Killarney: Ireland Sober Is Ireland Stiff

Let’s talk a photo tour of Killarney National Park. It’s right next to the quaint city of Killarney in County Kerry. Founded in 1932 as a donation to Ireland, it preserves native forests and wildlife. It’s huge (25,425 acres in fact) and filled with tiny little roads that curve up and down the landscape.

The very first thing we did when we got there was hike up to the top of Torc Waterfall. It was breathtaking, quite literally, for us and that bagpiper. I got to slide my way across some moss covered rocks and perch myself right in the middle of it. That’s something I’ll never forget.

Then we made our way to the Muckross House (mansion would be more like it). This tudor style home was built in the 1840s by some wealthy copper miners. It was then bought by the Guinness family and eventually donated to the Irish state. The boding house sits alongside Muckross Lake, which isn’t too shabby a view.

On the drive out of the park, we stopped by 15th century Ross Castle. It first belonged to the O’Donoghues Mor clan, then the MacCarthy Mór clan, then it was leased (that’s right I said leased) to Sir Valentine Browne, and it was one of the last castles to surrender to Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads.