A Couple of Many
Kerry County Museum explains 8000
years of Irish and County Kerry History.
Sounds, sights and smells of medieval Tralee are recreated in
vivid detail. I could do without the musty smell. The
recreated village was well done with wax manikins in working positions. There
even was a fellow ready to dump his chamber pot out the window into the cobbled
street. The whole exhibit was in muted lighting which added to the realistic atmosphere. Talk about going back in
time! This is one of the best realistic museums I’ve been it. We slowly
wandered through the exhibits marveling at how realistic they were.
Lovely gardens were across the
street from the museum behind the 1243 Tralee
Friary established by the Dominican priest, John Fitzthomas. Known as the black friars because of their black robes, they were noted for their
scholarship and learning. In 1580 the city and abbey burned and by the end of
the 17th century little of the medieval town remained.
Just outside Tralee
in Blennerville stands the largest working windmill dating back to the 1800s. I
asked if we could stop for a Kodak moment. Both our guide and van driver
obliged---ah the advantage of a small group! The windmill is very big; however
it now houses a museum and is no longer in use.
A fabulous day spent in Killarney
started with a jaunting ride through Killarney
National Park, Ireland’s largest and first national park. The drivers of
the two wheeled horse and buggies called jaunting
carts are called jarveys, and ours
was named Michael.
Six of us crawled into the cart.
Michael was most personable and kept up a running commentary as he drove us through
the park. His horse was named Black Beauty. Michael said, “We all have two
horses which we rotate. It is getting harder and harder to find a horse that can cope with the
traffic and noise. The pavement is hard on their hoofs so they are re-shod
every three weeks.”
Passing by the lower lake he
continued, “This loch is five and a half miles long and two and a half miles wide. The Middle or Muckross Lake
is 300 feet deep, and the upper lake is more like a wide river. There are 32
islands in the lake; the one out there is called Monk Island because in times
of conflict the monks from the abbey would escape there to hide. All the
islands are bird sanctuaries. The fishing in the lakes is good.”
Michael stopped the cart on the 1878
Wishing Bridge so we all could make a wish. He explained, “The hardest part of
driving this rig is the down hills. I have to keep the break on so the cart
won’t run over the horse. It’s hard on both the animal and the cart. The cattle
you see grazing are called Kerry cattle. There are only three herds left and
they all graze here in the national park. They are pure black and give black
milk that is called Guinness.” Funny,
this guy!
We stopped at the 1458 Friar’s Abbey
to walk around the grounds and through the abbey that was destroyed in 1664. A
huge yew tree grew in the center of the cloister. Restoration of the abbey was
in progress. Although the park is in the center of a busy city it was quiet and
peaceful within its boundaries.
Later in the day after touring Muckross House I chose to walk through
the park instead of attending a sheep herding demonstration, as I’d seen many.
Another gal decided that was a good idea and joined me. We had instructions on
where and when to meet up with the van. It was a nice day and the walk was really fun.
Later still, my buddy and I decided
to walk through the park to St. Mary’s Cathedral. The present church was built
in 1842 over the site of the original 1027 church. The church served as a
shelter for people for famine victims. The temperature inside was pleasant so
we sat awhile to rest her knee and then headed off for a very late lunch. We
made our way through town to the restaurant Sceal Eile (pronounced shay ellie).
Seated next to an upstairs window providing a great view of the street below we
enjoyed a good bowl of Irish stew. A great end to a wonderful full day!
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