5/19 The Ring of Kerry
After another fantastic Irish breakfast 
Helen, our host, suggested a shortened version of the Ring of Kerry, up to Valentia Island and back again, which turned out to be quite a good suggestion.
We followed Kenmore Bay all the way from Kenmore, driving through gorgeous forests. The Ring of Kerry is quite different from Dingle in that it is much more heavily forested, with hawthorne hedgerows in bloom and wild purple rhododendron bushes throughout the woods. Our first stop was in Sneem, a quaint village with houses painted in bright primary colors.
Next was Staigue Fort, the largest and best preserved dry stone fort in Ireland. It was four kilometers off the main road, all of it on a one lane road with blind curves where two cars could not pass without one pulling into the occasional widened pull-offs. How JP drove it without turning gray I don’t know, but the fort was well worth the drive. The fort is nestled in a bowl surrounded by mountains with a spectacular view down to Kenmore Bay.
Staigue Fort
The size put Dunbeg Fort to shame. The circular fort is 25 meters wide with walls 4 meters thick and over 7 high. Stone steps on the inside make the rampart easy to climb, which we all did.
On our way out we stopped at a cute stand for coffee and apple pie with strawberries and cream. The young man who waited on us was from Philadelphia, but his grandmother lived in the house overlooking the fort.
Our next stop was Derrynane, the home of Partick O’Connell, the father of Irish Independence. Educated in France during the revolution, he believed all men should be free and equal and was a committed abolitionist in addition to campaigning for Irish emancipation, which he achieved in 1822. The gardens surrounding the house are spectacular as is the beach walk to Abbey Island and the ruins of an abby where his wife is buried overlooking the water.
Just past Waterville, we took the Skellig Ring Road through Ballinskelligs. The mountain roads that lead to Portagee offer spectacular views of the Skelligs.
We had a picnic lunch overlooking a beautiful bay and beach as we watched the rain obscure the Skellig Islands and make its way toward shore, finishing our picnic just as the rain arrived.
The road that crosses over the mountain is again one lane most of the way, so one car must stop to accommodate an oncoming car or motor bikes. Luckily, no buses are allowed on the Ring Road.
On Valentia Island, we visited the Skellig Experience, well worth it for those too timid or sane to hazard a visit to Skellig Michael, a monastery founded in 500 AD by Augustinian monks seeking a retreat from the world. Skellig Michael is ten miles off the coast, and the ascent to the stone beehive huts at the top of the island is vertical. The scene from the latest Star Wars in which they find Luke in a monastery was filmed there, stimulating new interest in the island.
On our way from Valentia toward N70, we saw fields where long rows of peat bricks was being dried, and most farmhouses had a pile of peat under plastic in the farmyard.
It was almost an eight hour day and I can’t imagine doing more than we did.
Back in Kenmore, we had a lovely dinner at Davitt’s listening to more live music (Kenmore seafood platter with salmon, cod, crab claws, mussels, prawns and smoked salmon for me, duck for Steve, lamb for Kaylea, and fish and chips for JP).We have not had a mediocre meal yet. The food is gourmet, the portions large, and the prices reasonable.
Afterward we wandered down the street, impressed by the number of restaurants/pubs that had live music.
