Killarney Trip

So another week has passed here in Ireland. Every minute of it has still be packed with fun, lots of walking/hiking, and sight seeing. On Wednesday we went to Dublin to see the Book of Kells and the Trinity College Long Room Library (no pictures were allowed inside so sorry about that. Google it though, it's worth seeing). 

Dublin: O'Connell Street

On Thursday we left for our first trip! We drove to County Cork on the southwest coast of Ireland and stopped in Blarney. The city is home to Blarney Castle and the famous Blarney Stone. Legend has it you kiss the stone to receive the gift of gab (a.k.a. smooth talking).

Blarney Castle

View from the top

Kissing the Blarney Stone

At the top!

The grounds at Blarney Castle are absolutely stunning. They are really well kept up. I loved the Woodland Walk. 

Straight out of Wordsworth's "I wandered lonely as a cloud"

After visiting Blarney Castle we drove to Killarney where we spent the night. Killarney is in County Kerry, the farthest southwest county in Ireland. We stayed in a hostel that night; that was my first experience in a hostel. Let me tell you, it was quite the experience.

The next day we went to a lot of amazing places: Killarney National Park to see the Muckross House and Torc Waterfall; the Gap of Dunloe and Inch Beach in Dingle.

I have a similar photo from 3 years ago when I first visited Ireland. That is the Muckross House at Killarney National Park.

Another slow shutter. I think my photography has improved a bit in the last 3 years.

After the National Park we drove to the Gap of Dunloe. We didn't really know what to expect, which turned out to be great, because it made what we found all the better. The Gap is definitely my favorite place I've been so far in Ireland, and it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I'll just say it looked like it was right out of Middle Earth.

Starting our walk in the Gap of Dunloe. 

Gorgeous views all around.

I was in awe. These photos can't do it justice.

After our lunch we headed out to Dingle where we'd be spending the night. It's on a peninsula and absolutely beautiful. Our first stop was Inch Beach on the Atlantic Ocean!

I spent my time there exploring the grassy sand dunes on the eastern edge of the beach.

The next day we relaxed on the bus while Brian our bus driver drove us around the Dingle Peninsula. Stunning vistas of green hills and bright blue water were perfect contrasts to the dark stormy skies. Luckily we didn't have any rain!

This is the view of the southwestern most point in all of Europe!

The Spanish Armada stopped here in the 1580's.

Don't let looks deceive you. That hill in the middle was extremely steep and sheer rock. It required actual rock climbing and precarious footing to make it safely to the top.

The views were worth the sketchy climbing.

Lastly we drove to the Gallarus Oratory in Dingle. It's believed to be an old church and it's built to be completely waterproof. The ancient Irish were seriously very architecturally-minded and intelligent. It's impressive.

Here's Deanna posing for me. I couldn't resist snapping a few cool shots of the lighting inside there. It was pretty much pitch black.

So our first trip was a success. 2 nights and 3 days packed with hiking and bonding and lots of laughs. I'm thoroughly enjoying myself in Ireland to say the least. Can't wait to see what the rest has in store. The next two weeks are a bit lighter with reading, discussions and some exams. I hope you all back in the states are doing well. Love and miss you guys!

Until next time,

Max