We woke, eventually, to a very different day. it is grey, cool and misting to raining. It is much more like the weather we have been lead to expect. 

We decided to visit Ross Castle about 2 miles out of town on the lake. As we set out to walk there Michael Hannity greeted us and offered an hour long Jaunting Car ride to the castle through Killarney National Park. So we took a Jaunting Car (horse carriage) ride through the park, as we had contemplated, behind Gypsy Rose:

Even in the cool and rain it was pleasant ride and as it turns out the route we took through the park was far more interesting than the walk we had proposed.

Along the way we paused to look at this former gatehouse which now functions as a tea room. We are quite taken with the thatched roofs we see. The government pays a bounty to encourage retaining these roofs, the insurance companies charge an extra premium for the added fire risk.

Eventually we came to Ross Castle which was battered in the war of 1912 for independence and restored in the 1980’s. It is a great pile of rocks, the first of many we expect to see.  Also note the lush green in these pictures, I’ve done nothing to enhance them. 

At lunch at O’Donahue’s I continued my exploration with a glass of Smithwick Red Ale.  We are sitting in the hotel lobby as the rest of our crew filters in. One lady has missed her flight and will not be joining us until tomorrow.

Beer and whiskey report from dinner, 1 pint of Guinness, included in the meal and a portion of Redbreast 12 as recommended by a dedicated researcher. It is  a fine choice.  Glad to have it on my list.