Thursday, May 21st, 2026
After breakfast at the hotel we went for a walk before our driver would be picking us up. We walked past the courthouse that serves the Circuit and District Courts.
In front of the Killarney Courthouse was a bronze monument by Don Cronin of life-sized red deer stags locked in confrontation. It was unveiled in 2012.
The weather was foggy and misty when we stopped and looked out at Derrycunihy. It is a nature reserve known for its geographic features in the Killarney National Park. It is located along the famous Ring of Kerry in southwestern Ireland. In the first picture it looks at the Killarney National Park and in the second picture it looks at the Looscaunagh Lough.
The weather didn’t cooperate at the Ladies View scenic viewpoint along the Ring of Kerry. The name stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit.
Our next stop was to view the Torc Waterfall. In Irish “Torc” means wild boar. It is also located in the Killarney National Park and is along the Ring of Kerry.
It is a five minute walk from the road through scenic woodland to reach the waterfall.
The waterfall is 66 feet high as it cascades over boulders and is 360 feet long. It is formed by the Owengarriff River as it drains from the “Devil’s Punchbowl” which is a glacial lake in the Mangerton Mountain.
We toured the Muckross House and Gardens. The house was constructed from 1839 to 1843.
The house and its surrounding lands were donated to the Irish state in 1932. Queen Victoria once visited Muchross House. Below are a few pictures from the grounds of the house, inside, and the servant’s kitchen area.
On the grounds of Muckross is a Craft Center. We stopped in after our visit to the house to see them throw pottery and weaving. Unfortunately they were finished for the day but you could still see the workshops.
We had a Jaunting Car ride today. I had to look up what it was ahead of our trip to Ireland. It is a 2-wheeled carriage for a single horse with a seat in front for the driver. It is a great way to explore Killarney National Park.
We had an enjoyable ride through Killarney National Park.
Killarney National Park is home to the Muckross House and Gardens, the Lakes of Killarney, Inisfallen Island and more. It covers 26,000 acres and sits at the foot of the Macgillycuddy Reeks (Ireland’s highest mountain range).
Located by the park’s visitor center was a memorial to Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. He lived from 1898-1963 and grew up in Killarney. In Rome during WWII he organized an escape organization for Allied POW’s and civilians. He and his colleagues had saved over 6,000 lives when the Allies arrived in Rome.
The park includes mountains, lakes, islands and flatlands.
Red deer can be found here but we only saw Sika Deer. The Sika deer is also known as the Japanese deer and they were introduced from Japan in 1865. The herd has grown to over a thousand.
As we rode through the park we could see Ross Castle which is also located in Killarney National Park.
The National Park is home to the most extensive area of natural oak woodland still remaining in Europe. You can also find the Arbutus (Killarney Strawberry tree) in the park. UNESCO designated the National Park as a Biosphere Reserve in 1981.
Our Jaunting Car ride ended at Ross Castle. The castle was built in the 15th century and is located by the Lough Leane which is the largest of the lakes. It is surrounded by a defensive Wall with flanking towers and two still remain.
We boarded our boat for a cruise of the lakes by the Ross Castle. Due to the cloudy, rainy conditions the boat wasn’t crowded.
From the boat we could see the castle and get a different perspective.
This cormorant is cooling off its feathers as we cruised by it.
Martin went on the boat cruise with us and he spotted the eagle. He was SO excited and we were too!
The Brickeen Bridge dates back to the mid-18th century and is a stone arch bridge that connects Muckross Lake and Lough Leane.
On Lough Leane we saw Inisfallen Island. It was once home to a monastery dating back to 640 AD founded by Finian the Leper. The island was a place of solitude for the monks to reflect and pray. Today there are ruins of a 12th century Augustinian Priory and a Romanesque Church.
Even though the sun wasn’t shining we enjoyed our time on the water!
On our way to the hotel Martin pointed out the only green light in town that is shaped like a shamrock! He drove slowly so we could snap a picture.
After dinner we went into Buckley’s Bar for a drink with friends. We were enjoying our drink when the music duo sat next to us to begin playing their music!
They asked us where we were from and when the four of us said Ohio. They sang a special song, “Banks of the Ohio”!
It was another full day!
