Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
22) The fifth day of the tour would focus on County Kerry. We started with a visit to Killarney National Park. Again the group split with some of the family chosing to take a horse drawn jaunting car tour of the park while Helen, Erin, Jonna and Alan picked mountain bikes for our mode of travel. We did a two hour loop through the park seeing three of the lakes, the oak and yew forests, the invastive rhododendron forests, the protected red deer and much more.
23) After leaving Killarney we then drove the northern half of the famous Ring of Kerry. Like our drive around the Dingle Penisula, this road loops around the Kerry penisula. During the drive we stopped in Glenbeigh long enough to drive the 4x4 van to the top of Drung Hill where we got a gorgeous panorama looking across Dingle Bay onto the Dingle Penisula. While there we took a group photo with Rossbeigh beach in the background. (photo courtesy tour guide Damien of Vagabond Tours)
24) After spending the night in Portmagee, out on the end of the Ring of Kerry, we boarded fishing boats for the day's adventure - a cruise to the Skellig Islands which stick 6 miles out into the North Atlantic Ocean. Erin, Helen, Jonna and Alan chose to disembark and make the 600 step climb up to the historic ruins which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We did not spot Luke Skywalker (the island of Skellig Michael was used in the latest Star Trek movies as the Jedi Temple) but we did see the medieval monastery ruins perched on top of the island's southern peak.
25) In addition to protecting the bee hive huts in the monastery the island is also a wildlife reserve protecting Storm Petrels, Manx Shearwaters and, cutest of all, Puffins! As if that wasn't enough bird watching on the cruise back to Portmagee we stopped by Little Skellig which is a smaller island that is absolutely covered with sea birds!
26) After returning from Skellig Island we drove from Portmagee to Kenmare (with a stop in Derrynane on the way). We ended our first week of the tour with a drive around the Beara Peninsula. The first stop on this loop was to the Uragh Stone Circle on Lough Inchiquin. This circle of standing stones date back to the neolithic, the tallest stone is an impressive 10 feet tall and the circle's location on the shore of a misty lake gives it a mystic feel.
27) Out on the end of the Beara Penisula we stopped near the town of Allihies for a short hike out to the Allihies Sea Arches. With fog coming in off the Atlantic and waves pounding into the cliffs we stood on top of one of the sea arches and took in the dramatic landscape...then we jumped for joy and even did some yoga.
28) An artsy shot taken on our hike to the sea arches showing the water droplets from the ocean mist collecting on the grass. After our hike we drove into the old copper mining boom town of Allihies for lunch and later stopped in Glengarriff for a walk along the Glengarriff River. We ended the day in Gougane Barre.
29) This seventh day of the tour was also Alan's birthday so once we checked into the historic Gougane Barra Hotel we all gathered for dinner where we celebrated the occasion!
30) An unexpected surprise for all of us was the opportunity to see a play at the hotel as part of their summer Theatre By The Lake series. The play the night we were there was "God Bless The Child" (an adaptation of three Frank O'Connor short stories) and it was fantastic!
31) Our eighth, and final, day of the tour was the drive from Gougane Barra back to Dublin. However, our sightseeing wasn't over because we still had two stops along the way. The first was at the famous Blarney Castle. We opted to skip kissing the Blarney stone but we did walk around the impressive fortifications and enjoyed the view from atop the battlements.
32) Our second stop was at the Rock of Cashel which is a walled hilltop containing a combination of fortress and cathedral. We toured the grounds and walked through the ancient graveyard.
33) An artsy photo showing some of the stonework engraved on the walls inside the Cathedral at the Rock of Cashel.
34) Even though the family tour with Vagabond was over, our vacation was not. Brenda, Harvey, Jonna and Alan rented rooms in a B&B in the small town of Carlingford along the north coast for three days. As soon as we arrived back in Dublin we rented a car and drove up. The next morning we went out to explore the town and found the ruins of a medieval Dominican abbey just a block from our B&B. We also explored the town harbor, the ruins of King John's castle and found a cafe where we could have high tea.
35) The next day we took advantage of the rental car to drive across the border into Northern Ireland to visit Belfast. Once we arrived we headed to the Ox Restaurant where we had reservations for lunch. Carole, Gail, Don and Linda were doing their own post-tour exploration of Belfast so they joined us as well for an excellent meal.
36) After lunch we took a fascinating black taxi tour of the city's political murals with Belfast Tours . The tour explained "The Troubles" but also opened our eyes to how tenuous the peace still is today. It was a very educational but also quite troubling tour.
37) For our final day of vacation we started driving back to Dublin but along the way we stopped in County Meath to see the neolithic burial mound at Newgrange. We took the tour and got to walk inside the massive tomb. This was yet another experience that surpassed our expectations.
38) When we arrived back in Dublin we decided to squeeze in one more activity before starting our journey back home - a walking tour of Dublin with Historical Walking Tours Of Dublin . These 2 hour tours are guided by history students at Trinity College and covered not only significant sights in Dublin but also gave a sweeping overview of Irish history from the pre-history folklore to current events. A worthy way to end our time on the Emerald Isle.
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