Wednesday – Third Day – 14-AUG-2013

  • Left hotel on time, on the way to visit a sheep breeding farm whose owners like to tell how a working sheep farm works, debunk myths about today’s sheep farm in Ireland and share their secret about how to make the best scone in all Ireland. ImageImage
  • We passed through Galloway where “Galloway Hookers” are brewed by a micro-brewery — just to be sure, that’s a BEER and incidentally also a type of Irish boat, so stop thinking what you thought Galloway Hookers were!
  • Next, our attempt to view the breathtaking Cliffs of Maher didn’t come to much due to a persistent drizzle and fog.    Image
  • So you can see what I WOULD HAVE seen, I took this picture of the official National Parks photo of the cliffs as displayed on the wall at the visitor’s center.  Couldn’t have done better myself.Image
  • Ireland has a lot of historic castle ruins, some dating back to the 12th century.  They sit in open fields exactly where they have existed since Vikings, Danes, Normans, Anglo Saxons, etc., built them.  ImageImage
  • On the way, we also passed “Spanish Point” from where the Spanish Armada gathered and then departed on its fateful — and tragic — voyage which encountered gale force winds destroying ships and drowning many a Spanish sailor.  Those who survived, it is said, swam back to shore, married Irish/Celtic women and thus engendered what some call the “Black Irish.”
  • We crossed the Shannon River estuary, landing on the shores of County Kerry (colors, Green and Yellow) and finally reached our destination in the Southwestern city, Killarney.  After a brief rest we set off for Molly Darcy’s Pub for Guinness and Galloway Hookers (look at my definition, earlier in this blog!), a tasty dinner and excellent musical and dancing entertainment.