On our 9th day on the Emerald Isle we scheduled a jaunting car and boat tour of The Gap of Dunloe and Killarney National Park. A "juanting car" is basically a two-wheeled carriage.
We were to be picked up at Ross Castle, so we arrived early to see the sights. Ross Castle is from the 15th century.
It sits on the edge of the lake known as Lough Leane, the largest lake in Killarney National Park.
We walked around the castle grounds. It is a very well preserved castle.
While we were waiting by the lake these three playful ducks put on a show for us.
It was truly a beautiful morning, but there was a light cloud cover.
This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip of the boats near the castle reflecting in the water.
We were picked up by Michael Tangney of Killarney Jaunting Cars and driven to Kate Keaney's Cottage where were would meet our horse and driver. On the drive, Mr. Tangney asked us if we had any Irish lineage and I told him I was a descendant of "Coffeys." He went on to tell me that this area of County Kerry is filled with Coffeys and that they own Kate Kearney's cottage.
When my parents named me Kerry it was because my mom thought our ancestors were from County Kerry. She later learned that we were most likely from Cork (yes, yes we make lots of jokes about me being named Corky). But I think after this experience somewhere down the line I am related to the Kerry Coffeys.
While waiting for the other couple for our jaunting car ride we met Laura Tangney and she told us all about County Kerry and Killarney. She also told us that the last name of our jaunting car driver was Coffey. Probably the closest I would come to meeting a distant cousin.
Finally the other couple arrive and we got in the jaunting car and sat knee to knee. Then, we rode off toward The Gap of Dunloe.
There it is in the distance.
We asked the driver the horse's name were delighted that he is called "Jesse James."
The rock in the hills is a distinctly purple color.
We slowly made our way to the gap.
You see that winding road through the gap? That's where we were headed.
We passed this old school house.
At the part of the path where the road got very steep we got out of the jaunting car and hiked up the hill.
There's good ol' Jesse James and my distant cousin.
Then we were through the gap and onto the other side.
We crossed over some lovely stone bridges.
We took a picture with Jesse, such a good horse.
We kept riding past this mirror-like water and past the greenest grass I have ever seen.
Then we were in The Black Valley - so named because it was the last place on mainland Ireland to get electricity. It's surrounded by mountains, on one side The Gap of Dunloe on the other Moll's Gap.
We trotted through the valley until we reached this bridge that took us to Brandon's Cottage.
Irish window with pretty lace curtains.
We sat down for a lunch of cold cut sandwiches and chips or as they are called in Ireland "crisps" (because chips are actually fries...you get it).
We met this little guy who was running to every table begging for some food.
We were a little apprehensive because there wasn't much direction of what to do next. All we had was this "ticket" written on a piece of paper.
Luckily, we were eventually scooped up by a boat driver and taken down to the docks where we met another furry friend.
We got on a boat with many Chinese tourists. Only one understood English and she didn't understand English with a thick Irish accent, so we had to repeat everything the driver said and then she would translate it into Chinese.
The lake was beautiful and had so many lily pads.
This is Elephant Rock. I'm sure you can see why.
We went under this bridge and onto Lough Leane.
Finally the clouds cleared and there was blue sky again. These are Ireland's largest Oak forests.
The boat docked and our 5 hour tour was over.
Then it was time for a new adventure. We'd seen a tattoo shop when we were driving into Killarney. Awhile back Zach had said he would be okay with me getting a tattoo as long as it meant something, like getting a tattoo on our trip. I wasn't 100% committed, but we had a few hours before dinner so we drove around looking for the shop. I was relieved and terrified when we found it.
I'd always wanted a four-leaf clover tattoo, but then I was told at a jewelry shop in Dingle: "That's an American thing. Clover is a weed." I decided that I maybe shouldn't get that particular tattoo in Ireland. Instead I decided to get my name in Irish. The artist was very patient with this first timer as I painstakingly went back and forth on size and color (these are things you should probably decide in advance and bring a picture of EXACTLY what you want with you to the shop). We also checked about a million times to make sure it was spelled correctly.
The actual inking didn't hurt at all.
But after...
I don't know if this has happened to any other tatted persons, but immediately after the ink had set I had buyer's remorse. Everything was wrong about it - the color, the font, the size. We went back to the hotel and all I wanted to do was lay down. We did manage to go out for dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Wholesome Fayre with very fresh and delicious food, but I'll admit I didn't enjoy it much.
The next day I woke up feeling better about it and now I love my tattoo it because it reminds me of our trip.
