Dingle, Inch by Inch

 Our first stop of the day was Inch Beach, on our way to Dingle.  How many Dingle jokes can we make on one trip?  So many Dingle jokes.

Kinder Eggs!

 Kinder Eggs are a magical treat which will never be sold in America, because along with explosions and grilling shit, we also are super good at lawsuits, and that's why we can't have anything fun.  This is a fake kinder egg, but the idea is the same.  You unwrap it, break it in half, being careful not to choke on the giant capsule inside, eat the egg, open the capsule, and find an awesome prize.  I got Spiderman!  Thumbs Up!  Lizzie got a plastic Tigger, which is pretty appropriate.

Killarney Loves the USA

 We eventually made our way back to Killarney proper, after wandering around for a while trying to find our B&B, which was on a road that shares THE EXACT SAME NAME with a road that is about a half a mile away.

Downtown Killarney is all decked out for the 4th of July, hilariously, though I don't blame them for wanting to celebrate what is one of my favorite holidays, as it showcases what Americans are best at, explosions and grilling stuff.

It's probably been the most touristy place we've seen so far, with tons of souvenir shops and random buskers playing "Danny Boy" on the sidewalks, but they also sold imitation kinder eggs! 

Annals of Innisfallen

 Innisfallen Island (Faithlinn's Island) is located in Lough Leane, which means "lake of learning."  On the island are the ruins of a monastery that was founded in 640 by a monk known as Finian the Leper (now St. Finian, hopefully sans leprosy.)

For about 300 years, the monks here wrote "The Annals of Innisfallen," a history of Ireland (which chronicle amongst other things, the first Viking invasions of Ireland.)  The annals are now at Oxford University and due to their age and condition can never be opened again, but they were transcribed, and you can peruse them online.

The celtic cross you see here was found recently at the bottom of the lake by two fisherman, where it had been sitting for 700 years.  The abbey church, the complex, and an oratory remain (the cross is in the oratory) and the island is also home to many flora and fauna, including the doe and her fawn(a) seen here.  There are two yew trees which are hundreds of years old, and I hope to look nearly as good when I hit 800.  I imagine I will.

Boat to Innisfallen Island

 At a pier by Ross Castle, you can hop on a boat to Innisfallen Island, which I will cover in the next post.  We rode with this fine gentleman and his dog, who turned out to be his daughter's dog, Bella.  Guess who Bella liked best?  Hint, it wasn't me.

Our guide complained that his daughter and wife call several times a day to check on her, but noted that he could be hanging out the back of the boat having supper with O'Donoghue, and they wouldn't notice.  Lizzie tried to stuff Bella in her life jacket, but didn't manage to get away with it.  Alas.

O'er the Ramparts We Watched

 I told Lizzie that she and I had to defend Ross castle from here on out, but she doesn't seem to be taking her new job very seriously.

Ross Castle

Our next stop was Ross Castle, which was built in the late 15th century by the O'Donoghues. Legend has it that O'Donoghue leapt or was somehow sucked out of the grand chamber castle window (with his horse, table and library) into the lake, and now they live in a grand castle at the bottom of the lake to keep an eye on everything.   Aquaman's origin story?

Ross was one of the last to surrender to that a-hole Oliver Cromwell.  The Irish had a prophecy that Ross would never be taken until a warship could swim on a lake, and it was indeed by lake that the charming Lord Ludlow beat the Irish Lord Muskerry to take the castle.  O'Donoghue/Aquaman was probably reading a super good book that day.