Started the day at 9 am and promptly stopped for Irish Coffee and shopping at Macken of Ireland, Fossa, Killarney, where I found some T-shirts for grand-children and grand-nieces and nephews. Then, as the clouds gathered, we took a quick group photo.
The early morning was the driest part of the day. As we started on the road, an Atlantic front came roaring in and quickly covered Ireland with fog, mist, drizzle, rain and cold. So, the “Misty Isle” lived up to its name. Our planned scenic tour of the Ring of Kerry turned into a splashy, foggy trip.
Along the way, Guide Maria Burke told us how Ireland for many years heated its homes with peat by mining it from bogs as long bricks, left to dry in the open fields, and then — in the old days — sold from house to house by vendors from donkeys. An entrepreneurial County Kerry man, his donkeys and dog, this day provided photo ops for passing tourists who eagerly jumped out into the rain to take pictures.
The Ring of Kerry was supposed to be next, and we did drive along the usually picturesque, bumpy, road, hoping for a break in the mist and rain but that did not happen. So, back to the hotel. I had time to attend Mass at the great Cathedral of Killarney. August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption, a Roman Catholic Holy Day. The drizzle stopped long enough for a brisk 10 minute walk to the Cathedral from the Hotel for the 6:15 pm Mass. Following Mass we were able to finish the day with a hearty meal of roast beef and potatoes, and a toast to the Pope — for the Catholics among us — at the Killarney Towers Hotel restaurant, and a restful night.
