Ireland Places Part 1

Some of the places we visited:

Killarney National Park in Killarney, Ireland

Beautiful, pristine, historic.
Ross Castle, as you see in the photo, was built in the late 15th century and was among the last to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads during the Irish Confederate wars

Ross Castle

In the mall in Shannon- Potato Blitz!

Touring the village of Bunratty:

Bunratty Castle

The steps were so narrow and closely spiraled- I imagine many a person sentenced to the dungeon either fell down these or was dragged down.

This is a typical Irish kitchen of a wealthy farmer- up until around 1930's.
The good lady of the house was making scones while we were there.  However, the peat they use for their fires was strong enough to cover any delicious smells.

Kitchen in Bunratty Castle- notice the tortoise shells used as serving bowls/platters:

Church on the grounds in Bunratty:

One sweet little foal- he let us pet him and his mother did not mind.

Irish Wolfhounds- if only I had used something for comparison!  These dogs are enormous- their heads came up to my chest.

Overlooking the River Shannon and the city of Limerick in the distance.

King John's castle (one of many).  
I often think of Disney's 'Robin Hood' movie- and Prince John sucking his thumb every time he thought of his mother.
He is one of my ancestors- and my grandmother defends him a lot.  There was certainly a lack of loving affection in his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was also imprisoned by his father when John was just five years old.   His older brother, Richard, was loved and honored and Prince John was expected to help finance Richard's expeditions.   He was called John Lackland- born the youngest of the five sons to Eleanor and King Henry II, he received no land for his inheritance.
Growing up in a complicated family, who knows what truly shaped him and how true the image of the spoiled man really was.  He was the signer of the Magna Carta- although forced- and never again, because of him, was another prince  named John.

Lisdoonvarna, Ireland

Lisdoonvarna....don't you just love that name?

The Atlantic coast , Doolin, Ireland:

One thing we noticed about the ocean here- there seemed to be much less ocean life washed upon the shores.  Also, just a faint hint of saltiness in the air- not the regular ocean smell I'm accustomed to in Oregon. 

The little village of Doolin, Ireland

Cabbages growing by the roadside.

The Cliffs of Moher...A.K.A. The Cliffs of Insanity on the movie 'The Princess Bride'. 
Now recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of Nature.

O'Brien's Tower- over looking the cliffs.

Many signs demonstrating the dangers of the cliffs. 

My mother, at 5 feet tall, thought this castle was the perfect size for her.  
A little dowager's castle!

Graveyard overlooking the ocean:

On to Killrush- a bustling town compared to the villages we had previously seen.

Public bathrooms are called simply, Toilets.
This one was in the middle of the sidewalk and you had to pay to use it.

On to the Dingle Peninsula....this was the view from our Bed & Breakfast.  Many of the areas around Dingle looked almost tropical.

We stopped in at a shop called 'The Mad Hatter's'.  Adorable hats!

More on Ireland soon...life has been going full throttle since I've gotten home.