a bit, but said he was always drawn back to the gap. He was the storybook Irishman, and kept us laughing and flattered the entire trip.
We reached the other side of the gap and lit at Upper Lake for a boat trip through the heart of Killarney National Park back to Ross Castle. While we waited to depart, we grabbed lunch at Lord Brandon’s Cottage and did a bit of hiking around the lake. When the boats arrived, we made a short hike through some soggy wetlands and split into two boats. The views were once again magnificent as we slowly made our way across the lake. We had to offload and hike through part of the trip, since the water was at a low level. We climbed on another boat and finished the trip back to the castle. A few of us took the tour of Ross Castle, a restored tower house. We finished the day strolling around Killarney and eating at the Porterhouse before returning to the bed and breakfast to spend some time together before we left the following morning.
From Tennessee To Texas to Saudi Arabia 