After our morning drive around the Ring of Kerry, we drove back to Killarney National Park. We wanted to take a tour of Ross Castle, a traditional Irish tower house. The castle closes fairly early each day, and visits are by guided tour only. When we arrived, we saw jaunting cars (horses and carriages) lined up and asked one of them if he would take us for a dash around Killarney National Park.
We ended up with a pretty black horse named Rosie, and she and her Irish friend took us on a ride around Killarney National Park. We were told about some of the plantlife and shown some beautiful views. Some of the route led us down these forested trails.
St. Mary's Cathedral in Killarney came into view at one point, and this beautiful cathedral is built in the gothic style. It dates from the mid-1800s. The cathedral was built by Augustus Pugin, and the building work was suspended during the famine. It was used as a shelter for the sick during this time.
The views over the fields were absolutely stunning. With the mixture of grey and white clouds, the landscape looked like a beautiful painting.
Rosie led us down more trails with beautiful flowers and trees and through meadows. We saw yellow iris flowers growing along the trail in some places. We were told a little about the trees and plant life, but I do not remember what we were told now.
Finally, we came to one of the sides of the lakes and were rewarded with beautiful views.
Although it was not raining on our ride, we could see that the rain was evident in the clouds and the tops of the mountains were covered with fog. This was a pity because I could imagine how beautiful Killarney would look in the nice weather and sunshine.
In front of us, we saw an amazing view of Ross Castle along the lake.
Rosie took us toward the castle. In the distance, we saw the Purple Mountains. The fog took the colour away, but you can see the tinge of purple on the hillside. This is from the rhododendron flowers. I can imagine that this looks stunning in the sunshine.
The views were amazing.
Finally, we were on the 'home stretch'. Rosie seemed to know this and trotted a little quicker.
We said goodbye to Rosie and got some photographs in the car park area next to the castle. Our next visit was to Ross Castle to go on a guided tour.
Ross Castle is a traditional Irish tower house, and it was built by the O'Donoghue family in the late 1400s. There are thousands of these tower houses across Ireland, all ruled by different chiefs. The O'Donoghue family ruled this area (Killarney) of Ireland. The castle did change hands a few times, and it also changed shape as some of the towers and walls were added or removed. It was siezed by the English Protestants and also by Cromwell in the 1600s. It was expanded in the 1700s for protection against France and was much larger in size then than its traditional shape of today. The castle's appearance closely matches what it was like before that time.
We entered the castle to wait for our tour to begin. In the waiting room is a museum with information about the castle and a model of it, which we read while we waited for the guided tour. Photographs of the interior were not permitted, but I did manage to take a couple sneaky ones. The castle's interior matches what it would have been like in the 1500s. The furniture and furnishing are of the time.
The castle was described as being damp-smelling and cramped. Only a little bit of natural light came in, and there was not a lot of privacy for the lord either. The Great Hall is at the top of the tower, and this is where the dinner and entertainment would be held.
The walls inside were white-washed, and the outside walls were also white-washed. They must have looked impressive. These tower houses were built to show strength and power, and the later ones were built more for convenience over defense. For example, the entrance was on the ground floor; entrances in earlier tower houses were on the first floor because it was more difficult to gain access.
After the guided tour, we walked around the castle in order to get some nice views. I caught a glimpse of sun poking through the low clouds and fog and it highlighted the beautiful Purple Mountain.
A little sun came out, but it did not stay for too long. At least the rain had stopped.
The below photograph is a beautiful bit to the lake next to the castle. We saw some ducks here.
Our next stop in Killarney would be the Meeting of the Waters.
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