Ireland Thursday August 2nd - Killarney

In the morning we grabbed breakfast with the Westwood House family and had a chat about our plans.

Blarney Castle - ***

As much as I hate to say it (because it’s the classic tourist thing), Blarney Castle is a do not miss attraction. It’s situated in a pristine area of the countryside and the gardens are kept beautifully landscaped. It’s a great place for an amateur photographer to let loose and explore.
Get there in the morning on an off day like we did to avoid hordes of tourists. If you get there while it’s raining the kiss at the stone will back up so try to get there on a clear day.

The castle itself is huge and picturesque but the surrounding gardens are the real treat that most people seemed to ignore. We went on our own little adventure after the castle and saw plenty of beautiful sights among the Druid’s stones and the Witches rock. Plan to take your time here and really absorb the natural beauty around the ferns and boardwalk.
Not to mention there was some good food and coffee to be found at the little shop right inside the gates. If you are lucky there might even be some musicians playing some traditional music, if so take a seat there and enjoy!

Blarney Woolen Mills - ***

This was a total super-store for the woolen mills which had 90% of the pieces we saw across the country while we were there. The prices ranged a bit but if you see something you can’t live without grab it and never look back!

Acara, Killarney - **

We hopped over to Killarney once we were done in Blarney and checked into our B&B Acara. Carmel was a total doll for our stay and we had a nice little room with a window facing the street.
The hosts were very helpful as we searched around the ports to find a boat heading to Skellig Michael, going as far as to let us use their phone to make the calls. It was also an easy walk between there and the town center, so we took advantage and grabbed a couple of drinks the few nights we spent there.

Danny Mann Inn - ***
98 R877 Killarney, Co. Kerry

Hankering for some entertainment of the musical variety? We got the tip from Carmel to check out the pub for some traditional music and drinks at night. The other pubs in the area were not actually home to the kind of music we wanted to hear or were too overcrowded/loud to properly enjoy.
We snuck around to the front until we were right up against the stage to enjoy the music. When the guys packed up we shot over to grab a CD and had a good long chat with them about all they’ve seen and done. As usual with every Irish person we’ve spoken to they asked about our itinerary and got a bunch of suggestions about our next stops.

We wandered home that night laughing and scaring the locals. Damn tourists!