KILLARNEY, IRELAND

                                        Muckross House

           

            In Killarney, Ireland we started this visit in the restaurant where we enjoyed a late morning pastry and tea before a well-informed, young, male docent met us to tell us all about this marvelous house. He started by saying, “The red wallpaper was made in Paris in preparation of Queen Victoria’s 1861 visit. Preparations for this visit took five years and bankrupted the owner who was looking for a title from the queen. However, shortly after she returned to England, Prince Albert died and all thoughts of a title faded.”

            The lovely mahogany table in the center of the room measured 6 X 18 feet. Several smaller tables in the house had the most gorgeous intricate inlay work I’ve ever seen. They were gorgeous.  Ornate plaster ceilings dated back to the 1800s.

            A Spanish leather screen in the drawing room had great detail and color. The Waterford chandelier sparkled like diamonds. Oak floors throughout the house were original.  The game room walls were covered with silk, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper. The rope design banister on the front staircase was a contrast to the plain rail on a staircase in the back of the house.

            Muckross has 70 rooms and at one time housed 23 servants. The house had no running water for 31 years, thus the small bathtub  looked more like a foot bath. A look out the window in the master bedroom revealed a fantastic view of the lake and mountains---a picture postcard view!

            In Victorian days all children, that includes boys, were dressed in lace and looked like girls, in fear of a son being kidnapped. What an interesting tidbit!

            The Queen’s bedroom was rather plain with a brass chandelier. Electricity was not installed in the house until 1970! Queen Victoria was fearful of fire so carried along her own firemen as part of her compliment of 100 attendants! She also carried her own bed with her. She stayed at Muckross two days. She thought the Ring of Kerry (a circular road thru the countryside) was beautiful and in effect put the area on the map.

             The old servants’ dining room in the basement now houses the weaving room where beautiful scarves and other items are made.  The bell corridor displays most of the 32 original bells—each a different size and shape making its own distinctive sound. When servants delivered food they had to whistle all the way to prove they were not nibbling enroute!

            The house was delightful and the informative docent made for a memorable visit. 

            On this Ireland trip there were several times that we were able to get in some short walks or strolls. They were a pleasant respite and always in lovely scenic places.

            Our first stroll was after seeing the Cliffs of Moher. The van driver stopped to let us out so we could  stroll down a country lane---just one car wide---to Donnagal Castle. The lane was lined with wild blackberry bushes. I think by the time we were picked us up I had picked and eaten at least a pint of berries—vine ripened they were so good!

            A day or two later on our way to Cork we stopped to walk through the beautiful wooded grounds of Donnarail. In the 1700s St.Ledger bought the estate and its 400 acres of woodlands. Then he hired Lancelot Capability Brown to landscape it. Clusters of trees were left, but grasslands were extended and the river diverted. The result was magnificent! It was a wonderful walk up to the castle which was under restoration. What a view they had from their front windows! I even found a fairy tree here.

            In Kinsale we walked the paved Scilly (pronounced silly) trail that weaves alongside homes overlooking the harbor. The landscaping on the hill’s homes hid them from the path below. There were fewer blackberries here, but I still managed to pick and eat a cup full. It was a lovely warm day and the scenery was exceptional. I hated to see the path end at the city. Generally we had the trails to ourselves.