DAY SIX
WRITER’S BLOG - SUNDAY, MAY 5th, 2019 - Did we tell you we got our luggage back? Yep! We owe a debt of graditude to Ger at Aer Lingus!
We hit the ground running this morning. And a beautiful morning it was! Chilly, but sunny and blue skies!
Off to catch the bus for Ring Of Kerry Tour! Have to say, the hospitality here at the Arbutus has been awesome! Kate, who checked us in the day before, booked our Kerry tour. All we had to do was show up. But before we did, someone decided we should all take Airborne before we got on a bus with a bunch of strangers, who may or may not, be ill. Ever pop an airborne tablet a la carte? By a la carte I mean without the 4oz of water it’s supposed to dissolve in. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz! Oh my, you’ve never seen fizz like the fizz spit makes when it comes in contact with an effervescent! I’m sure this is what they use in movies for foaming at the mouth. Now, in defense of the “fizzy” blond, they do make a chewable, but this wasn’t that. No. 2 “fizzy” blond, with some hesitancy, plopped it in her mouth as she said, “you can chew these now?” “Ah, I don’t think so,” said the third, just as No. 2 spit out the tablet, now activated and bubbling like good champagne. No. 1 “fizzy” blond was now foaming at the mouth! OMGosh, we are now laughing to tears! How old are we again?
We somehow managed to be first in line and snag the front PRIORITY seats, which gave us excellent visage of the countryside and hot spots along the way. The driver, Baortholemew, or Batt for short, was a character. He sang and told wonderful stories as we travelled along, along with in depth history of the area, including Daniel O’Connell, who was born in the Ring Of Kerry, and who fought for Catholic rights by winning a seat in government.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the tour was the sheep dog demonstration in Kells-Gleensk by award winning sheep dog trainer Brendan Ferris and his border collies, Jip and Rick. Sheep roam the steep hillsides all summer, and the only way to get them down is with sheep dogs. As the dogs climb higher to retrieve the sheep, they are driven by whistle commands developed for them alone. It’s mind boggling and fascinating to watch them work.
As we closed the book on the Ring of Kerry, we stopped in Sneem for a little stretch and some of the best ice cream in Ireland! It was a great finish to a wonderful day!
Winding our way through the Killarney National Park, we encountered some youth in their souped up little cars out on the roads doing turns and skid starts until the roads were black. They were mimicking the rally racers who had just finished a weekend of rally racing the narrow roads of Killarney. They were not part of the races, just kids being wild, drinking and blocking traffic! The police, or Guard as they are called in Ireland 🇮🇪 were out in force. They brought them into town in single file, with the lead Guard on a motorcycle and a trail of little cars following behind like a mother duck and her ducklings! Except there will be no nesting for them. They’ll be lucky 🍀 to get a ride home!
We arrived back at the Arbutus in time for gingerbread and tea before heading out to see the Celtic Steps Irish dancers and singers. The program was full of jigs and clogging, including two-time world champion Connor Carlton who holds 2 World Champion titles, 4 All-Ireland Champion titles and 10 Midland Champion titles. Also, Peig O’Connor, who has amassed both Munster and European titles, along with an Irish National title with her team, preformed competition style dancing.
Back on the bus to the Arbutus and gingerbread and tea!
Nite Nite..
