ring of beara?

Another exciting day for this half of the Mulligan clan!

 

We headed out of Cork today and drove two hours to Kenmare, right near the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara. The drive in and of itself was an amazing part of the trip. It’s just rolling hills of green pastures, shocking coastlines, and grazing cattle everywhere.

 

We’re staying at another bed and breakfast, Abbey Court.(This is definitely bed and breakfast territory, you don’t see a lot of hotel chains.)  It’s smaller than our first place, but we’re staying in an apartment above their garage so we have a lot more space. It’s a kind of far walk to the downtown area, but very charming. Kenmare is much smaller than Cork but extremely charming. It’s located right in the foothills of this mountainous region, and colored flat-faced buildings line the narrow roads.

 

We checked in and headed right out to the Ring of Beara. Much smaller than the Ring of Kerry, it’s a peninsula full of mountains highly populated by sheep, rams, and cows. The roads all follow high cliffs overlooking rocky coast and green valleys. The camera does not to do it justice. I don’t even know what to compare it to. The roads were extremely windy and there were small cottages littered across the otherwise desolate and undeveloped land. It went on for hours and hours and each bend in the road brought more spectacular views. We stopped in the small village of Ardgroom for lunch. It was so quaint and small, located on the foothill of a mountain and overlooking the coast, I got the shivers. I felt like I was in the beginning of House of Wax. I was convinced the Inn we went for lunch was drugging our food and we were going to be the next version of Touristas, our organs up for sale on the black market. But, the town was just stunning. The people we did see were so kind, sheep dogs wandered the streets, and tourists ventured down the sidewalks. We had a traditional Irish lunch, with my mom enjoying an Irish stew and Ryan a fresh seafood platter. However, much to our American dismay, the Inn did not accept credit cards. In desperation, we offered to drop off money tomorrow. Apparently, we just scream tourists when we go places.

 

We also stopped in the village of Eyeries, another picturesque town in the foothills. It was crazy to see how hours into the peninsula, there were still populated amongst such startling sights. Not a lot going on, but just beautiful. Another town along the way was Castletownbere, but that was more of a bustling town with a fishing industry. Not as beautiful as the other villages, but explains how a population can exist in such a deserted area.

 

We also drove Heely’s Pass, a winding path that leads straight up one of the highest mountains, leading to the most spectacular views. The road was just littered with sheep, wandering the miles of green pastured mountains. The baa-ing was palpable even with no sheep in sight, which was rare. The sheep, rams, and lamps walked along the roads and even climbed the steepest hills. I made my mom and Ryan stop for pictures about every 40 feet.

 

Tonight we went into Kelmare for dinner at Foley’s, a little pub on the main street. It was delicious. We also ventured to an ancient stone circle, similar to Stone Henge. It’s much smaller than Stone Henge, obviously. But just as weird and ancient apparently. They think it may have been an old site of sacrifices for a pagan tribe. Pretty cool.

 

 We also wandered the roads for a little, venturing in and out of pubs. The live Irish music is just awesome. It makes a pub. Tonight we had a pint in Ryan’s and listened to a guitar player reminisce on the country’s favorites. It’s hysterical to see the locals who know every word and join in at every opportunity.

 

One of our favorite songs:

“Some say the devil is dead and buried in Killarney,

Boys say he rose again and joined the British army.”

A popular theme for many of the catchy tunes. Ryan and I have made a pact to start listening to Irish music and memorize lyrics so we can connect a little more to our heritage. And we all know how powerful the Mulligan musical gene is…

 

Tomorrow off to Killarney and a little more exploration of Kenmare!