Ring of Kerry

Our trip has taken us down around the southern coast of Ireland, through Wichlow, Enniscorthy, Waterford, Cork, Kinsale, Macroom and finally to Killarney, where the frigid rain, which is of so little consequence to the Irish that we now simply walk along in it as if it were natural to do so, fell Thursday until 5:45 pm, when we were to enter O'Connell's pub, order a Guinness, and wait for the red-bearded man to appear, though of course he never did, so we had a nice chowder and some fish-and-chips, and another Guinness.

Then today we took the Ring of Kerry road, stopping to see a few castles but mostly staring in awe at the scenery, very much like our favorite parts of Scotland, so much that it is hard to resist a comparison, especially when today turned out to be such a perfect day, with sunny skies and a chilly wind and the smell of the ocean close by. But the road are narrow and twisty, and the locals don't like to drive behind rubber-necking Americans who drift occasionally onto the wrong (or right) side of the road. (I, however, have done this only 2 or 3 times.)

We got back just with the sunset.


Coincidentally a big scandal is brewing here with the Catholic Archbishop, who apparently looked the other way years ago when a priest had molested some young boys. The pope has written a letter, and Ireland is focused on the story, which is playing out on the radio and on televisions in the pubs. I'm hoping Bingo is not in the middle of this somehow...