Thursday, July 4, 2019 Happy Fourth Of July From Killarney

I was surprised to see that they celebrate the Fourth of July in Killarney.

Wilm told us that a lot of people from Killarney emigrated to the United Stares and quite a few returned when they retired. So there is a very strong bond between Killarney and America.

Did you know that Killarney and my hometown, Springfield, Illinois are sister cities?

This is John. He was our driver for today’s tour of the Ring of Kerry.

This is a beautiful river valley just outside Killarney.

We stopped to take this picture at a little car park. This guy and his donkey and his dog were posing for pictures at the car park.

He was selling bundles of sticks. I don’t have any idea why anyone would buy a bundle of sticks from this guy.

Another guy was selling honey. I know two beekeepers who are following the blog, Jim Carahalios and Dale Brooks, and I decided to include this picture for them.

Beautiful views as we are driving around the Ring of Kerry.

There is an abandoned railroad that runs from Killarney out to the coast. They are trying to turn it into a bike trail. Brilliant!

This is the boyhood home of Daniel O’Connell. While other Irishmen were fighting the English with bombs and guns, Daniel O’Connell, an attorney, was fighting and beating the English in the Courts. They call O’Connell the liberator of the Irish people.

These circular stone forts are all over the Kerry Peninsula.

This is a picture of the inside of this circular stone fort.

This plaque helps explain the story behind this stone fort.

John decided to take us on a detour and drive us around the Ring of Skellig. The first stop on this mini tour was the ferry over to Valencia Island.

We drove up to the top of the island and the views were amazing. This is a view of the lighthouse guarding the approach to the island.

A sailboat on the water off Valentina Island.

Mark, Sara and Dana.

Pictures of Skelling Islands. George Lucas filmed scenes from one of the Star Wars films on these islands. He made a mess and didn’t clean it up so the Irish government said no more films on the Skelling Islands.

We stopped at a chocolate factory in the middle of nowhere. After they hooked us with a bunch of free samples we spent about 50 euros on chocolate.

We stopped in Waterville for lunch. For some reason they decided to do their Fourth of July on the Fifth of July. It’s the thought that counts.

This is me with Charlie Chaplin.

Apparently, late in life, Charlie Chaplin was living in Los Angeles and got sick of America. So he moved to Waterville. Waterville is a nice town but I think I would rather live in Los Angeles. What was Charlie thinking?

This is the very exclusive Hogs Head golf course in Waterville. What a beautiful setting for a golf course.

More pictures of the stunning scenery.

This picture looks like we are in the Caribbean.

The water is very cold but it is a beautiful day and the kids are in for a swim.

We stopped for ice cream and this little town had a tribute to Charles De Gaulle who enjoyed vacationing in the area.

The locals call this monument the Gall Stone, instead of the De Gaulle Stone. Get it?

We drove back to Killarney through the Killarney National Park.

Pictures of the lakes in the park.

We got back to our apartment, freshened up and went downtown for dinner. I had salmon and a salad .

And smashed peas.

The smashed peas tasted as bad as they look. If you come to Ireland don’t let anybody talk you into ordering smashed peas!

This is the Fourth of July Parade in Killarney.

Donald Trump was in the parade. They like him in Ireland because he owns a golf course here.

Guy on stilts. A staple in any Fourth of July Parade.

Bagpipers playing Yankee Doodle Dandy.

The University of Washington marching band.

I asked these guys to play the Notre Dame fight song in honor of my father who is a huge Notre Dame fan. The entire trombone section got so pissed they started to come after me swinging their instruments. I had no idea the Huskies and the Fighting Irish were such bitter rivals!

The Cathedral of St. Mary in Killarney.

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July.

Good night from Killarney.