June 7, 2022 - Killarney

I’m convinced that the Irish do not live in houses.  They all live in magical fairytale cottages that come right out of our storybooks of childhood.  I haven’t seen a “normal” house anywhere.  Perhaps its the surroundings of endless greenery, misty skies, and ancient ruins everywhere that add to the illusion.  I completely get the legends of leprechauns, fairies, and magical creatures that originate from and inhabit this land.  The following pictures of random houses that I was able to take pictures of don’t do my explanation justice, but enjoy them anyway.

I took another tour today of an area called the Dingle Peninsula.  Most of my guide books had listed the Ring of Kerry as a must do, while the Dingle Peninsula was a lesser alternative.  I actually found the Dingle Peninsula tour to be more amazing.  I tried to explain to my mother via text that I’d heard about how green it is in Ireland, but it’s impossible to describe just how green EVERYTHING is here.  And there are a million greens which are more vibrant than you can imagine.  The pictures don’t even do it justice.  The following is just a bunch of pictures of the landscape along our way.  They speak for themselves.

On the way we stopped at a Beehive Hut settlement, which is a typical Celtic dwelling from 2000 BC and used until about 1200 AD.  They are dry stone dwellings with each progressive level laid slightly more towards the center creating a round beehive shape until a single stone could be used to cover the top opening.

And a recreation of them in this person’s garden.  The stone sign reads, “Where the Fairies Went.”

The clover leaf or shamrock has been the unofficial symbol of Ireland for many years.  The Celts or Druids would carry a four leaf clover around with them to ward off evil spirits.  Legend has it that St Patrick used the normal three lobed leaf to explain the Holy Trinity to new converts when he brought Christianity to Ireland.  Each lobe represented one part of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the stem represented their unity.

And finally my lunch and dinner pictures:

In Dingle, a small town, which shares the name of the entire Peninsula; I ate at a local restaurant and had another cup of seafood chowder and a raisin scone with clotted cream.  Today’s seafood chowder had many large pieces of a variety of fish.  It was delicious.  And the scone was heavenly.

I ate dinner at Harrow’s.  I’ve always believed that good food does not need to be expensive, but expensive food better be worth it.  Tonight’s dinner was on the expensive side and it was more than worth it!  Unbelievably amazing.  Fried Pork Belly (bottom photo) as an appetizer and Chicken.  The various sauces and extras on the dish just raised the level of the whole meal with each bite.