Guinness on the go - a week in Ireland

[Duvel]

The next day it rained - a lot. My mom was feeling a bit done from the day before and decided to stay at home. My wife and me decided to seize the opportunity and drive the whole Ring of Kerry in one go and my father decided to join. Little one announced he had to stay with Oma for support (and a lot of board game playtime with her and probably iPad usage 😉) …

 

In case I didn’t mention it - it rained a lot. We drove the ring clockwise, while the tourist busses are required by law to go counterclockwise, which resulted in pretty empty sights on the way …

 

Abandoned stone circles …

 

 

Bored (and possibly suicidel) sheep on a wall of a mountain pass (with a 50 m drop behind) …

 

 

And a loooot of lonely coastline …

 

 

We reached some obscure cemetery on an island, that is reachable by foot only at low tide. Luckily we had low tide. Unfortunately though we had a significant amount of vertical humidity, so the effect of visiting the cemetery and church ruins for about 15 min was the same as if we would have swim there …

 

 

 

My father was smart enough to stay in the car, but we got soaked pretty well. It was time for a strategic lunch break, featuring …

 

The local brew (an IPA) …

 

 

My favorite (can’t go wrong with that - ever) …

 

 

My fathers fish soup …

 

 

My wifes fish & chips (with monkfish !) …

 

 

And a seafood stew for me. I will borrow the idea of a puff pastry „lid“ for tomorrow’s dinner …

 

 

After being more or less dry, we continued our journey to see more lonely beaches …

 

 

… and long abandoned farm houses. 
 

 

Finally, we reached the Cliffs of Kerry - the unknown cousin of the Cliffs of Moher. Simply spectacular !

 

 

 

 

 

We returned about 1.5h later to our cottage, picked up our two indoorsy family members and drove back to Killarney town for an early dinner …

 

 

My father - still being a bit envious of my wifes (monk)fish & chips decided for fish & chips, albeit in its haddock incarnation …

 

 

I opted for another braised lamb shank, which you can’t go wrong with (especially if accompanied with a Guinness) …

 

 

The other three had a Cheeseburger with fries each, which I refused to photograph. I got half of my moms, though. It was tasty, with a funky curry-based mayo.

 

We drove back, had a small Dingle Single Malt for dessert and some more episodes of Shawn the Sheep …

 

Bäääääh 🐑
 

 

 

 

Edited June 4 by Duvel (log)

[Duvel]

For the last day in Killarney I had just one item left on my bucket list: the Gap of Dunloe. It is very popular with individual tourists and tour busses alike, so I used my secret weapon: a family that is 70% German. And thus has no issues getting up at 7.00h in the morning during holidays. Little ones German heritage wins over his Catalan genes when it comes to bed times, so I used him strategically to get my wife out of bed. 

 

We arrived at the Gap at 9.00h, well before any larger crowds. My mom really wanted to do the Gap by horse cart, so I went off to discuss a tour with the only cart owner there at 9.00h. 

 

His horse Dolly enjoyed running, especially as it was a coldish and damp morning, and Patrick - the cart owner - ran next to the horse while it was pulling us the little slopes up into the Gap. He was a great narrator and we enjoyed his company and storytelling …

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we spend some shopping time (plus coffee) in Killarney and drove back via a popular sightseeing spot to enjoy the view on the lakes for the last time …

 

Back at home, little one sorted his souvenirs while my wife started her holiday book (that she likes to purchase with a local theme and usually finishes before the holiday ends) …

 

 

 

The others made a round for a comparative study of the neighboring cottages, while I „prepared dinner“ (and had a Guinness) …

 

 

We had leftovers to clean out the fridge - luckily very tasty leftovers 😉

 

 

As I said I borrowed the idea of a puff pastry lid for my Guinness & beef stew - as very every stew it improved in the fridge …

 

 

I alway try to encourage little one to become a home cook, but at this point he might take a turn and become a food blogger …

 

 

Everyone enjoyed - especially my father 🤗

 

 

Happy days !

 

 

Edited June 4 by Duvel (log)

[KennethT]

Love the color of the water off shore of those cliffs!

[Alex]

Wonderful photos, as always. I especially like the one of the abandoned cottage. Oh, and the most recent one of your father. 

 

In case anyone is wondering, your son's sweatshirt says "Play Station" in Japanese katakana writing.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Missed this when I was otherwise occupied last week.

Great photos. Looks like it was a great trip.

 

[Steve R.]

On 6/2/2024 at 9:28 AM, Duvel said:

Yes, there is a 1.5 day Dublin epilogue 🤗

 

Ulysses is a tough read (at least for a non-native speaker). I read it while studying in Dublin - and I managed to participate im Bloomsday in 1999 (which we missed by two weeks this time …).

 

Great posts/thread, especially the photos.

Thanks for the Killarney pub ideas.  We have a dinner to arrange there mid October.

Awaiting your Dublin post, as we have a week there afterwards.