Thursday, May 26th: "Since when have I EVER refused alcohol??"

We were 'fetched' for our breakfast at the appointed time, and followed Marianne up through the front room, upstairs, past the kitchen and into the dining area. It had a lovely view of the bay, but was only separated from the kitchen by a half wall, so it was rather odd, as Marianne didn't have much to do once we were served, so she sort of watched us. The food itself was delicious yogurt with granola, fresh berries, full Irish breakfast. She had on some music in the background, it sounded like James Galway.

After breakfast we headed off along the road to Connor Pass, as the sky was a bit lighter now (though it still had storm clouds in many places). This was a scenic view we missed our last trip, as after the long and laborious drive up from the north side, there was so much mist and rain that we could see exactly nothing from the vantage point on the top.

This time proved to be just as windy, but clearer. We waited a bit at the top for the sun to slip into the occasional openings in the cloudy cover, but when it did, it showed sparkling green views of a lovely landscape, well worth the wait.

We headed down the north side to find Brandon Point, and found Brandon Beach instead. We continued on this part of the peninsula didn't look like it had very much tourist traffic, and we got a few odd looks as we drove through. Brandon Point was also lovely, but with the cloud cover we couldn't see much in the mists. There was one other carful of tourists, and we played leapfrog along the scenic spots, each getting out to take photos, and pass the other, and then reverse the order.

I think the north road of Connor Pass is wider than it was five years ago. Yes, there are bits that are very narrow, but I remember a lot more of it being so. Perhaps it's just that there was no deep, thick fog this time, making time stand still and teeth stand on edge, expecting a big truck to come around a bend at any moment. However, it wasn't all too bad this time. The south road, to Dingle, is definitely wide and easy to travel.

We went on along the south Dingle road towards the Celtic Prehistoric Museum. This was a great stop a man from the US settled here and set it up, and has been here 13 years. He's made the house into a great little museum each room dedicated to a different part in prehistoric Ireland. There were many artifacts, including cave bear bones, mammoth tusks and skull, Celtic jewelry artifacts, goddess figures, tools and weapons from the Neolithic age. There was also a very odd structure that looked like a dressmaker's mannequin with a boar's head on it. I did not question it.

There was a lovely little gift shop as well, that sold some antique bits, like bottles and coins, as well as locally made handcrafts. This is where I found a knit cap to purchase, and a hair toggle made of leather. I highly recommend this stop!

We went along the road, past Dunbeg Fort (it was covered in busses) and the beehive huts. We stopped a few times for somewhat misty sea views, but ended up at Slea Head in the almost sun. The sun was very reluctant to show its face today, though the rain was also rather reluctant to come. It did drop here and there, but very small bits.

Slea Head is the scenic high point of Dingle, in my opinion. It has a lovely beach, dramatic black diagonal rocks jutting out of the surf, and a gently sloping peninsula pushed into the sea, surrounded by smaller green islands. On a sunny day it is a bit of paradise. Even on the overcast day it was lovely less so with the idiot tourists that were out climbing the jagged rocks in the high winds, but still lovely.

We passed on Blasket Island, given the weather, but we found a lovely beach to enjoy, Wine Strand. Of course, there were about a dozen or so really old, run-down looking holiday campers parked along the dunes, evidently for rental. There was a sign that asked to keep this 'area of beauty' free of junk and trash right next to one of the worst looking campers. Very nice.

We found the Gallerus Oratory farther along that road, and once the coachload of tourists left, we had it to ourselves for a good 20 minutes. A group of school kids were coming towards it just as we were leaving, so we once again felt blessed by the Tourist Gods.

On to Killarney for some sightseeing and an early dinner. We found a parking spot and went searching for dinner. First, we needed more cash but where were the ATMs? The clerk at the petrol station said they 'lined the streets' in Killarney liar! There was one lonely ATM with a line of 7 people waiting to use it, but at least there was one. We went in to several different places, searching for food all of them weren't currently serving, as it was that magic hour when breakfast wears off and the pubs are closed for food. We went into the Laurels, O'Connors, O'Somethingelse, and then found a real restaurant Trevand's. I had some yummy fishcakes and V had a chicken tikka wrap. It wasn't the best food in the world, but it was tasty enough, and it was fuel. I couldn't finish my bottle of cider, so I offered it to V "Since when have I EVER refused alcohol?"

After our late lunch, we did some more shopping, posited on the lack of ATMs, short shopping hours, and the general acceptance of a lower level of convenience than we demand in the US. V found a collapsible walking cane for her husband, and was happy as a clam.

We tried to drive up the Gap of Dunloe afterwards, but were stopped by a jaunting car driver, who said drivers were no longer allowed up the road unless you were a resident, due to an accident with one of the ponies. We decided to head towards Ross Castle instead, and enjoyed its lakeside views. Too much wind and rain to climb up Torc so back to the B&B we went. We stopped at Inch Strand on the way back, as the shifting sunlight through stripes of storm clouds made a wonderful dance on the long, shimmering strand of sand.

We headed back out for some pints once in Dingle again. We found the Courthouse Pub this time, and they had pints, WiFi, and trad music. I chatted with a couple Scottish tourists for a bit, and we noticed that our two bartenders looked a bit like Snooki and Horation Hornblower a very odd combination! The music was very good, many of the tunes were ones the Chieftains do, I think there were four musicians playing.

Back at the B&B, the internet kept cutting out on my iPhone. I would have to go into the hallway and hold my phone up in the air to capture signal again, and that might last 5 minutes, or a half hour before cutting out again. V's iPad had no problem with it, though so my phone was just less powerful, but I knew that.

Saturday, May 28th: "A Stone Circle a Day Keeps the Mists Away?"
We got up early this morning, and went down to sit on the stairs in order to get WiFi. Jerry had warned us that it works fine on the first floor, iffy on the second floor, and forget it on the third floor. We had a wonderful breakfast served by Vanessa, Jerry's wife. Then we were off towards the Ring of Beara, another trip I had been greatly anticipating.

We started on the north road, and stuck with Jerry's advice on taking the scenic coastal route. Unfortunately, this was one of the high rain days, and the mists obscured much of what I'm sure was spectacular coastline and lovely beaches. We stopped to explore at one brown sign for Uragh Stone Circle, which took us inland along a long, windy, narrow, steep, questionable road, which then opened up into a rocky questionable road, and a further walk (but not too far) to the stone circle. There was a small donation box for E1 each, which we of course contributed to.

The circle was perfectly placed on a small hill in a spectacular valley, surrounded by gentle high hills, a waterfall in the distance, and green and white dotting the landscape everywhere. It was very prominent and impressive, yet the circle itself was small, almost intimate much less intimidating than others I'd seen. I liked it a lot.

We saw another sign back at the parking area handwritten promising a famine cottage, a 'boulder circle', and a hut. We walked up the mountain, following the occasional arrow signs (again, hand written). We went all the way up the mountain, past a farmhouse, and decided we had missed it somehow. On the way back, I saw a blown-over handwritten sign pointing who knows where? There was a path, so we followed that as well. It got very squishy, so I chickened out, but V continued on she found nothing she could recognize, so came back. The mysterious 'boulder circle' remains at large to this day keep your eyes out for it!

We drove along some more, and found another brown sign we obviously had not yet learned. This was Castlecreevy Stone Circle, I think. We parked, and started walking through the woods. We saw a deer, who kept flirting with us, ran away a couple feet, then came back, ran some more, etc. We walked and walked, exploring all. The forest was very different from the one in Glenariffe very mossy, very dark, almost spooky. We saw three other people walking with a dog, and they said they were going to the stones, so we followed them. It's a good thing we did we would never have found it on our own! Evidently we parked one spot too soon, and didn't take the road/path up to the stones, we went the long way around.

There were actually two stone circles right next to each other, both rather small, but both with large principle stones. They were on top of a tall hill, with misty views out into the valleys below, and you could see the inlet, even through the mist and haze.

We went back down through the shorter way, but I slipped part of the way down. I was fine, even though my leg bent under me as I fell. I was more muddy than hurt but a big, conveniently placed rock helped me scrape the worst of the mud and wet off my butt. We saw the deer's tracks in the mud as we took the 'real' path back to the road, and then a short distance down the road to our car.

Since TomTom has no differentiation between "safe route" and "quickest route" we have interesting side trips. It might be nice to have "scenic route" as an option, but that often means, as we've discovered before, simply an "alternate" to the real road. "Insane driver in a tractor going 60mph down the narrow, windy road coming towards you around the next bend" might be a more useful option.

We found another brown sign, for another stone circle. The circle was in a fenced field next to a farmhouse (after a long, narrow, windy road, of course). There was another car in the little parking area that started back down towards us, when it could easily SEE us coming down this narrow road, with no place to pass. After a moment, the other driver, I suppose, decided that the cars should not actually exchange paint molecules, so he slowly started backing up to the parking area again.

The circle had a couple lambs lying next to it, who quickly vacated as I went through the gate and walked towards it. They ran around the corner of the farmhouse and evidently got their mommies and daddies, because all of a sudden, a herd of about 50 sheep started coming towards me, baaing and baaing, running towards me. It was like something out of a bad Irish horror movie! I had plenty of time to get back out, and the sheep were far enough away that I didn't need to run to keep ahead of them but that circle definitely has an effective guard system!

We went into Ardgroom, but by that time the rain and mists had increased to the point it was difficult to see anything. However, we had no problem seeing the almost eye-blindingly brightly painted buildings in town! They must have had a sale on BRIGHT paint one day. I'd seen many individual houses with bright colors I'm sure it brightens up the mists and gloom on occasion. But often it's one house, or trim on one or two houses not the entire village.

We did see another brown sign for an Ogham Stone (Ogham is the ancient writing system of the Celts), but it was through a private farm. V stayed in the car while I ventured up. When I got there, I found this 18' stone jutting up into the sky from a tall hill and realized my memory card was full! No problem, I went back and deleted the most recent few photos, took new ones up there, and then retook the last ones after getting a new card at the car.

This area is lovely, with rocky points sticking up into the mists in the now much calmer ocean. The houses and villages look as though they needed an influx of prosperity, though, and much was weathered and beaten. Part of that, I'm sure, is that Beara isn't the tourist mecca that is Kerry or Dingle, and therefore doesn't have as much funding (or interest) in keeping things tourist-friendly. This is both a good and bad thing. Good in that it keeps the area authentic, 'normal', and unspoiled; bad in that it makes it more difficult for the locals to subsist.

We drove around the tip of the Ring of Beara, found Kilcatherine Church and a Mass Rock, and traveled along more windy roads through rocky hills, up mountains and down through valleys. We found Castletownbere, and saw another brown sign for a small circle that was right off the road. Then we found a wedge tomb this was like a clearinghouse for Neolithic structures! We found one tomb, went on to the second promised one (brown sign again), and ended up on a steep hill leading up to a farmhouse again. With some manipulation of the manual transmission, I managed to turn around without hitting anything, and found the main N road (N71) with relief.

We passed by Molly Gallivan's and Druid's View (still too misty to view much), and decided that we had had enough with brown signs for the day. They had led us on enough foolish epic quests and down enough twisty, questionable roads for the nonce. We made our way back to Kenmare (ignoring the brown signs that now popped up like teasing little schoolchildren, nyah-nyah!). Having seen at least six stone circles today was wonderful, each one was different and unique, and I asked favors at each one.

Ah, pints! Yes, the sweet taste of cider, the Guinness stew, and the fish-n-chips of a well-run pub. V was feeling antisocial again, so she went upstairs to repack and retool, while I had a pint at the bar, and waited for another online friend, Seamus, to show up. He was a motorcyclist, and was camping nearby, so he said he'd meet up with me for a chat this evening. While I'm waiting, I am writing in my handy-dandy notebook, tallying up the experiences of the day. Once again, the 'character' in the pub comes over and asks if I'm writing a love letter. This is not the first time I've been asked that to people actually write love letters any longer? I told him no, I was writing a book, and it was all about him. He said I'd need a bigger notebook!

Seamus came in and we talked about all sorts of things that Irish actually drink Irish coffee (I thought it was an American invention of Irish culture, like corned beef on St. Patrick's Day), history and genealogy, economics and education. He hadn't eaten yet, and the pub was past serving food (only just) so we went out to the take-away and had some chips and curry. There were several very drunk guys staggering about, and one in the chip shop was the 'friendly drunk' who loved everyone. Another was the 'dropsy drunk', and he dropsied his soda on the floor twice.

Monday, May 30th: "No Petrol Stations to be found"
Up early and dark we'd not yet seen a sunrise here, since the sun rose before 5:30am, but today is the day for that.

We packed, headed out, and got on the main road and then did a very foolish thing, and listened to TomTom. I could have been smart and stayed on the N road the map said headed to Shannon, but I was still sleepy, and listened to the SatNav and it took us across country roads to the N20. Possibly a shorter route (by 2 minutes?) but one that had no towns, villages, or cities on the way.

This wouldn't have been a problem, either, if it weren't for rental car policy that gave a full tank of gas when you rented a car, and asked that you return it with an empty tank. Of course, no one wants to waste money on gas if they are going to lose it, so I figured I had enough to get me to the airport.

I was wrong.

The TomTom said it was 100 miles to the airport. The car said there was 125 left in gas, fine, no problem, just about perfect but that was km, NOT miles so we had nowhere near enough to get us to the airport. And it was 5am on a Monday, and nothing is open in Ireland at 5am. Also, all the gas pumps we had seen are operated by clerks, none take credit cards at the pump like those in the US, so they need to be manned in order to get gas. And villages don't have any gas stations, much less 24-hour manned ones.

We made it to a decent city, Charleyville, pretty much on fumes. The gauge had been saying empty for quite a while at this point, and we were very nervous about it. We found one gas station that looked like it might be open, but it wasn't yet. It was now 6am, our flight left from Shannon (45 minutes away still) at 9am. The station opened at 7am. We could do it, but it would make us very nervous being so late to check into an international flight.

I walked down to the Aldi next door, and was able to knock on the window, and get the attention of one of the stock guys. He said there was another gas station down the road that was 24 hours, not too far down, about half a mile. I got back and V said the store clerk (she didn't have the keys, was just early for work) said the same thing. We went down the road, and found a very closed-looking gas station. The windows were covered in paper, and no amount of knocking summoned anyone. I asked a guy on his way to work, he said no, there was another farther down the road.

This was Mecca a true 24-hour gas station, glory be halleluliah! Let the angels sing and the light shine down from the heavens! We quickly put in about E12 of gas and started off on our last dash to the airport. I sped the rest of the way on N and M roads. We got there around 7:00.

The weather today was beautiful, of course, on the day we left. We even saw another rainbow as we emerged from the tunnel that bypasses Limerick.

We dropped our car off at Dan Dooley and I want to say, I've rented cars in Ireland four times and the UK three other times, and this was the smoothest, most helpful agency I've ever dealt with. They were quick, efficient, no hidden charges at checkout, and very friendly. I highly recommend them! www.dandooley.com. I told the clerk I was concerned about making my flight he said no problem, he knew the pilot and that he would wait for us (yeah, right).

We took the shuttle into the airport, and got into line to check in and now I realized why the clerk was so sanguine about our flight. It looked like the only flight leaving that morning, and we were all in line to check in for it. Customs came with little laptops on rolling desks to pre-screen us. There were 4-5 clerks, so the line moved somewhat quickly, but we were still in line for about a half hour. Everyone was on the same flight, though, so I wasn't too concerned.

I found the VAT windows to turn in my receipts without problem, and a small wait. They are more efficient at it than they were. If more shops took the new VAT card, it would be even easier that meant no paperwork, just swipe the card at the shop and swipe it at the airport, and voila! All done.

We got to the gate just as boarding started, couldn't be more perfect. Since this was a day flight, I gave up thought of sleeping (it's hard enough on an overnight, dark flight), and watched movies. I watched This is Spinal Tap, Music & Lyrics, Inglorious Bastards and Season of the Witch. None was great, but all had some entertainment value and kept me occupied.

Getting into Newark, we had a four hour wait, but we had electronic entertainment and snacky bits, we were fine. Our gate was moved, and it was a strange little add-on gate. The flight was late boarding by about 45 minutes (was late getting in) but we had no other flights to catch, so I was unworried.

When we got back to PIT, we collected our luggage, I called my shuttle, found my car, and drove the 1.5 hours home. I was pretty exhausted, but happy that most of the trip went without major hitch. The most worrying part was the gasless drive back to the airport that morning, and we did what we could.

I should have the report with pics on my website this weekend (www.greendragonartist.com). However, if you want, here are my pics on my Facebook page. These are public links, so you don't have to be part of Facebook to see them. They are organized by area, and there are about 700 of them! (I took 7100 in total - these are the better ones). I'll only have about 40 on my website when it's up.

Comments and critiques always welcome!


Cushendall:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150197258727483.305267.676417482&l=4ac43aca5e
Ardara:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150197257072483.305266.676417482&l=ed9dd7a671
Westport:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150199564437483.305866.676417482&l=7f302d1315
Inis Mor:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150201726357483.306654.676417482&l=b8e70be951
Ballyvaughan:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150201771817483.306672.676417482&l=a92e011a11
Dingle:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150202462027483.306857.676417482&l=ac958d7a59
Kenmare:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150202912177483.306959.676417482&l=a11d41e65d

Michele, I'm glad some of the tension and worry in the situation made it through in my writing - I was getting very worried, especially after that gauge was flatlined!

OK, I'm glad it wasn't my imagination that Connor Pass was widened. My friend Kim (who drove it the last time, in 2006) will be happy to hear it! I had no trouble finding rural roads... TomTom helped quite a bit there!

I loved Dark Hedges, it's lovely. I'd seen photos, and knew I must find it this trip. And O'Donnabhain's was one of my favorites - definitely worth a stay and a write-up! You could tell he and his wife truly enjoy what they do, and they do it quite well. Real joy in your vocation is rare.

Next trip - I've started the ball rolling to hopefully get a job there. So hopefully my next trip will be for interviews, in about a year, probably... unless something comes through sooner, and I jump! We shall see!

I've expanded my search to the whole island. I don't care where I live during the week - I can always travel during the weekend. :)

 

And I realize that Dublin is, by far, going to be where the vast majority of opportunies are.

-- Edited by Green Dragon on Saturday 18th of June 2011 03:53:09 PM

Thanks, Stewart! I agree about Jer :)

Full trip report with some pics:
http://www.greendragonartist.com/BI/BItripreports2011.htm

Public links to my photos on Facebook from Ireland May 2011 trip, funny or odd things, pubs, B&Bs:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150196453237483.305029.676417482&l=c097d6cb7f
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150196341482483.304986.676417482&l=422cde32b4

"No hidden charges" must mean different things to different people. When we---four adults---rented a car from Dan Dooley we assumed---WRONGLY---that each of us would be doing some of the driving. No no no no no. The rental price only allowed one of the four adults to be "the driver". It would be $70 each for the other three people to take their turn at driving!!! I call that a hidden charge of $210!!

The Aer Lingus Vacation Store packaged this trip for us---air and car.  I spoke with their agents on the phone and was clear about my three friends looking forward to the challenge of driving Ireland.  I am looking at my paperwork now: Dan Dooley info does not allude to # of drivers---just pickup location & time, car features, classification, etc. Oh well. I'll be smarter next time. I still think the additional driver charge ($70) is an outrageous amount---especially since the rent-a-car agents told me the VIP Express Car Insurance I bought covered everything, including complete replacement of car.

Annetta,

All car rental companies in Ireland charge extra for each driver. Dooley is no exception. However, when booking through a third-party there is always the problem of communication and deciphering exactly what the "package" contains. That's why I book directly with the car company, accommodations, etc. Less chance of mis-communication as long as I take the time to read the "fine print".

Car insurance covers damage to the car and may cover medical for passengers (depending on type bought). Not aditional drivers.

If you had rented from another car company, the price could easily have doubled or tripled for various add-ons such as road tax, airport fee, VAT, fee to cross the border, etc.

Consider it a learning experience. I've had many in Ireland over the years. It has made me wiser and more wary.


Michele