brownypoints: Day 4 Emerald Isle: Of Yew and ewe

The Ring of Kerry is THE destination in Ireland's Iveragh Peninsula. The ring itself is too big to explore in a day. For those who love history and nature, Killarney National Park is heaven. To get here from the Beara peninsula, the drive is almost Lord of the Ring-esque. We drove towards Kenmare for the second time in 2 days, this time heading north along the Ring instead of South. We drove up the winding Cork and Kerry mountaintops through Caha pass, where the view of Bantry Bay is spectacular. Just as impressive are the series of rock tunnels we went through. I couldn't decide whether I like the sunny view from the day before or the rainy, misty morning of this drive. One day cheery and hopeful, the next mystical.

Our first stop was Ross Castle, built in the 15th century, just outside Killarney. The castle sits on the bank of Killarney's lower lake. I'm so happy that we took the tour of the castle. While climbing the steep stone staircase was a bit of a scare for my little one, both kids were really engaged and asked questions to our tour guide. One can see that great care was taken in restoring the castle, carefully matching the time period furniture to reality. One of the furniture (not saying which!) was the real one when the castle was still inhabited by the ruling clan of Killarney, the O'Donoghues. The kids, of course, had a giggle when the tour guide showed the "garderobe", or ahem, toilet/latrine. There's also a little X on the floor that Maya, who is shortest and keenest among the group, spotted. The guide shared that legend had it that a treasure is buried underneath, but you'll have to dig up the castle to find out! Also, legend has it that the clan lies at the bottom of the lake watching.... Sadly, taking photos inside was not allowed, but the experience left a lasting impression to all of us.

After a hike along the paths behind the castle, we drove north of the park to see the Muckross Abbey, an old monastery ruin and a graveyard, dating back to the beginnings of Christianity in Ireland. The structure, built in 15th century, is well-preserved. The graveyard is supposed to be where the O'Donoghues are, in fact, buried. What really caught my eye is the ancient yew tree rising in the center of the cloisters, which is older than the Abbey. The Abbey was likely built around the already mature tree. Yew trees are believed to be the "tree of life", are venerated, and as such are often found in Irish graveyards as as symbol of eternity. Irishman Bram Stoker, who lived in Killarney for some time, was supposedly a frequent visitor of the Muckross graveyard and roamed the abbey late at night;That the yew tree and the eerie graveyard served as inspiration for Dracula.

For Harry Potter fans, the yew make several appearance from wands to graveyards in the J.K. Rowling books too!

The Abbey was a real delight because we could explore it from top to bottom. You can see the intricate details up close. It was enchanting!

Anyone up there?

Amidst ruins and fallen tree, there is LIFE!

We went on to walk to Muckross house, which at one point hosted Queen Victoria, and was also owned by the Guinness family. However, the girls were getting a bit tired and rambunctious.While my husband and I would have loved to tour the house, we ultimately decided to skip the tour, which the host also emphasized are not really well-suited for kids. Nevertheless, we enjoyed touring the large estate grounds, which is the country's first national park. It even has a waterfall!