2GOCups

Killarney's income is 95% from tourists, and they are working hard to make sure the town is sustainable. One of their initiatives revolves around the coffee industry and reusable cups. Several years ago, the city realized that paper cups from coffee shops were filling the trash cans in the National Parks, covering the highways, and ruining the landscape. They devised a plan that is about a year old, and it appears to be going very well. When a person purchases a coffee or a drink at a coffee shop, they can either bring their own cup, sit down and use a ceramic cup, or purchase a plastic 2GoCup for a 2 euro deposit. If and when you turn it back in, you get your 2 euros back. But they do not have single-use cups anymore. It is brilliant, and with most of the coffee shops doing it, it works. We were quite impressed with the program and wish something like it would work in the US. Starbucks does have a similar program, but I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten to take my own cup. After seeing the success here, however, I will work harder to remember my own cup for my future Starbucks purchases.

The Gap of Dunloe

I had been told that the Gap at Dunloe was a "don't miss" opportunity, so we booked a tour for our last day in Killarney. And the person was right! We took a short drive to the entrance and then we booked a Jaunty Cart - a cart that holds 5 people and is drawn by a draught horse. The road of the Gap is 7 miles long, and we knew we probably would not make the 7 miles in the allotted time. We boarded the cart and away we went up the hill, around three lakes, up and down more hills, and through some of the most beautiful scenery around. Several times we were asked to walk up hills because the horse's shoes would slip while pulling the weight of the cart, so we managed to get a lot of steps in.

At the end of the horse ride, we had about an hour to eat a snack at Lord Brandon's. While there we were able to see a 100-year-old toll bridge and the original home and tower of Lord Brandon's.

Then we caught a boat across the three lakes near Killarney. The lakes have two kinds of fish - salmon and brown trout - and eels. Back in the day, the British were allowed to catch salmon and trout but the Irish had to eat eel and potatoes. Now a yearly limit of 12 salmon and/or trout is imposed to protect the numbers of fish in the lakes.

We saw a number of wild goats that live in the Killarney National Park. Every year in early August (we just missed it), one of the cities celebrates the Puck Fair. They capture a wild goat, bring it into town, lift it onto a platform, and crown it King Puck. For the next three days he rules the roost. It sounds like a jolly festival. After the boat dropped us off, we walked to the bus and came back to the hotel. We loved going on this tour!

Dingle Peninsula

To the West Northwest of Killarney is the Dingle Peninsula. Again, the object is mostly for the scenery, though we did stop at Inch, where the wide beach allows for cars to drive on it . . . as long as they leave before high tide. It is very expensive if one gets stuck.

We also stopped to see a beehive hut, which housed the monks who lived on Skellig Island, the place where Luke Skywalker appeared in the 2016 Star Wars movie. We were shown several different places where Star Wars was filmed, and our guide, Batt, told us that all of the stars of the movie stayed close-by except for Mark Hamill, who insisted on staying in a 5* hotel and being helicoptered in. Only 180 people per day are allowed on Skellig Island, and to get to the top, one must climb 640 steps. Sounds awesome except for the steep price.

Such a gorgeous area Killarney is.

The Ring of Kerry

Leaving Killarney, a town totally committed to tourism, and driving south, one drives the Ring of Kerry. When going on this road, the attraction is the beauty. With fuchsia, both red and orange, lining the highway, purple heather around the landscape, and numerous other flowers, rocky cliffs, small fields, and quaint farms, no wonder this is called the Emerald Isle.

We did see a sheepdog demonstration, this time with border collies, and although we have seen them before, we never tire of it. The commitment the trainers make to their dogs was evident when it began to thunder. Our trainer was going to use one of his female dogs, but thunder terrifies her. He said he wasn't going to put any pressure on her because she was so sensitive, and he brought out his male "work-a-holic." The male was hilarious - he was so good and efficient, and it was obvious he loves his work.

This trainer's other female dog, Tess, just won a National Championship, and although we didn't get to see her work, she was in a side area. Once the dogs are too old to work, they become a family pet . . . it was wonderful to hear that. The collies take the place of 10 men - faster, more efficient, more agile. What a pleasure to see! The roads in Kerry - and in Dingle - are quite narrow, and there were times Don wondered if the bus could pass. With rock walls on one side, and cliffs on the other, there was one time both a bike and the bus had to stop to make sure they could both pass safely. The views were worth the entire price of the ticket!

The Crown Saloon in Belfast

The Crown Liquor Saloon is a well-known Victorian pub in Belfast. Patrick Flanagan had it refurbished in 1885 by using Italian workmen who had come to Belfast to work on the churches. Because of the high quality of workmanship, it was known for being one of the finest gin palaces of the time. The legend is that the man who refurbished the saloon allowed his wife to handle the interior, hence the beautiful windows, the fine wood work, and the mosaic floors. The only thing he required was that the crown be present in the building. In many of the staind glass windows, an English crown is present; but a mosaic crown is also on the entrance floor, ostensibly so that patrons will step on it when they enter. She obviously was not a fan of the monarchy.

Also notable are the still-working gas lamps, and the private snugs, which are private booths, complete with doors, antique bells for alerting staff, and original wood panels.

We found the food to be very good, and the privacy of the snug made for a very fun meal.

Segregation

In the US, we think of discrimination and segregation in terms of skin color, but it is not that way in Northern Ireland. Segregation is strictly about religion. When we drove into small towns, Frank would point out the many flags being flown, primarily the Union Jack and the flag of Northern Ireland. Neighborhoods that fly the flags were protestant; those with no flags were Catholic. It is still very uncomfortable for a Catholic to live in a Protestant neighborhood or vice-versa. Any other religion has great difficulty. Frank told of one Muslim family who asked where they should live. They were told, "Are you Muslim Protestant or Muslim Catholic?" Also, the schools are still segregated. A Catholic going to a public school in a Protestant neighborhood would have difficulty, and hence, probably would attend a private school. Therefore, schools are either Protestant or Catholic. Frank told us about living in an area close to Catholics, and he would sneak down to the Catholic store to buy his favorite potato chips - Catholic Potato Chips. He said he had to be careful or he would be beaten up if he were caught by the Catholic children. And even though they lived fairly close, the children never mixed . . . We spoke with a man while we were riding to Killarney, and his Catholic guide told them that five years ago he could not see this changing, but since the pandemic, things may be getting better. Northern Ireland opened up sooner than Ireland did, and many from Ireland moved north. Children have been mixing more, and even Frank's son married a Catholic, something he thought impossible years before. So maybe change will happen . . . we can only hope!

The Peace Wall

Although peace lines were erected as early as the 1930s, after the Good Friday Peace Agreement the zone separating the Catholic neighborhoods from the Protestant neighborhoods were built higher and stretched about 20 miles. Along the walls of the zone, people create murals. Some of the murals are beautiful creations, some are quite political. The area between the walls is a "demilitarized zone," where gates are closed every night. One part of the wall is neither Catholic nor Protestant, and people leave their signatures on the wall, but in areas where the wall is distinctly Catholic or Protestant, signatures are not allowed. Our guide took issue with many of the murals, because he felt that they glorified either the IRA or the UVF, and he said both groups are terrorist groups, killing innocent people just to kill.

Most recently (just a few weeks ago) the 3-D mural above was dedicated. It is a lovely, colorful mural, and our guide is hoping it could lead to some unification. Several groups have been trying to take down the walls, thinking they are no longer needed, but they are still up and apparently working.