Ring of Kerry, Ireland
'Side effects include: dizziness, soreness, hysterical male pregnancy'
Gorgeous landscapes abound
The Ring of Kerry is somewhat synonymous with Irish tourism. As well it should be. The rural Ireland landscape is stunning, the rain-stained castles are intriguing, the mythology is charming, and your guide will talk to you with an Irish accent the whole time! Also, beer and sheep! What's not to like?
Enjoy the rolling hills (postcard perfect), the distant shorelines (gorgeous on a clear day), crumbling castles (watch your head), and watching some soccer in an authentic Irish pub. Yes, I know, overseas reader or faux-fashionable American, but I'm going to call it soccer just to piss you off.
Soccer, soccer, soccer.
Enjoy the rolling hills (postcard perfect), the distant shorelines (gorgeous on a clear day), crumbling castles (watch your head), and watching some soccer in an authentic Irish pub. Yes, I know, overseas reader or faux-fashionable American, but I'm going to call it soccer just to piss you off.
Soccer, soccer, soccer.
A bit camera shy. . . or 'sheepish'?
What to Do
There's quite a bit. If you're on a tour (like me) then your itinerary is pretty set, but you should certainly take plenty of photos, kiss that Blarney Stone, yell 'baaaaa' at the sheep, and walk out of your hotel to enjoy a pint at a local establishment.
Much of the other scenery that you will encounter is not 'official' sightseeing stuff so it will be up to you to be a little adventurous and go off the beaten path a little bit.
See this week's essay for a breakdown of the trip.
Jack's Misadventures
Jack was taking pictures of sheep near a store when the owners came outside and accused him of trying to break in. With a smile and a nod at his camera, Jack charmed his way out of that nonsense.
On the same trip, Jack was changing in the hostel dorm when the unaccompanied 16 year old Scandinavian girl burst in. Awkwardness abounded.
He also almost fell off the Cliffs of Moher, but who hasn't?
There's quite a bit. If you're on a tour (like me) then your itinerary is pretty set, but you should certainly take plenty of photos, kiss that Blarney Stone, yell 'baaaaa' at the sheep, and walk out of your hotel to enjoy a pint at a local establishment.
Much of the other scenery that you will encounter is not 'official' sightseeing stuff so it will be up to you to be a little adventurous and go off the beaten path a little bit.
See this week's essay for a breakdown of the trip.
Jack's Misadventures
Jack was taking pictures of sheep near a store when the owners came outside and accused him of trying to break in. With a smile and a nod at his camera, Jack charmed his way out of that nonsense.
On the same trip, Jack was changing in the hostel dorm when the unaccompanied 16 year old Scandinavian girl burst in. Awkwardness abounded.
He also almost fell off the Cliffs of Moher, but who hasn't?
This is our motley crew that crashed the local pub
Party Time
Whether you're with a tour group or spending time being a nomad, there are plenty of small pubs to wile away your demons while watching the soccer. Just don't cheer for the other team if you want to escape with your life. If you're on your own, then see where the other backpackers are heading and lemming along.
The couples on our tour got their own private rooms, but the rest of us were in bunk beds. You can meet someone on the trip and then plan a little 'tour' when you get back. If you're traveling around the region on your own, then there are plenty of hostels and bars to work your mojo.
That Irish accent, though. . . oh, that accent.
Adventuring
Jack was on a scheduled tour so, alas, he barely had time to truly explore. However, Ireland has plenty to offer hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and many other outdoor enthusiasts. The issues you will come across will be transportation (better have your own), cost (it's a wee bit pricey, lad), and weather (it takes a lot of rain to make hills so green).
Like the Irish women, a bit of trouble, but, oh so gorgeous.
Whether you're with a tour group or spending time being a nomad, there are plenty of small pubs to wile away your demons while watching the soccer. Just don't cheer for the other team if you want to escape with your life. If you're on your own, then see where the other backpackers are heading and lemming along.
The couples on our tour got their own private rooms, but the rest of us were in bunk beds. You can meet someone on the trip and then plan a little 'tour' when you get back. If you're traveling around the region on your own, then there are plenty of hostels and bars to work your mojo.
That Irish accent, though. . . oh, that accent.
Adventuring
Jack was on a scheduled tour so, alas, he barely had time to truly explore. However, Ireland has plenty to offer hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and many other outdoor enthusiasts. The issues you will come across will be transportation (better have your own), cost (it's a wee bit pricey, lad), and weather (it takes a lot of rain to make hills so green).
Like the Irish women, a bit of trouble, but, oh so gorgeous.
The exchange rate is poisonous
Wallet Roll
Perhaps 'The Emerald Isle' refers to the exchange rate?
The tour wasn't cheap, but it was a damn sight cheaper than getting to Kerry from Dublin on your own. ExJack looked into bus prices, train tickets, etc. and ouch, it was a little bit up there. Not Singapore prices, but quite a way from Balkan prices. So be prepared, and budget your time and money to maximize the experience.
Perhaps 'The Emerald Isle' refers to the exchange rate?
The tour wasn't cheap, but it was a damn sight cheaper than getting to Kerry from Dublin on your own. ExJack looked into bus prices, train tickets, etc. and ouch, it was a little bit up there. Not Singapore prices, but quite a way from Balkan prices. So be prepared, and budget your time and money to maximize the experience.
As pretty and relaxing as you imagined
One Ring To Rule Them All
At first, Jack wasn't so sure about heading out of Dublin (cost and other issues), but his wonderful and beautiful travel friend he was staying with encouraged him and she was very correct. Although Dublin is a fine city, if you want those postcard images, that old-Ireland charm, then you must head down to the Ring.
My trip included: Blarney Stone kisses, Cliffs of Moher rain, pub drinking, Cashiel sheep, crumbling abbeys, spray-painted sheep, Muckross Manor, Killarney carriages, Galway sunsets, ancient tombs, rain, beach dogs, field cows, and public urination. Just like all good trips do.
The Seal Club
Most visitors concentrate on Dublin, especially the poorer backpackers, but it is worth the time and money to hit up the Ring. Sure, it's a touristy trip to take, but that's because it really does have a ton of neat stuff to see and do. Weather permitting, this is some of the most beautiful scenery you'll ever encounter. Ask for advice, schedule your tour and pray for not too much rain!
At first, Jack wasn't so sure about heading out of Dublin (cost and other issues), but his wonderful and beautiful travel friend he was staying with encouraged him and she was very correct. Although Dublin is a fine city, if you want those postcard images, that old-Ireland charm, then you must head down to the Ring.
My trip included: Blarney Stone kisses, Cliffs of Moher rain, pub drinking, Cashiel sheep, crumbling abbeys, spray-painted sheep, Muckross Manor, Killarney carriages, Galway sunsets, ancient tombs, rain, beach dogs, field cows, and public urination. Just like all good trips do.
The Seal Club
Most visitors concentrate on Dublin, especially the poorer backpackers, but it is worth the time and money to hit up the Ring. Sure, it's a touristy trip to take, but that's because it really does have a ton of neat stuff to see and do. Weather permitting, this is some of the most beautiful scenery you'll ever encounter. Ask for advice, schedule your tour and pray for not too much rain!
Travel Tip #112: Invest in adapters and converters. Don't fry your stuff.
Travel Well Traveled For Fair Fashion
Making A Tangent-Tour
Not Just for Math Professors and Marty McFly
So romantic and magical
Excogitate Jack is a little torn when it comes to tours. On one hand, they are sometimes the cheapest and best (or only!) way to see certain places. On the other hand, they can feel like a prison to the more adventurous among us. Even though Jack considers himself only mildly adventurous, he likes to dance to the beaten of his own path whenever possible. So, let's think about how to split the difference. A good example of this would be Jack's trip down to the Ring of Kerry.
The tour got Jack to Blarney Castle, where Fred Flintstone's neighbor lived after he won the lottery. No, that's probably not right. It was certainly the home of that famous hunk of inanimate rock that you need to kiss for good luck. The most interesting part of this was that you had to kiss the rock while hanging upside down, through a hole about 50 feet off the ground while an old guy grabs your lap. Good times.
The tour got Jack to Blarney Castle, where Fred Flintstone's neighbor lived after he won the lottery. No, that's probably not right. It was certainly the home of that famous hunk of inanimate rock that you need to kiss for good luck. The most interesting part of this was that you had to kiss the rock while hanging upside down, through a hole about 50 feet off the ground while an old guy grabs your lap. Good times.
I'll take this view, sounds, & smells over a meal anyday
Later on that same day, the tour stopped to eat a nice meal at a restaurant overlooking a vista of rolling green hills leading into a pretty blue coast. Jack, having a snack in his backpack, opted out of the meal and instead took a walk down a nearby road that lead towards the coast. On the way, he passed fields of cows, a small cliff, and a house with a pretty jumble of flowered hedges. He took a great panoramic picture. He also got to pee into a field, wild and free in natural, rural Ireland. The male readers will understand the bliss of this. None of this would have happened if he'd stayed in the restaurant.
When the tour stopped at another castle, there was an entrance fee, so I decided to not only save a few Euros, but also to take a little wander with the time allotted to castle-viewing. I immediately started trotting off down a nearby road, probably looking a little silly to the rest of my group, but if you want to have a good, cheap time shamelessness is a boon companion. On the way to the castle, I'd spied a far-off monastery or something that appeared to be both crumbling and picturesque. It was indeed both. As a bonus, once far enough from the castle, I was able to turn back and get a picture of its neat hillside location, with some sheep in view for good measure.
The quick visit to a rainy Cliffs of Moher is another example (and detailed in a future issue). Briefly, it was awesome to get there on the tour and understand the history of the place. It was later awesome to take a little wander (the legality of, 90% of the people there did not seem to care much about) to get some pictures and almost fall off the cliffs. Also good times.
The quick visit to a rainy Cliffs of Moher is another example (and detailed in a future issue). Briefly, it was awesome to get there on the tour and understand the history of the place. It was later awesome to take a little wander (the legality of, 90% of the people there did not seem to care much about) to get some pictures and almost fall off the cliffs. Also good times.
In Galway, Jack headed out to watch the sunset along the bay. Not exactly part of the tour, but he was only in Galway because that's where we stopped for the night. With the BBC-perfect looking bay, a few gently bobbing ships, and a line of swans making their way home, it was a gorgeous sight, the kind of sight that makes you think 'hmm, should I move here?'
When we stopped at this vast expanse of pitted rocks, mostly filled with rainwater, and sheer cliffs leading to the sea, our guide was invaluable at telling us where the hell we where (not at Moher), and why the landscape looked the way it did. Unfortunately I cannot remember the actual name of the place so I'll blame the guide and not my own faulty memory when it comes to names. The photo folder on my computer is labeled 'rocky fields'.
The final example would be after waking up in the wee hours to leave a small town we'd stayed in, Jack headed down to the local dry goods store (or 'convenient store' you modernist), but found it closed. However, he then spied a field full of multi-colored sheep in the distance and hustled down to their fence to snap a quick photo of him. Amongst a few others, this turned out to be one of my favorite photos of Ireland. It was simple, unexpected, and would not have been taken had I stuck with the group.
So the tour itself served the purpose of transportation, organization, and information. Our guides were knowledgeable, funny, and took questions about topics even as controversial as 'The Troubles'. I didn't ask the question and that should probably be a travel tip: let others in your tour ask the potentially inflammatory questions.
My time off the tour afforded me with unique experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. It can be fun to hang with the group (I had a nice group) and sometimes feel very necessary to take a load off and just sit and chill at that restaurant for an hour, but what sights and experiences are you missing out on? So, whenever you can, you should split the difference.
So the tour itself served the purpose of transportation, organization, and information. Our guides were knowledgeable, funny, and took questions about topics even as controversial as 'The Troubles'. I didn't ask the question and that should probably be a travel tip: let others in your tour ask the potentially inflammatory questions.
My time off the tour afforded me with unique experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. It can be fun to hang with the group (I had a nice group) and sometimes feel very necessary to take a load off and just sit and chill at that restaurant for an hour, but what sights and experiences are you missing out on? So, whenever you can, you should split the difference.
Travel Tip #45: If you hear a hostel might have bed bugs, err on the side of caution (and no itching).
Blarney Stone
or 'Getting to 1st Base with a Castle'
Blarney Castle, home of the eponymous stone, is one of the most cliched of the Irish tourism sites. However, just like the rest of The Ring, just because it's a little well-worn (through lip smacks, no less) doesn't mean it's not a hoot to go see and add yourself to the great cold sores of the stone. Kissing the stone itself is one of the more interesting parts of visiting the castle (but by no means the most interesting). You have to lay down, let an old guy grab your hips, then you grab metal bars so you can bend over backwards and upside down to kiss a hanging stone about 50 feet off the ground. It's a strange sensation.
The rest of the castle, though, is interesting and pretty in its own right. The castle itself is tall and striking, with some pretty natural grounds you can walk about. Mounting the steps inside, next to the near-crumbling walls will make you feel like a knight and exploring the small caves dug underneath it will make you feel like a Game of Thrones spider.
The Poison Garden, though, was the part that Jack thought was the most interesting. Just like the name implies, you need to not touch or eat the flowers there as they are all quite poisonous. The beauty and color of the poisons is an apt metaphor for all kinds of stuff, but just the fact that there is a poison garden lets you know you're not in the USA anymore where it seems every single interesting thing must come with a warning, a disclaimer, a fence to keep you away, and a security guard to tazer you lest you get too close.
The rest of the castle, though, is interesting and pretty in its own right. The castle itself is tall and striking, with some pretty natural grounds you can walk about. Mounting the steps inside, next to the near-crumbling walls will make you feel like a knight and exploring the small caves dug underneath it will make you feel like a Game of Thrones spider.
The Poison Garden, though, was the part that Jack thought was the most interesting. Just like the name implies, you need to not touch or eat the flowers there as they are all quite poisonous. The beauty and color of the poisons is an apt metaphor for all kinds of stuff, but just the fact that there is a poison garden lets you know you're not in the USA anymore where it seems every single interesting thing must come with a warning, a disclaimer, a fence to keep you away, and a security guard to tazer you lest you get too close.
Galway
A picturesque little town located along the bay. Jack didn't get to see much of the town (arrived near the evening and left in the morning), but what he did see was like something out of a Frost poem: a line of pure white swans making a slow line through the glittering waters of the bay, the setting sun reflecting off the lazy waves while old, painted houses stood at quiet attention like lazy veterans. Now I bet you want to go there, right?
Dingle & Mary: Mountains and Coasts
Besides St. Mary's Mountain (easy to remember with the Mary statue) and Dingle Beach (hehe, get it all out of your system now), ol' Jack couldn't recall most of the names of most of these places. I'm sure a local will be able to point them out, but we'll just enjoy them just for being pretty bits of landscape. The rolling green hills, sheer cliffs, and horizon-stretching coasts are all things you will encounter during your trip and none of them disappoint.
Killarney & Muckross
Now those are some interesting names, eh? Muckross was a mansion with some pleasant strolling grounds and Killarney was an interesting looking city but we were only budgeted to spend a quick afternoon there. We took a horse carriage ride and, although we saw some neat sights, there was still so much I wanted to see. This was an instance where it would have been better to be setting your own schedule to fully explore the city.
Cashiel and the Abbey
One of the castles we visited, Cashiel was neat, but I was more interested in exploring the nearby hills and roads. So, while the rest of the group was wandering about inside the walls, I took off at a trot down a nearby road (we only had about 40 minutes to say). While out, I got some nice pictures of sheep and a far off abby that we later visited. The abbey itself was a crumbling bit of history with its long plague walls, high, arched interiors, and long-gone wooden roof that left the tombs open to the elements. It was a quiet place with something resembling a peaceful bent to what equated to really a grand tomb.
The Rest of the Ring
Miscellaneous pictures from the rest of the trip. There are some charming, small churches, some pretty landscapes, and lots of small, hidden treasures to find. I had a good group to go with (fun, relaxed people from around the world) and that makes a good difference, too.
Ring of Kerry Video Compilation
Remember, for more videos just head over to the videos section!
Ring of Kerry Time Lapse Montage
30 Seconds of Zen Selection: Sheep
Remember, there are more 30 Seconds of Zen selections under 'videos'.
Ringing the Kerry
All us non-Irish grow up seeing pictures and video of the Emerald Isle and it forms a preconception that rural Ireland is a place of rolling green hills, lush riversides, great fields of lowing sheep, moss-covered castles, and always-on-the-horizon thunderstorms. From ExJack's experience, this is 100% true.
This is not to say that Ireland isn't a modern country, but that it has maintained its cultural identity and natural beauty quite well. If you take your own Ring of Kerry trip, on your own or as part of a tour, you will not be disappointed. Except, perhaps, by those rainstorms. Once the rain clears, however, and all the colors and freshly misted surfaces enter the sunlight, it's one of the prettiest places you're likely to find on this green Earth.
Jack's trip around the Ring was one of photographic splendor and good ol' fashioned inebriated shenanigans. He met some neat travel friends, had plenty of laughs, did a fair bit of hiking, and got some great shots in a place he'd never been before. That, to him, is what a fulfilling life is all about.
This is not to say that Ireland isn't a modern country, but that it has maintained its cultural identity and natural beauty quite well. If you take your own Ring of Kerry trip, on your own or as part of a tour, you will not be disappointed. Except, perhaps, by those rainstorms. Once the rain clears, however, and all the colors and freshly misted surfaces enter the sunlight, it's one of the prettiest places you're likely to find on this green Earth.
Jack's trip around the Ring was one of photographic splendor and good ol' fashioned inebriated shenanigans. He met some neat travel friends, had plenty of laughs, did a fair bit of hiking, and got some great shots in a place he'd never been before. That, to him, is what a fulfilling life is all about.
