Brandon Hotel Tralee

... the touristy thing to do in Killarney don't you know! We trotted past the race track, which was built on landfill and has a 9 hole golf course in the middle!. We stopped at Ross castle, the scene of many a wedding photo as we found - at least 4 weddings stopped by while we were there!

So tonight is the last supper with the tour group. Dinner with everyone then out for drinks - just for something out of the ordinary!

XO

... free to do whatever. Most released convict men went to the mines, became farmers etc. The women instead became 'loose women' and often became pregant so often they were called 'Sheila' in reference to the druid god of fertility - true story!

So tonight we're in a small town just out of Killarney. The pub is located in the same complex at the hostel. Evidently the hostel used to be painted emerald green inside and out - it's called ...

... coming through, and a rainbow. It is the wierdest weather. How do people live in this fulltime. Back home when it rains we all feel like it gives us a good excuse to lay in bed all day and be lazy...imagine the lives we would live if we were fulltime residents in Ireland.

This trip is going to be a huge test for us girls...thereis going to be some serious trials and tribulations that we're going to come across and it'll be ...

... frozen treat. We had eaten some in Killarney, so I got my single scoop of chocolate whiskey and John got two scoops of strawberry. The grand total was a little over $12 US.

Back at the b&b, we were reading when another couple arrived. While Angela was showing them to their room, she asked where they were from. I heard “Ohio”, so I went into the hall and met them. Jim and Kathy Swanson are from Cincinnati, and very nice. They asked for ...

... obelisk with symbols) and a mysterious sundial. It had some remarkably intact carvings and very old as well as recent graves in the churchyard.

A stone ring fort was supposed to be nearby, and we drove up and down the same road twice before I spotted the name of the fort on a stone by the road. The fort itself was over a rock wall, so I waited while John explored a bit. We find the signage here to be somewhat of a challenge. When the sign (if there is one) has an arrow, the turn is ...

... started coming across the buses!!!

We made our first stop just outside of town and got a horse and carriage that took us along Lough Leane past Muckross house and the old Abbey and to the Toc Waterfall. On the way around we say a huge wild strawberry plant, more like a tree than a strawberry plant and a huge Rodadendrum TREE.. lol. it was a chilly day and rained a bit on our trip around the place. Jackie ...

... can tell. Many of the stories have been forgotten and only God knows them now. I have a deeper appreciation for the richness of a culture that comes only from many millennia of existence. Even the land seems alive with culture. Everywhere you see reminders of the past, some ancient and some more recent. Experiencing the medieval cemeteries brought the weight of the past to my attention. They got me wondering about the people who existed so long ago. It brought a little more ...

... we got there, the Cliffs of Moher were missing. The rain and the mist kept this beautiful sight away from our eyes. And we drove on south to Kilrush, where we crossed the Mouth of the Shannon in the direction of Tralee, County Kerry. The names Shannon and Limerick bring to our minds the book "Angela's Ashes", where Frank McCourt tells the story of his own childhood as a poor Irish Catholic in Limerick.

So lets see where i left offf... ohhh yea ok.. So.. Yesterday we went shopping and what not, the clothes here are pretty cheap but they are very stylish, but it seems a lot of thier clothes come from italy and france, so... hmmm... I did buy a new hoodie here, its thin but it keeps me warm. They have a brand name of "Sponge" here that is very popular, kind of like our abercrombie.. so i got that, and ive been trying to look for cute ...

... we were off on our merry way again. In addition to the thickest of thick accents Kerry is also pretty well known as a county that takes Gaelic Football particularly seriously, and near Castlemaine we pulled over and watched a local scratch game for a while. This was the first time I had seen the game played in the flesh and I was also hoping that we’d be able to see hurling, Ireland’s other great fast and physical ...