Adventures in Ireland: Now That's A Mountain

OK, Day 6, and we still can't get out of town without a slight hitch. Spent a couple of extra minutes on the wrong side of Cork before we got straightened out on the road to Killarney. Not too bad, we figured it out and didn't have to get a cabby to rescue us. I'm blaming it on the signs! Of course, whenever I ask Tam if she saw a sign, she says "No, but did you see that beautiful church?" (as I'm writing: "It's true, I'm always distracted!").

It was raining most of the day, but what we saw wasn't diminshed. Of course, I think I have to make a correction. I was talking to our first cabby, from the airport on day one, about the Wicklow Mts. He mentioned that what we are used to, they are probably "hills". Had he spoken with someone from the Southwest, he could have said the same thing. These are mountains (still hills next to the Rockies), complete with pressure changes and just beautiful.

We made it to Killarney about noon. Checked in to just another really nice B&B with extremely friendly owners. Hopped back in the car and off to the Dingle Peninsula. Again, will let the pics speak for themselves. A couple of nice surprises. First look at the peninsula was Inse (that's "Inch"). 60 mph sustained winds: remnants of Ophelia.

Next was Dingle. Had lunch here in Murphy's Pub.

Next stop was the Dunbeg Fort. One of the oldest archeological sites in Ireland dating back to 500 B.C. Bonus: Tam found a friend - - Roxie the Rottweiller. Yes, we flew 3000 miles away and she tames a Rot. The dog was named Roxie at 2 weeks, and grew into her name. She had a favorite rock she carried around, stuck her head between our legs, and dropped it, confidently waiting for us to throw it so she could run and fetch.

I should have put the next stop first. It was a "settlement" of 4000 year old Beehive stone huts. But, after the fort, Tam said "If you've seen one pile of rocks, you've seen them all." So, down the road we went (I did get a pic!).

It's a good thing we rented a pop can with wheels. We figured out what the N stands for in front of the road numbers: "Narrow." Should be "MFN".

After we finished the Dingle Peninsula, we were on to our second "surprise find" one suggested by Patrick O'Donoghue, our host. Connor's Pass, which runs high in the mountains between Dingle city and the Brandon Bay. Breathtaking even in the mist. But, it seems the rain broke just at the right times for us. Hmmm, wonder where that came from?