The Ring of Kerry

Thursday, May 17, 2012--Killarney and Area

Although cloudy, it was still not raining today.  We headed out to drive the Ring of Kerry, the most popular loop road in Ireland.  It covers a rugged peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean.  Before we could drive it, though, we had to fill the gas tank.  Three-fourths of a tank of gas cost $72 US!!

The drive could be called the Big Sur equivalent of Ireland.  The roadway is narrow and twists and winds along the coast with mountains in the interior.  Along it are many small towns and villages.  It took us 8 hours to complete the trip, including a stop at the nearby Killarney National Park to hike the Blue Pond Trail.

The highlight of our day was a visit to the Killegy Celtic Cross which can be seen from the roadway, but is visited by only a few people.  We had been wanting to see an old Celtic cross since seeing some large, beautiful ones in the museum in Dublin last weekend.  Wes got a glimpse of one on a hilltop.  We circled trying to find access and couldn't.  Then we stopped at a shop.  The owner allowed us to park in her lot and gave us walking directions that had us climb over two special hikers' gates.  When we got there, we found so much more than the huge cross.  It was a wooded circle that had many old graves and an old chapel ruin.  The ground was covered in thick green grass and a carpet of small, blue flowers. The story behind it all made it even better.  The chapel was built especially for a private burial service of a man who insisted that his four sons carry the body up by torchlight and start the service at midnight.  Wes had said just a few days earlier that he would like to be cremated.  But he changed his mind and said he wants to be buried at midnight at that cemetery with the nice Celtic cross.  I told him he needed to start being nicer to people, since he would need 3 more people besides me to carry his body up to the top of the hill and bury it!