The Emerald Isle - Killarney (Part 2)

This morning the group was heading out to Killarney to spend the next three nights.

On the way, we stopped at the Rock of Cashel which is an imposing walled structure that looms over the countryside. Within the walls is a cathedral, Cormac's chapel, round tower, and cemetery. Most of the surviving buildings are from the 12th and 13th centuries.

These ruins are the Hore Abbey just below the main site.

After a little time to explore and grab lunch, we travelled on to the Dunloe Castle Hotel.

It was located in an idyllic country setting and very peaceful. I loved wandering the grounds on my own to take it all in. I would have loved another day or so just to enjoy the serenity. By far, this was my favorite hotel while in Ireland. Absolute perfection!

There was a small castle on the grounds just past the gardens. Only the outer shell remains but it was still cute.

I especially loved the horses. I was so enthralled by them...I think I took a hundred pictures. My room had a balcony overlooking the back pasture so I could watch them come in for the night at sunset and then watch them grazing in the morning.

The next few days were spent exploring:

Killarney National Park

Muckross House was a mansion built in 1843 and is part of the Killarney National Park. We did a brief guided tour of the interior with a little time to explore the grounds and gardens.

From Muckross Pier, we boarded boats and crossed the three lakes of Killarney (Lower Lake, Muckross Lake, and Upper Lake.) It was a perfect day to be on the water with blue skies, sparkling water, and the wind in your face.

Upon reaching the other side, we refueled on icecream at the small snack bar and boarded horse-drawn jarveys which took us on a 7 mile ride through the stunning scenery at Dunloe Gap.

Our poor horse couldn't finish the trip. Ireland was having unseasonably warm temperatures and this was the horse's 2nd trip of the day. Luckily, his owner decided to call a truck to pick him up and take him back to the barn. We felt relieved since he really seemed to be struggling. We were happy to join others from our group in the jarvey behind us.

The ride ended at Kate Kearney's Cottage which was a group of buildings housing souvenirs and food.

Dingle Peninsula

This area had picturesque coastal and village views.