Cheryl's Travels: Ring of Kerry

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The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. Its 179kms long, circular route takes in rough and verdant coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages. Along the way you can see pristine beaches, medieval ruins, mountains and loughs, and ever-changing views of the island-dotted Atlantic Ocean.

Peat is a soil that is made up of the partially rotted remains of dead plants which have accumulated on top of each other in waterlogged places for thousands of years. Areas where peat accumulates are called peat lands or bogs. In Ireland two factors contribute to the existence of peat lands - high rainfall and poor drainage. Bogs are also very acidic, and it is this acidity that helps preserve the excellent condition of ‘bog bodies’ (human bodies discovered in bogs, usually victims of ritual sacrifice from long ago). Peat lands originally covered more than 17% of the land area in Ireland and Ireland is one of the few countries where a wide range of peat land still exists in a near natural state.

A stop at the Kerry Bog Village was on the agenda today. It is located on the Ring of Kerry and gives an insight into how people lived and worked in rural Ireland in the late 19th century.

This building would have been used by a blacksmith - made of stone.

A traditional farm house

The Irish Wolfhound is an ancient Irish breed of dog. Famous for being the world’s tallest dog these dogs were once used to hunt wolves, elk and wild boar. Some characteristics associated with Irish wolfhounds are their sweet temperament, intelligence and patience.

The Kerry bog pony is a native breed to Ireland. Kerry bog ponies were used for transport and farm work, such as bringing home turf from the bog, seaweed from the beach, and bringing milk to the creamery. The bog pony was unique in rural towns and villages - they were smaller and easier to keep than horses, eating less and taking up little space. They were faster and more athletic than donkeys and were ideal companions in the bogs of Kerry as they were light and wouldn’t sink into the bog like larger ponies or horses.

Back to more stunning scenery:

A lunch stop was at Cahersiveen - a little town indelibly linked with the fight for Irish independence - it was the birth-place of Daniel O’Connell, ‘the Great Liberator’, and was where the first shots of the 1867 Fenian Rising were fired.

The Catholic Church in Cahersiveen is the only one in Ireland named after a layperson, Daniel O’Connell

I like this town, where one can just leave beer kegs out on the street

A little further along the Ring of Kerry is Waterville where silent movie star Charlie Chaplin holidayed in the 1960s.

After leaving Waterville the Ring of Kerry road climbs high over the ridge of Beenarourke providing wonderful views of magnificent scenery.

The ragged outline of Skellig Michael can just been seen. This dramatic island housed a remote monastery between the 6th and 12th centuries...but its starring role as a location in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi hog the spotlight now.

Proving that I was actually there

Sneem is one of many little villages dotting along the Ring of Kerry:

Kenmare has lovely streets lined with craft shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants.

Stone circles were built during the Bronze Age (2000 - 200 B.C.) and Kenmare Stone Circle is the biggest example of over 100 circles that exist in the south west of Ireland. They are believed to have been built for ritual and ceremonial purposes and some studies have indicated that they were orientated on certain solar and lunar events such as the position of the sun on the horizon on a solstice. These Stone Circles may have some relationship with the more famous monument at Stonehenge. In the centre of the circle is a type of burial monument known as a “Boulder Dolmen’. These are rarely found outside of south-western Ireland.

From Kenmare we headed to Kissane Sheep Farm for a sheep dog performance. The farm has been in the Kissane family for over 200 years, and even if you’ve seen sheep dogs at work before, the scenery where this farm is located is likely more beautiful than most. Moll’s Gap winds between rock and lake and stunning vistas.