Kilmare and The Ring of Kerry

Things you see while driving in Ireland.

Blurry deer running through the Killarney National Park.

Well, because Paul is a rockstar husband, I convinced him that we should drive to a tiny farm outside of Kilmare and go horseback riding instead of spending a bunch of money on gas doing the Ring of Kerry, which is a popular attraction for almost all Ireland tourists. It is approximately a 5 hour drive and with stops can take you all day. Rick Steve's guid book raved about a town called Killmare, and told travels to all together skill Killarney. After visiting the two, we couldn't agree more. Killarney is overpriced and a tourist trap... stay in Killmare. We had no choice since Groupon did our bookings, but our time roaming the streets in Killmare confirmed our opinions.

Sights along the Ring of Kerry.

We had to stop and take photos numerous times!

One of the Ring of Kerry bays.

The drive from Killarney National Park to Killmare was crazy cool. It's the start on the Ring of Kerry (clockwise, as suggested by Mr. Steves), and the roads are small, narrow, and fast. I was super nervous riding shotgun, but Paul was having a blast driving stick around the tight corners with the locals tailgating him. We saw some great views too, there were some amazing views of the mountains, bays and lakes in the National Park. We also came close to hitting a few deer and sheep. I wasn't quick enough on the draw of my camera for the deer, but we did see quite a few sheep roaming the roads and countryside. Apparently during the tourist season you can stop in at a sheep farm and watch their border collies heard the sheep with commands from the farm owner. They also do a sheering demonstration, but, as the story goes, they are closed in the off season.

Our small town coffee shop, what a cute, quiet little place.

Peace.

As a compromise we decided to drive a portion of the Ring of Kerry. We made it to the town of Sneen, here we stopped for a coffee and to roam the streets momentarily. It was fairly obvious that this was a stop for tour busses and those who need a coffee while tourists drive the Ring of Kerry, because it was a ghost town while we visited. Regardless, the bakery was cute and our espresso was perfect. We returned then to Killmare to grab some lunch and roam the city center for about an hour.

The moment we parked, we could smell the wonderful aroma of fire grilled something or other. It was pizza, and with that first smell it was determined that we were going to have outdoor fire roasted pizza for lunch. The streets of the town are packed with vendors in the summer selling food, produce, and crafts during the summer months. A few of the dedicated vendors were out there on the rainy afternoon. It was delicious. We wandered to find another coffee shop, adorable little storefront and sweets display. Latte in hands we hit the road to find the tiny horse farm in the countryside of Kilgaren.

I wonder if Foley is an Irish name?

Fire roasted pizza on the street in the city center of Killmare!