Red is the Rose

Muckross Friary

Stardate 67299.4

20:35 - We spent our full day in Killarney at the Killarney National Park. Spanning over  100 acres, Killarney National Park is the first national park in the Republic of Ireland and consists of three lakes: Lough Leane, Muckross, and Upper Lake. The park became apart of the national portfolio when the Muckross estate donated it to the Republic of Ireland in 1932.

Max, our transportation and companion

 Before that time, most of Killarney National Park belonged to two families. The Herbert family originally bought the land and built the magnificent mansion that resides by Muckross Lake. Built in the Tudor style, the mansion, eventually known as Muckross House, went through extensive and costly renovation in preparation for Queen Victoria's visit. Apparently, hosting royalty is an expensive chore. It is not just the fact that you have a fancy house party lasting for days. This family bought huge pieces of solid wood furniture with ornate carvings from the Continent. They had to reorganize their household because Queen Victoria would only sleep on the first floor (side note: she had a huge fear of fires and needed an escape from them). Eventually, the Herberts sold the estate to American mining magnates. Their stay was short because of a death in the family, they gave the property to the Republic.

Today, they keep the mansion and gardens up by giving tours. We got to see where the families dined, their rooms, their billiards table, and even where Queen Victoria stayed. The tour even went through the kitchens where we were able to see the old cooking equipment. It was a regular Downton Abbey experience. Along with giving tours, the estate sponsors many local artisans, including weaving. They have looms onsite where tourists can purchase wool garments of all shapes and sizes. They even have their own label: Mucros Weaving. The guide informed us that the spelling for Mucros was no mistake, it takes after the Gaelic spelling of Muckross.

On our way back to the car, we stopped by the Muckross Friary. Today the Friary stands in ruins, but in the 1600s, the Friary was alive and kicking. The Friary belonged to the Observantine Franciscans. The order that lived and worshiped here were dedicated to the Holy Trinity. They were known to also have a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary. King Henry VIII decided to disband the group of brothers, but they came back. They had a pretty good run until 1662 when Cromwellian forces sacked the place. After that, the friary sat in ruin. Today the ruins still stand and are helped by a few arm rails. We got to climb all over and go up 400 year old stairs.

After the Friary, we continued our walk back to the car through the national park. It was a lovely fall day. As it should be because it was Halloween.

Wild Mountain Thyme

Tralee Bay behind us

Stardate 67296.6

22:22 - After a night out of great live music, we got a great tip on where to go for the next day from some locals. From Limmerick, we set off for the winding roads of Dingle Peninsula. This peninsula stretches 30 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean in southwest Ireland. Through the middle of the peninsula runs a pretty steep mountain range. Since we started on the North of the Peninsula, we drove through the mountain range, which led to some pretty breathtaking views of the bays and ocean below. We stopped to take a few pictures of Tralee Bay from up high. Lucky for us, there is always a turnout available.

The Dingle Peninsula has many fantastic features, but one of the prettier ones is Inch Beach! Inch Beach basically sticks out of the south part of Dingle Peninsula. In the Summer, it is a pretty happening spot to swim and sometimes surf. We arrived in the winter with a bunch of wind and sea foam. The views from Inch Beach were outstanding. Everything there appeared to be softer shades of green, blue and grey. We did not stay here long because of the cold and the hunger we felt.

We could have stopped anywhere to eat. In fact there were a great number of pubs or inns or general food places, but I had my eye set one place. Armed with a travel book, I told Rob to trust me as we traveled a bit further to eat lunch. You see, Focus Foxies, we have a love of penguins and there was a famous Irishmen from the Dingle Peninsula who went to the Antarctica, named Tom Crean. Tom Crean was a member of the crew who lost the race to the South Pole. He had even worst luck when on another boat that sank, he remained stranded near Antarctica. He managed to survive the 800 mile open ocean journey to safety. Eventually, he came to Annascaul, Ireland where he opened the South Pole Inn. The Inn is decorated in his honor with memorabilia from his travels to Antarctica. Also, it has a cute penguin sign. Totally worth driving and extra half an hour on an empty stomach for.

After lunch, we turned our attention to our nightly destination, Killarney. We had a grand first day in County Kerry, but it was about to get better. We settled into our bed and breakfast and then popped out to Danny Mann Inn for some Irish folk music. A man by the name of Dan O'Sullivan entertained us with his voice and his guitar. We drank our Smithwicks and sang along with him to songs we were just learning. By the time we left Ireland we knew them quite well. In fact, most of the Irish blog posts are named after songs that we sang that night.

Four Green Fields

Stardate 67294.1

22:45 - Our day in Limerick helped us to explore the history of Ireland. We traveled around quite a bit at this point, but we welcomed a chance to actually stay in the city we were staying in. Out of all of the places we stayed, Limerick offered the best guide to the history of Ireland. Along the banks of the River Shannon lies an important piece of Irish history: King John's Castle. While the castle's namesake is English (see the lion in Disney's version of Robin Hood), the castle represents years of Irish oppression and rebellion.

Before King John ordered his castle built, Limerick started out as a Viking base.  They did their best to raid the local church buildings until the King of Munster put their shenanigans to rest in 943. Limerick remained a quite town with both Viking and Irish influences until the Anglo-Normans came knocking in 1172. In what would later become an ironic twist of fate, King Henry II (King John's papa) was authorized by Pope Adrian IV to invade Ireland and bring the Irish Catholic Church closer to the Roman one. So King Henry II helped the Anglo-Normans invade Ireland and named his son, John, Lord of Ireland. When John became King of England, he retained the title Lord of Ireland. King John's Castle began being built in the early part of the 13th century, mainly to protect the city of Limerick and its strategic location from the Gaelic tribes in the West.

Limerick's location as a strategic location did not diminish with time. Time and time again, the Irish did their best to take back King John's Castle and rule themselves. One such time was the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the subsequent 1642 Siege of Limerick. As mentioned before, the original English goal for Ireland was to "bring them closer to the Pope" or at least that was the claimed moral reason. Well, this bit them in the ass when King Henry VIII upgraded his title from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland and then went and made his own religious sect. Most of the Irish stayed with the Catholic Church. The Tudors, both King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, did not take to kindly to this. Harsher and harsher conditions were laid on the Irish until some decided to rebel. Well, the rebels were able to take King John's Castle by surrounding the castle and then digging under it. The Irish Confederate Army had no siege artillery, but they could knock a wall down by making the foundation uneasy. Although King John's Castle was surrendered to them, the Irish Confederate Army eventually lost their campaign.

By the Treaty Stone

The spirit of rebellion did not stop there. Later in the 17th century, King James II was expelled from Great Britain due to Catholic tendencies. King William and Queen Mary of Orange came in to take his place. However, some folks in Limerick did not like their new boss. Once again, King John's Castle became the site of a rebellion skirmish. The Irish fought to a draw where the Williamites signed a treaty granting the Irish freedom of religion and it allowed their army to go freely. The treaty was commemorated in stone to remember what was promised. The army left for France to fight for France in what was called "The Flight of the Wild Geese." With the military gone, the British quickly reneged on the treaty.


Now, King John's Castle is not an active military site, but it is an archaeological site. The public can walk around in the basements and all the way up the towers to see sweeping views of the city.

After we toured the castle, we went to got grub in the most amazing place. I mean seriously, Focus Foxies, the best food in Ireland. We went to the gastropub, Locke's. We loved it. I had bangers and mash in red wine gravy. The food was so good we went back for dinner. At dinner we had local musicians play for us. Before we left we joined in an encore of 'Wagon Wheel'. It felt right at home.

Wild Rover

His hair was not bothered by the wind

Stardate 67291.5

23:45 - From Galway, we traveled down the Atlantic coast of Ireland to Limerick. We had our sights set on The Cliffs of Moher. Focus Foxies, much of the western coast of Ireland has sharp and imposing cliffs, and The Cliffs of Moher are particularly impressive.

My hair was bothered

The day we set off to The Cliffs of Moher, we experienced some of the most intense weather in Ireland. As we drove along the coast, we could feel the car shaking from the wind. Every time we pulled off to take pictures, we were blasted with cold air from the sea. Storms kept rolling in with the waves; we could not catch a break or some clear skies. I wanted to get some pictures of the jagged coastline, so we pulled off once more and took some pictures. While we were shivering out in the mist, an Irishman rolled down his window, laughed at us, and told us, "It is too cold out there for any of that, lads." I mean he was right, but I would not let that get in the way of photographing that pretty coastline.

I found a Mama Cow to pet.

Wildest of Rovers

We made it to The Cliffs of Moher and promptly bundled up. The wind had felt rattling the car was in full force. We were practically flattened on our way into the visitor center. Because we were forced to take shelter in the visitor center, we learned a lot about how these cliffs formed and what was living near them. The Cliffs of Moher began forming 300 million years ago in warm and shallow waters.
Fun fact, Focus Foxies, the Ireland was in a very different and very tropical place on Earth 300 million years ago. The Cliffs of Moher were in fact a river delta at one point, which allowed it to continue to grow in height as sediments settled. The Cliffs of Moher's layers of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone show much of its history, but that history is constantly changing with each wave. We were warned against getting too close to the edge as they were known to give way. Seriously, you could just erode off the cliff straight into the ocean.

This eroding issue did not keep some of The Cliff of Moher's more famous residents away. A colony of puffins has made the cliffs their home. We wanted to catch a glimpse at them, but alas, the cold kept us away. It actually began to sleat as we fought the wind to get back to the car.

The Cliffs of Moher, featured in The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price

Galway Girl

Stardate 67288.6

22:00 - We spent our third day in Ireland in County Galway. This was no ordinary day. This was a day of reckoning. You see, Focus Foxies, we placed this day aside as a prize. Earlier we had made a bet that the winner of our fantasy football league match-up would be King or Queen of the day. Since I did not prevail, Rob had great fun planning our day trip. Fortunately for a girl like me, Rob knows what I like to do. We set our sights on going to the country side to see Kylemore Abbey.

Lough Inagh, I believe

Kylemore Abbey lies in the heart of an area called Connemara. Throughout Ireland, you will find many gorgeous countrysides and wandering landscapes, but in my opinion, nothing compares to Connemara. Connemara's mountains rise up to meet the sky. Its adjacent lakes provide contrast as they dip below, and bogs cover the land. In October, the wind whips around the car, and we curved around each mountain, waiting to see what was next.  We took a shortcut to get to Kylemore Abbey through the Inagh Valley.

As in much of Ireland, Inagh Valley is home to many creatures of a more cuddly nature: sheep. At least, I assumed sheep were of a more cuddly nature, but alas, it is not so. I had many dreams when I landed in Ireland, chief among them to pet a sheep. I am sad to say, Focus Foxies, I failed miserably in this task. Connemara seemed like the perfect place to attempt it, but I got out of the car, carefully made my approach, and they fled like wild things.

We eventually made our way to Kylemore Abbey. Originally, Kylemore Abbey was no abbey at all; it was a castle built by a cotton merchant's son, named Mitchell Henry. Mitchell and his wife, Margaret, honeymooned in Connemara and fell in love with its beauty. When Henry inherited his father's fortunes, he set about to build a castle, or rather a monument to the love he held for Margaret. In 1867, he built a magnificent castle, employing many Irishmen after a time of great famine. He spared no expense in this undertaking. At this time, he had no worries about money in the slightest.

Kylemore Abbey

Mitchell Henry proved to be a great landlord and benefactor to the area, which had suffered from a lack of jobs and development. He provided adequate housing and schools for his tenants. He even provided windows in each house. Fun fact, Focus Foxies, windows were taxed by the English back in the day. Mr. Henry paid for the taxes to ensure that his tenants' houses were well lit. Sadly, the Henrys suffered a great loss when Margaret died young in Cairo. She left behind her grieving widower and nine children.


Kylemore went on spending lavishly.  Eventually, Henry had to sell the property, but not many takers existed. Even King George VII declined, mentioning the cost alone was exorbitant. Henry died in 1910 in England with less than 100 pounds to his name.

In 1903, the property made its way into the hands of the Duke and Duchess of Manchester as a wedding gift. However, the Duke's penchant for gambling was legendary. In a tight game of cards, he gambled away the deed to Kylemore. Needless to say, he lost more than a place to stay; the Duchess was soon on her way out as well.

Kylemore became an Abbey in 1920, when the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased it. This order of nuns had been looking for a place to call their own for quite some time. Founded by Lady Butler in 1600s, the Irish order soon found themselves unwelcomed in Ireland due to the Williamites forcing out Catholic influences on the island. The nuns fled to Ypres for safety and were able to remain due to the patronage of King Jacob and Queen Mary. King James contributed to their handicraft works by purchasing their gold and silver weavings. The Benedictine Nuns were known far and wide for such works, and for a king (or a king without a kingdom), this was an invaluable skill. The Irish Benedictine Nuns stayed in Belgium until WWI. The order fled again, this time to Ireland.

The order settled in Kylemore and opened up a boarding school for girls. Many upper class girls came to Kylemore to be educated for nearly 100 years. The local girls also attended a day school at Kylemore. The school is now closed but the order kept their education mission by opening Kylemore up to the public. We toured around the Abbey and grounds, and sampled some of the nuns' homemade candies.

Another testimony to Mitchell Henry's love for Margaret is the Gothic Catherdral in miniature dedicated to her. When Margaret died, Mitchell commissioned this church in her honor. The Church appears to be more feminine in nature on the inside to reflect Mrs. Henry's beauty. In addition, the marble in the Church represents the four different provinces of Ireland. They used green for Connaught, rose for Muster, black for Leinster, and grey for Ulster. Originally, the church was Anglican. However with the return of the Benedictine Nuns, the Church is now Catholic and used for the nuns' prayer services.

After visiting Kylemore Abbey, we drove along the coastline to Galway. Rob's next idea was to take advantage of the comedy festival in Galway. We went to Busker Brownes for the open mic night. Focus Foxies, huge differences exist between American and Irish humor. Irish humor believe it or not, is more clean cut. We rarely heard them make an off color joke or one about politics or religion. The two American comedians (not us) passing through gave it a shot and made it clear that we strive to shock. Anything vulgar or scandalous passed through the non-filtered Americans' mouths. We found it hilarious. It did not fly with the female Irish audience. We got an extra kick out of watching them gape in disgust and then leave. In general, all of the comedians gave it their best shot, and we laughed with and without them.

Our day came to a close, but I can say I was the luckiest girl in Galway that night.