I awoke first and took advantage of the incredible quiet to simply sit and enjoy the view from the bay window. In the past 30 minutes, I haven’t seen a single car or walker pass by. The only sounds have been the cheerful chirping of birds greeting the morning. It has been a wonderfully peaceful start to another promising day here in Ireland. 🇮🇪☘️
The morning was ours to do some exploring of the park, so we set out toward a couple of places Ryan and I remembered from previous visits. First, however, there was a more pressing mission: finding coffee. That particular commodity has proven surprisingly elusive for discerning Americans accustomed to having a multitude of options for a quality cup of coffee.
Ryan located a promising little café in downtown Killarney, so we parked the car and enjoyed a short stroll through town. Along the way, we encountered an impressive sight—dozens upon dozens of full kegs lined up outside various pubs, awaiting delivery and preparing for the evening crowds. It was a clear reminder that while good coffee may require a bit of searching, a proper pint in Ireland is never very far away!
Still, we managed to find a tiny coffee shop that was open before 9:00 AM—a rarity in these parts—and stepped up to place our order. On the walk over, Bapa had been lamenting that an “Americano” was not really an American cup of coffee. I explained that he was absolutely right. An Americano is simply a shot of espresso added to hot water. Unfortunately, it is usually the closest thing to regular drip coffee that you can find around here.
Bapa was first to the counter and confidently placed his order.
“I’d like an American cup of coffee—and not that Americano stuff.” That is the G-rated version.
Without missing a beat, the gentleman behind the counter looked at him and replied, “You’re in the wrong country!”
I burst out laughing. The timing was perfect, and the delivery couldn’t have been better. The only thing that could have made it funnier would have been if Bapa had actually heard him! Good times.
Muckross Abbey was our first stop,and we zipped up our rain coats to brave the mild showers. Both Ryan and I had visited this cool place with Melissa and Stacey, and we were excited to share it with Bapa. There were about 20 minutes where we were literally the only people there! It is several hundred years old, and beautiful.
Cromwell destroyed many places like this in the late 1600s, but it is said that Ross Castle was one of the last strongholds to surrender to his forces. We had a few minutes to explore the castle on our way out for another round of golf at the Killeen Course. It was a brief visit, but enough time to appreciate the history and imagine the dramatic events that unfolded along these shores centuries ago.
If ever in Ireland, Killarney National Park is a must stop for the beauty and history you will find. For golfers like us, the Killeen course is now high on our list of beautiful and spectacular courses. Some of the views were simply breathtaking.
I did not play particularly well, especially on the back nine where my back began acting up. Even so, all three of us quickly agreed that this course deserves a place among our favorites. Bapa vaulted into the overall lead in our friendly competition, with Ryan nipping at his heels in a close second. I find myself five strokes back, but there are still plenty of holes left to play, folks! The tournament is far from decided. ⛳
Our longest drive of the trip came next as we headed toward Ireland’s east coast, with our lodging in Mooncoin serving as a convenient halfway point. To break up the journey, we decided to make a detour into Cork for dinner. Of the three of us, only I had visited Cork before—and that was merely a brief stop in 2023 when Stacey and I made an emergency trip to retrieve our forgotten passports!
This time, thankfully, all passports were accounted for. Our first choice for dinner was Elbow Lane Brew and Smokehouse, but a nearly two-hour wait quickly changed our plans. Undeterred, we set off to wander the city streets in search of an alternative, eager to see where our appetites—and a little Irish luck—might lead us.
You’ll be happy to know we found good fish-n-chips and even some traditional Irish music at Old Oak.
The day was growing long as the sun finally began to fade. As we approached our lodging for the night, the GPS appeared to be leading us astray, directing us to a place that definitely did not look like our AirBnB. A pair of feisty dogs immediately announced our arrival to anyone within earshot, and a young woman emerged from the house to see what we needed.
After I explained that we were looking for our AirBnB, she smiled and said, “Oh yaaah, that would be Mum’s place…” She then cheerfully pointed us in the right direction, explaining that it was just around the corner. Crisis averted! Our lodging was at an old mill called Portnascully Mill, and the morning light revealed its splendor.
Weak WiFi made me late posting. Will catch up!