Day 11: Lecture, Ring of Kerry, Kissane Sheep Farm
Breakfast: Hotel buffet.
Morning: We’ll begin with a talk entitled: A Ramble Down The Ol' Bothrain.
We’ll then board a motorcoach with a local expert for a field trip exploring the Ring of Kerry itself. This celebrated landscape is made up of spectacular coastal and mountain scenery and encompasses the towns of Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, and Sneem.
Lunch: At a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Next, we’ll visit the family-run Kissane Sheep Farm in Kenmare, County Kerry. A traditional working farm with approximately 1,000 mountain sheep and hundreds of lambs, it is run by John and Anne Kissane, and has been in the hands of the same family for the last 150 years. One of the farmers will lead us around the fields and yards, explaining efforts to preserve the heritage of Irish mountain sheep farming; we’ll see some of the seasonal activities that take place on the farm.
Dinner: At the hotel.
Evening: Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 105 miles, approximately 5 hours. Walking about 3 miles, periods of standing; varied terrain including paved streets, grass, uneven rocky areas, stone paving, gravel paths.
Accommodations: Arbutus Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Breakfast: Hotel buffet.
Morning: We’ll begin with a talk entitled: A Ramble Down The Ol' Bothrain.
We’ll then board a motorcoach with a local expert for a field trip exploring the Ring of Kerry itself. This celebrated landscape is made up of spectacular coastal and mountain scenery and encompasses the towns of Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, and Sneem.
Lunch: At a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Next, we’ll visit the family-run Kissane Sheep Farm in Kenmare, County Kerry. A traditional working farm with approximately 1,000 mountain sheep and hundreds of lambs, it is run by John and Anne Kissane, and has been in the hands of the same family for the last 150 years. One of the farmers will lead us around the fields and yards, explaining efforts to preserve the heritage of Irish mountain sheep farming; we’ll see some of the seasonal activities that take place on the farm.
Dinner: At the hotel.
Evening: Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 105 miles, approximately 5 hours. Walking about 3 miles, periods of standing; varied terrain including paved streets, grass, uneven rocky areas, stone paving, gravel paths.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
With Sharon restless and sick, we were up and moving around just after 5:30 am. I did a ten minute Peloton bodyweight workout. We wandered down to breakfast in the hotel at 8:00 am. We both had scramble eggs and salmon.
At 9:00 am, we joined the group in the lobby and walked to a nearby hotel. We had a very good presentation by a retired dairyman-Denis Kissane-on Irish rural life. Born in 1950, we used photos from his life to talk about the rhythm of life for the typical Irish farmer.
I was surprised at how primitive Irish farming in the 1950s and 1960s; they were still using horses. I was also thinking after the presentation that it won't be possible to get the same kind of first hand lecture in a few years.
We boarded the bus about 10:30 am for a panoramic driving tour of the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a iconic 111-mile circular scenic route located on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. Renowned as one of the country's premier road trips, the route loops through rugged ocean coastlines, dramatic mountain passes, ancient stone fortresses, and vibrant coastal villages. I reminded me a little of our drive around the Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye, except I didn't have to do the driving!
The lecturer fom the morning rode along and provided a steady stream of commentary. He literally never stopped talking during the first 3/4s of the tour.
We stopped for lunch in Waterville. It is a popular seaside town along Ballinskelligs Bay. It is famously favored as a summer retreat by Charlie Chaplin. I had seafood chowder, while Sharon had some bad fish and chips.
We stopped at Coomakista Pass to pictures. It was windy and overcast.
looking southwest from Coomakisata Pass
Ladies Rest
About 3/4s of the way around the Ring of Kerry, we stopped at the Kissane Sheep Farm. It is a traditional working hill sheep farm located near Moll's Gap between Killarney and Kenmare. We watched a sheepdog demonstrations. We saw a skilled Border Collie follow complex whistle and voice commands to herd Kerry Hill sheep across the steep mountain terrain. Afterwards, we saw a machine shearing demonstration and learned a little about wool production.
We were back to the hotel about 5:45 pm. Talking to Tom, he compared the trip to a ninth grade field trip. I liked the day a lot more than that...
In spite of fact that she was feeling under the weather, Sharon made it though the day. Getting back to the hotel, she crashed in the room. When I went down to dinner, she stayed in the room. Working with Eileen, the program director, we got the hotel staff to take a tray to the room for her. I had seafood chowder and a tough pork loin for dinner.
I finished the night listening to traditional music with a large group from the tour in Buckley's Bar. The bar is located in the hotel and is owned by the Uncle of Jesse Buckley!?! There is a picture on the wall of her holding her Oscar.
I headed back to the room and crashed just before 9:30 pm.
It is too bad that Sharon was feeling under the weather last two days. Killarney was a cute little town. It would have been fun to explore the nightlife.
We are heading to Cork tomorrow.
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