The Emerald Isle

Ross Castle

Watching the rain come in

Dingle

I cannot believe that I managed 8 days in Ireland with only one day of rain. I loved it in Killarney and wish I had found a nice Irishman to marry so I didn't have to leave. Meeting up with Anna Fielding was awesome and we had a fantastic 4 days exploring Killarney National Park. The first day we ventured out was the rainy day but coming round the corner to see the ruins of Ross Castle outlined against the grey sky was certainly dramatic. We took a small motor boat out to the island of Inishfallen to see the ruins of the monastery out there and that was when it really rained. You could see it coming in from the mountains and boy did we get wet. The boatman told us "when you can see the mountains, it's going to rain. And when you can't see the mountains, well, it's raining all ready". This weather forecast was spot on that day! We also did a boat tour around the lake and I swear I only understood about 40% of what the guide said. Some of the accents were a bit tricky but we learnt some great new words like "eijit" (idiot) and "plonker" which I plan to introduce into my everyday language. The second day also had a terrible forecast so we decided to sit on a bus for a couple of hours and head out to the Dingle Peninsula. Turns out we stayed ahead of the rain and a beautiful day while it bucketed down in Killarney. Dingle was breathtaking and the town itself super cute.

Dingle Cliffs

Funghi

Ring of Kerry

 They also have a resident dolphin "Funghi". Apparently the American woman who first swam with him insisted that he was a "fun guy" and the locals assumed she was calling him "Fungi" so that's what stuck. We went out on a boat in the harbour to say hi to him and then went further out into the huge Dingle Bay and checked out the cliffs. There was a bit of a swell but thankfully neither of us got sick. Anna tried a Guinness in one of the pubs in Dingle and I had a sip. Probably the worst beer I have ever tried (but don't let any Irishmen hear me say that!). On Saturday we did a bus tour around the Ring of Kerry which was just stunning, The coast is really beautiful, though not as wild as NZ, and they have mountains that come straight down to the beaches. I liked the bus driver's comment that " you have breathtaking views, beautiful sunsets and tropical-looking water". Sums it up pretty well I think! On Sunday we went to the Methodist church, probably the best church I've been to in 9 months. Service was in English, songs I knew and no funny bell ringing or incense waving. We then took a shuttle up to Torc Waterfall in the national park and wandered around the hills up there before walking along the lake shore to Muckross House and Muckross Abbey. The Abbey is incredible because it was abandoned in the 1600s after the monks were forced out by Oliver Cromwell. However most of it still standing and you can walk all over it, including upstairs. According to the bus driver, it is one of the most haunted places in Ireland but we didn't see (or feel) any evidence of ghosts. We spent a couple of our evenings in the local pubs soaking up the live Irish music and atmosphere. I loved it and wished for more time or that NZ was closer so I could visit more often.

Ring of Kerry

Ring of Kerry

Torc Waterfall

Muckross House

Muckross Abbey

I'm back in Germany for 3 days and then head home on Friday. I'll be back in NZ on Sunday and launching into Uni on Monday. I can't believe it's all over and it's time to come home. Thank you all for reading and following what I've been up to. I hope it's been an interesting read and I'm so glad to have shared the last 10 months with you all. I'm looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible when I get back!