~ Waterfalls, A Ring, Moonshine, and Horse-drawn Carriages ~

Sunday morning after breakfast at the hotel we took a short drive to hike with a local specialist, and her dog, Max, to Torc Waterfall. 

After hiking down from the falls we crossed the road to continue our walk in Killarney National Park.

Max

Unusual fir. Almost Dr. Seussy.

Picture perfect tree.

Muckross House had over 30 rooms.

It was two servants full time jobs to keep the fires going!

Back on the bus, we took off for the Ring of Kerry. On all of our trips I tried to get a picture of a sheep, but it is very difficult when you are whizzing by on a coach and your camera has a delay on it. I would get a sign, or a tree, or a truck, etc. I burned through a dozen batteries because I kept my camera on, waiting for that perfect shot. The roads around the Ring of Kerry are curvy and hilly. Our driver, Patrick, who had to be in his eighties, was not intimidated at all. The speed limits were ridiculous! It would say 100 km/hour around some of the tightest curves and down some of the narrowest lanes. Fast as Patrick flew, we never neared those speeds! But on this day he went fast enough to make several of the passengers physically ill.I felt bad for them. But the Ring of Kerry was glorious! It is a circuitous route along the coast of southwest Ireland in County Kerry.

Our tour director got off of the bus at one point and bought a bottle of Irish moonshine for us to try. It is called poitin or "small pot" after the small pot it is distilled in. I believe this is where being "potted" comes from (as in drunk, or hungover.) 

We came down from the hills and made a brief stop in Waterville to take pictures on the beach, and with the statue of Charlie Chaplin. He was not Irish, never filmed in Ireland, never played an Irish character, but for 10 years, beginning in 1959, he vacationed in Waterville with his family. They hold a Charlie Chaplin film festival here every year.

We also made a brief stop in Killorglin where they have a Puck Fair Festival where a male goat is crowned King Puck. 

And in Sneem, which is the spot where I was that guy and the last one back to the bus. (Don was holed up in some pub while I shopped. I walked over the bridge to use some public restrooms, no biggie. But on the way back, walking over the other side of the bridge, the sidewalk turned into a grate opening. Scary! It wasn't very high, but still...scary!

Finally got my shot of a sheep!

When we neared Killarney, we stopped to take a jaunty cart ride through Killarney National Park. Our driver was hilarious, kept flirting with Cheryl, saying he was looking for a wife "for the night."

Ross Castle

We'd had a busy day, but the fun was not over. Next we took the bus to Kate Kearney's for an Irish dinner, traditional music and dance. I was duly impressed with the lead singer who played the Irish pipes. He had a bag under each arm he was squeezing, his fingers ran over the holes of a flute-like piece, which he also moved to create different sounds, all while watching the soccer game on the bar's TV! 

We headed back for our last night at The Malton.