The Wayfarers in Ireland - Spring 2007

Ring of Kerry

May 27-June 2, 2007

I think I have this legend right: A man wanted to become a monk. He went to the Observantine Franciscan order near Killarney. He was told to wander the land for a year, through four seasons, and look for a "Rock of Songs." When he found the rock, the friars would build their abbey there and he could join them. The man did as he was told. He wandered for an entire year. On the last day, he stopped on the banks of Muckross Lake, where there are large sandstone and limestone outcroppings not far from shore. While there, he heard the soft humming of a young girl who had swum out to the far side of one of the outcroppings. The man finally had heard the "Rock of Songs," and Muckross Abbey was built nearby in the mid-1400s.

That's just one of many Irish myths and legends we heard during the Wayfarers Ring of Kerry walk in May 2007. My fellow walkers and I also learned a lot about ancient and recent Irish history (from the potato famine to Daniel O'Connell to the Good Friday peace accords), the area's geography (including lovely views of Ireland's tallest mountain, Carantuohill, at 3,414 feet), and the spawning habits of the local salmon. We also walked to and learned about Staigue Fort, a 2,000-year old fort and family compound, and an ancient standing stone circle constructed by Druids to celebrate the August harvest festival.

But it wasn't all about learning. It also was about gorgeous views, lovely people, and fabulous food.

The southwest of Ireland has been touted as the most beautiful part of the country, and it would be hard to disagree. Our walks took us into rain forests and over hardscrabble hills fit for sheep grazing (but not for farming). We walked on cliffs overlooking Kenmare Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and along Derrynane Beach (the ocean was cold!). We visited beautiful Deneen Gardens. We walked in and through places with magical names: the "Dancing Crossroads" trail and the "Reenadinna" yew woods, not to mention the "Blind Piper" pub (apparently, in the old days, many traditional pipers actually were blind).

Along the way, we met lots of everyday people: a woman who proudly showed off the beautiful calla lilies in her garden; our walk manager's father who met us for lunch one day; the locals in Crowley's Pub in Kenmare; and a farmer who showed us how to cut peat using a long-handled trowel and shear a sheep using a pair of well-worn scissors. We met a few characters as well, including Daniel O'Connor and his wife. He ferried us across Caragh Lake in a flotilla of small boats, but before he did so, his crusty wife "strongly encouraged" us to have liberal samples of poteen (pronounced pah-CHEEN), a bootleg hooch she made. Basically, she was a "won't take no for an answer" woman, and it seemed in our best interests to do as she said. So we drank, from assorted shot glasses proffered from a big red plastic bucket (better not to ask what the bucket had been used for most recently).

For me, it's also all about the food. I was in salmon heaven: one day, I had it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also, great, hearty chowders and sandwiches at pub lunches and very elegant dinners, either in our hotels or in local restaurants. Lots of beautifully prepared fish (things in addition to salmon!) and lovely lamb chops. Not to mention the Guinness. . . .

No matter how well organized and seamless the logistics, or how beautiful the scenery, a memorable Wayfarers experience depends on the staff and one's fellow walkers. And this walk gets an A+ in both.

Our walk leader, Alan Pinkney, is a consummate pro. He seemed to know pretty much everything there was to know about Kerry specifically and Ireland in general. And he was great at the people part of his job: getting a "read" on the walkers individually, figuring out how to get people engaged, making sure that everyone was included in his mini-lectures along the way, allowing enough time for the slower walkers to catch up before he started talking and then giving them enough time to catch their breath, too, before moving on. Our walk manager was Michele O'Brien, a Kenmare "local" who not only knew a lot about local history but also was a creative and efficient problem solver, resolving issues as serious as swallowed-up ATM cards and lost passports and as casual as making sure she had enough friends and family in her local pub one night so we could see some traditional Irish step dancing.

As to my fellow walkers, there were 19 of us in all. We were from all walks of life, literally: from the US, Canada, and England; still working and retired; couples and singles. But we had several things in common, things that always make Wayfarers walks special for me: a robust curiosity, a love of beauty, a positive outlook, a modicum of stamina (for pub-crawling as well as walking), and fabulous senses of humor.

Thanks to the Wayfarers for another memorable vacation!

Alison
Lenox, MA
Wayfarers Ring of Kerry Walk, May 2007