The day began with a fine fresh fish breakfast inside the dining porch area of
The Atheneum House. This grand Georgian home, previously owned by ship builders, was a great backdrop for a quiet breakfast.
I love the choices in an
Irish breakfast. While
Americans are stuck with pancakes, waffles, processed cereals,
GMO corn, and wheat based
breakfasts, the Irish are using locally sourced fresh ingredients. The local meats and sausages, tomatoes, fish, cheese, and even the old “beans on toast” are an outstanding change. After breakfast we took some pics, packed up, and headed out.
A man working outside the house gave us some great tips on what to see around
Cork and
Carrigaline. He also mentioned that there were a lot of Keily’s in the
Waterford and
Cork area. It would require weeks to find out if anyone was a relation… cool all the same and it did confirm that the
Keily part of our family indeed was from this area.
We were blessed with some wider roads today on the way to the
Jameson Distillery. Still, it was very tight passing through the streets of
Middleton. Jameson stands as a really interesting historical marker from the 1700’s regardless if you like their whiskey or not. Well worth the trip and their café isn’t bad either… Jameson and ginger is a new favorite…We continued on to Carrigaline to search for
Coolmore Castle where my
great great grandparent’s worked. We found the location after asking directions at a petrol station and receiving some tips on getting there from a delightful lady with bright red hair. As we drove the rainy winding road up to the gate houses, we noticed a young guy bringing in his groceries. We asked if it would be okay to follow down the road to the estate, which had a threatening private property sign posted out front. He told us we could walk the 1K or try to drive it. We opted for the driving but it proved to be too intense for our little Euro car. The potholes were downright unnerving. It was very cool to at least see the area and the gate houses that my relatives may have even lived in. So we were off again, back through some of the
Cork traffic on the road to
Killarney.
After some confusing direction and disorienting roundabouts, we finally made it to the
Chelmsford House where we met the very kind and gracious innkeepers Pat and Louise Griffin. We were literally in a residential neighborhood overlooking the mountains. Yes… the rain and mist continued as it seemed to follow us the entire time. After a pint of room temperature
Guinness and a good chat with Louise, we headed down to the
Killarney town center. Although we arrived a little late, some stores were still open and most pubs. I bought a
Mucros tweed hat to wear in the constant drizzle. This proved to be a slick idea. The hat was made locally at the
Muckross House which in itself looked like a glorious estate to visit. Well, maybe next time. After a bit of walking through the stormy streets of Killarney, we settled on Spanish tapas for dinner. After feeling a bit tapped out on energy, we retired early. It had been a long day of drizzly driving through several different locations. Tomorrow it will be on to the
Ring of Kerry…
