I was feeling much better. Ed and I were going to take a cab deep into Killarney National Park to visit the estate that was the nucleus of its foundation - the Muckross House. It was a 5 mile walk to the mansion from our B&B - a walk that Ed had done by himself the day before. Today we’d take a cab but I had a better idea. Let’s rent bikes in town and pedal gently through the park and around town.
So we bought some groceries for a picnic and headed out of town on Muckross Road, a busy 2-lane road that skirts the park. It was a bit tedious . There was no dedicated bike path and cars were zooming by. But, hey, we’re from New York and are used to that. But to be fair, Irish drivers seem to be very respectful (and used to) cyclists on the road. They give you wide berth and will hold back if there’s not enough room to pass.
Pretty soon we reached the park entrance and, once again, like the section of the park in town, your environment is transformed once you enter. Outside, motor traffic and all sorts of hotels and inns line the road - the better to be near the beauty of the park. Inside, the achingly beautiful nature of Killarney and fabulous views of its mountains, lakes, meadows and forests at every turn of the bike path.
Riding along, we passed the ruins of an ancient abbey with its cemetery and then, a bit further along, we approached the magnificent mansion. Muckross House - the name in Irish means peninsular of wood - was built between 1839 and 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, the watercolorist Mary Balfour Herbert. I’m guessing they were, um, rich. It is surrounded by wonderful gardens, known for their azaleas and rhodendrums which were in full bloom in the Irish spring (we revisit this tomorrow, Sunday with the group). The house was designed by the Scottish architect, William Burns. In the 1850's the house was extensively renovated and improved in preparation for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1861. It’s said that the expenses incurred during that renovation led to bankruptcy for the Herberts and the sale of the house. The estate was given to Ireland by subsequent owners as the basis for its first national park in 1932.
After we explored the grounds of Muckross House we biked back to town and got ready to meet the others in our bike group. At 6:30 we made our way over to the Albutus Hotel, the meeting point. Here we met our guide for the trip, Colm (pronounced as in Column). And our fellow bikers, Jim, an ophtalmologist from Hamilton, Ontario and his partner, Janice, a photo editor at a major Canadian newspaper. From Britain, two veterinarians, Bryony and Helen. On my two previous Irish bike rides there were, perhaps, 15 or 20 of us. On this ride, as I suspected because it’s so early in the season, there were only six of us.
After dinner, we sauntered over to Buckley’s pub for some live music - this was the best set yet. Every once I a while a local would get up and sing or dance. The talent was great and we had a fun time, getting to know each other, meeting other visitors at the bar - a French group consisting of three couples who had been friends for many years had just arrived that day and we shared a table with them. We couldn’t converse easily but we tried with gestures and a few words here and there and by evening end we were good friends.
A local tenor steps into the musicians' circle to croon a morose song about leaving and separation.
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4 comments:
The folks at the Muckross should come up with a new name.
Glad you are feeling better and are having a good time.
Murray
PS my "Word Verification" is crobo... that is even better than Muckross.
I love the statue in the park. Looks like a friend of mine in tarnished copper. love
Beautiful pics, want one of those statues in front of my castle
Looks like the old road running formula: run 5 miles, drink a beer, run 5 miles, drink a beer - have fun.
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