A Visit to the Beara Peninsula and Killarney
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
 A problem with our rental car delayed our next outing. We had to drive to Kerry Airport to exchange vehicles, and it took so long we knew we wouldn’t see the entire Beara Peninsula as we'd planned. We’d see what we could, however. I’d visited Beara before, though my husband never had. I wanted to show him the village of Eyeries and the writing retreat whose hospitality I'd enjoyed, and I wanted to see parts of the area I'd never seen. With the rental car business squared away, we headed back to Kenmare and entered the gloriously rugged West Cork region.
Gertrude, our gallant GPS, did a commendable job with her new Irish maps until we reached Beara. The place completely baffled the poor thing. What should have been a simple drive around a modest peninsula quickly deteriorated into "direct routes" through obscure trails and elusive villages that were on the map but probably only appeared every seven years.
 Eventually we unwound ourselves from the maze and found Healy Pass, a high winding road that runs from Lauragh in County Kerry to Adrigole in County Cork, cutting through the  Caha Mountains. Perhaps it was because my husband was driving and I had no sense of control, but I couldn’t help imagining the car slipping over the edge of the road and plunging down the cliffs.
 We stopped at a lofty overlook. Once I was out of the car, I felt safe enough to enjoy the spectacular scenery—but we had to get back down. What would happen if we met a car coming the other way? One of us would have to back up for miles. One of us would surely plunge. My bet would be on the Yanks driving backwards on the "wrong" side of the bicycle path road.
But we reached Adrigole at last having met only two other cars in spots where we could pull over and let them pass. We continued on to Castletownbere and stopped for lunch, assured by the owner we’d never find fresher haddock anywhere. He was right.
 
After lunch, we drove to Eyeries. Sadly, Sue Booth-Forbes, owner, director, and all around wizard of the Anam Cara Writer’s and Artist’s Retreat, was away on a family matter, but we viewed the house, Coolagh Bay, and the town. Only the occasional mooing of cows disturbed the peace. I wished we could linger and walk on the bogs, but the afternoon was fading fast. Perhaps we'd see the rest of the peninsula another time.
 The next day we stayed in town for a walk in Killarney National Park. Fine blue skies and warmer temperatures graced our stroll to Ross Castle. The last time we’d seen the castle, scaffolding covered most of it. The renovations are complete,  and though the old fort was closed  for the winter, we had a wonderful tour of the grounds and a walk through the park. That evening, we attended the traditional Irish music festival that had been our excuse to visit Ireland this time. After three great concerts, we returned to our hotel room to pack. -768672.jpg) Gertrude got us safely back to Limerick the next afternoon. We strolled into town, and I picked up a few books for writing researc  h. I nearly shrieked when I saw The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance, the new anthology containing a story I wrote, in one of the bookstores! Our hotel room overlooked the Shannon River, beautiful at night. Our flight to Boston wouldn’t leave until the following afternoon, but I was already wondering how soon I could return. Labels: Anam Cara, Beara Peninsula, Eyeries, Healy Pass, Ireland, Killarney, Mammoth Book of Irish Romance, West Cork
Posted by Pat McDermott
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A Winter Visit to Kerry
Friday, March 5, 2010
 My husband and I have visited Killarney in February several times. I love the smell of burning peat (called turf in Ireland) in the air, and though the trees are bare, the grass is green, and tropical plants blessed by the warming Gulf Stream flourish outdoors. We’d always seen pots of pansies hanging on the poles throughout the town. Not this year. One pub owner told us the snow on the mountains was only designer snow. Anoth er said Ireland had endured its worst winter in sixty years. But the atypical chill in the air didn’t hinder our touring plans, and I’m happy to report that the rain-to-snow forecasts for each day of our visit were wrong. We armed Gertrude, our trusty GPS, with Irish maps to help us explore. She did her best to navigate our first daytrip, which took us south through Killarney National Park. Fog and showers obscured the views, but we were still adjusting to the five-hour time change and didn’t mind. Our twisty, narrow-laned drive brought us to the town of Kenmare, a colorful 19th century market town. Its Irish name, Neidin, means “little nest, ” as the town is nestled between the mountains of Kerry and Cork. We spent an enjoyable few hours browsing through shops, and I acquired several new CDs to feed my addiction to traditional Irish music. The weather had improved by the time we caught an Irish highway back to Killarney, seeing more than one rainbow along the way.    Above and Below - Scenery Along the Dingle Peninsula  
 Gertrude received a more vigorous workout the next day. A pleasant mix of clouds and sunny skies shone over our first visit to the Dingle Peninsula, the northernmost arm of Kerry stretching out into the Atlantic. I’d been researching ring forts for a writing project and didn’t realize I was about to see the prehistoric remains of more than one. The famous Beehive Huts and ancient Dunbeg Fort overlooking Dingle Bay would set anyone’s imagination awhirl. We drove out to the breathtakingly beautiful Slea Head, viewed the Blasket Islands, and drove on to see the Gallarus Oratory. On our way back to Killarney, we stopped in hilly Dingle Town for a stroll and a pub lunch.  
Above - Ring Forts and Beehive Huts
Below - The Gallarus Oratory and the View From Its Door   
Part two of our winter break will feature the Beara Peninsula and Killarney Town. Stay tuned!Labels: Beehive Huts, Dingle, Dingle Peninsula, Dunbeg, Gallarus Oratory, Ireland, Killarney, Ringforts, Slea Head
Posted by Pat McDermott
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A Book in the Hand is Worth . . .
Friday, February 12, 2010
 I received my author's copies of The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance today. What a thrill to hold this treasure-filled book in my hands at last after seeing the cover pop up all over the internet for the past few months!
My contribution, a story called By the Light of My Heart, is a tale of ancient magic that lingers into the early twentieth century. It's the last entry in this incredible anthology. Each story touches on different aspects of Irish myth, magic, and romance in the most imaginative ways. My kind of book, and I hope yours too!Labels: By the Light of My Heart, Ireland, Irish emigration stories, Irish fiction, Mammoth Book of Irish Romance, Sligo
Posted by Pat McDermott
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Howth Therapy
Saturday, August 22, 2009
 "Howth is Magic" says the current tourist brochure for Ireland's maritime gem on the northern fringe of Dublin Bay. I love visiting Howth, but we almost didn't make the nine-minute train ride this trip. We've been there so often, I thought perhaps we should try someplace different. But Mike said "Let's go," and after a late breakfast at Bewley's on Grafton Street, we caught t he DART at Pearse Station. The decision was a good one. There's no better cure for jet lag than a walk out on the east pier followed by a visit to the venerable Abbey Tavern for classic Irish refreshment.
Howth is a picturesque village on the peninsula of Howth Head, which juts out over the northern part of Dublin Bay. Once a small fishing village, Howth has evolved greatly over the years. The boats still bring in the freshest seafood around, yet upscale restaurants and shops lure tourists from all over the world. The grounds of Howth Castle now include a luxury hotel and the largest golf course in Ireland. A marina filled with sailboats graces the harbor. And the scenery . . . oh, the scenery.
 The cliff walks have lured many hikers, including me, to view sights that haven't changed in ages. When Mike and I trekked along those heathery cliffs a few years ago, I easily pictured Viking ships hurtling in to attack as they did in the ninth century. No need to do battle nowadays, however. Howth's property prices would knock the wind out of those Viking sails in a flash. In fact, I chose Howth as Prince Peadar Boru's fictitious home in A Ba nd of Roses. Peadar's imaginary mansion would fit right in with the elegant homes overlooking Balscadden Bay from Howth Head.
One of my favorite stories about Howth concerns Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley. According to the legend, she was cruising home from England in 1576 and stopped to lodge at Howth Castle for the night. The Earl of Howth turned her away. Infuriated by the breach of hospitality, she kidnapped the earl's grandson and heir and sailed home to Mayo. She returned the boy once the earl met her unique ransom demand: he must never rebuff unexpected guests again. To this day, the gates of Deer Park, the earl's demesne, are always open, and an extra place is set each night at the castle's dinner table.
Our Dublin adventures continued today. Stay tuned.Labels: A Band of Roses, Howth, Ireland
Posted by Pat McDermott
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