Day 9 – Killarney National Park

Jaunting Car with John and Billy the Horse

Today was intentionally planned as a light travel day with minimal sightseeing and a chance to do laundry and rest later in the day when we got to Dingle. We are at about the middle of the trip and I think everyone was looking forward to a break from a reasonably hectic travel schedule. Distance-wise, we might be maybe one third of the way around Ireland but we have packed a lot of sightseeing in.

Ross Castle

We started the day with a “Jaunting Car” ride from the center of Killarney out through Killarney National Park. The traditional Jaunting Car is a horse drawn cart and our driver was John and the horse “Billy.” John pointed out the various flora and fauna along the route along with interesting sights. He had a lovely Irish accent, a bit mischievous sounding, and could easily pass for a leprechaun. The trip was about 30 minutes out to Ross Castle on Lough (Lake) Leane.

Water Bus Ride

As we arrived, a “water bus” was just leaving so we quickly boarded and took a ride around the lake.  It was a one-hour ride where they pointed out features of the lake and gave us an overview of the history of the area. One of the interesting things they said was that the rhododendron in the park are becoming a problem because they are growing like weeds and blocking out the light, preventing the local underbrush to grow. Rhododendron isn’t native to Ireland and the park service is starting a program to clear the park of it but it really is everywhere so it is going to be a big effort.

Dingle Town

We left Killarney and drove to Dingle which is only about an hour away.  Dingle is the smallest city we have stayed in so far but it is by far the cutest. It may also be the town with the most tourists. Our AirB&B is about 10 minutes outside of Dingle but located in a great spot. We can see the Atlantic from our window and a couple of hills that the locals call the “three sisters and the sleeping giant.” You can kind of see that if you use your imagination. We also have a hundred or more sheep right outside our bedroom window that “baa” all evening long. They don’t settle down until dark, which, being at the western end of the time zone, is sometime after 10:30. Actually it is kind of comforting.

We had a seafood dinner in town followed by some Murphy’s ice cream. Murphy’s is a local company and make their own unique flavors (Dingle Gin, Sea Salt, Irish Whisky, Elderflower) but now they also sell outside of Dingle.

Tigh Pháidí

In this region, Irish (i.e., Gaelic) is the most common language and the street signs are in Irish first with English below. The Irish are trying very hard to hold on to their historic language but I believe they may be losing the battle. I’ll give two examples of Gaelic. We are staying at Tigh Pháidí. Tigh (pronounced Tig) means house and the second word means Patrick, who is the owner of the house so it is Patrick’s House. I’m not sure but I think the second word may translate better into Paddy. Another very common word is Fàilte which means “welcome” and is pronounced for-te but the “te” at the end is very clipped. There is no way an English speaker can understand Gaelic.