So we're leaving Killarney for Cork today, spending the night in Cork before we fly back to England tomorrow (and yes, Mother, we'll kiss both the soil and Bart and Tony).
But before we departed, we decided to walk the 1km out to Ross Castle. It's a 15th century castle restored in the 20th century, and looked dark and spooky, as castles ought to look.
As we found with Muckross House (5k according to people and signs in town, then you walk 4k and get to a sign that says 4.5 k to Killarney, 1.4k to Muckross House. Uh...ok), the distance wasn't what you'd call...precise.
Instead, we walked for about an hour and finally arrived at the Castle. It was lovely, and we took photos that we'll post when we return to our computers. A stiff breeze over the lake only made it more atmospheric, and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
The castle represents much about the history of the area, since it originally belonged to a local family (Irish and Catholic) but changed hands during the 16th century. From that point on, the house and land shuttled between the Irish Catholic family and an English family (sometimes Protestant, then Catholic). They all intermarried, inter-mortgaged, and fought each other through the generations.
You can take boats to Inisfallen island (site of a 6th century Christian monastery) or back to Killarney on the lake. Or you can hike around, since the castle is in the Killarney national forest. You can even take a 'jaunting cart' (a horse-drawn buggy) to or from town. In all, it's a really nice outing and a very well-done spot to visit.
To reinforce our amusement over distances, though, were two signs. The first pointed toward town and read 3k to Killarney. The second, about 40 feet away, pointed in the same direction and said 2.6k to Killarney.
Our advice on Ireland? Good socks, good boots, and a nice bottle of water. The walk will be nice, but you really can't be sure when you'll get there.
7 comments:
I'm sooooooooooooo jealous that you're in Ireland right now...though it seems as though you haven't completely fallen in love with the place. But maybe that's because you went to Killarney, which, though lovely, is a little too touristy. Next time (if there'll be a next time) try Galway and County Clare - less touristy, breathtaking scenery (especially the Cliffs of Moher), and equally as charming... I hope you at least got to spend some time in a pub! :)
Back to grading...ugh...
Hi,
I was wondering if you had more information about the restoration of Ross Castle, like some dates maybe ? I've posted a picture of the castle on my site (it was still a ruin at the time that picture was made, in the late XIX th century) and I'd like to write a little description about it: having some dates about the time it was rebuilt would be nice. I can't seem to find anything on the web, your post was actually the most specific I got, so... I thought I'd try my luck :)
Lucilius, we don't have any more information, but on a website for Killarney (http://www.killarneyonline.ie/tis/Top_Regional_Attractions/ti835.shtml) I found a contact name (Ms Siobhan Roche) and two phone numbers (064 35851 or 064 35852).
As I recall, the castle was restored recently by a history-oriented investor, essentially for fun. The restoration was still sort of in progress while we were there (the bathrooms, tea shop, etc. were still evolving), but I thought that was better than the over-slickness of some other places we've been.
I tried Google, too, and I can see your frustration. I think you might have to call over there for more info. If calling Ross doesn't work, I bet the people at the local tourist bureau or at Muckross House could tell you all about it.
Good luck!
Thanks a lot for your reply and for the complementary details. Call there ? ermm... yes... well, er... 20th century sounds good, after all. Nice round number.
That said, I also want to tell you I really enjoyed your blog, I love your writing and your wit. I got hooked on your trip to Europe, I really did. Hey, I would pay to read stuff like that ! As a matter of fact I've paid before to read stuff which wasn't half as good... I'm glad that you enjoyed France and that French people were nice to you :)
Hi, me again.
I realize you probably don't care all that much, but I finally foud a little something on Wikipedia, so I thought I'd let you know. I found this in the German and Polish articles about Ross Castle :
It changed owners several times until 1979, when it became the property of the Republic of Ireland. The restoration work began at that time. After that, there's a small discrepancy between the two articles. The German one says that great care was taken to restore it in its original state, while the Polish one says it was restored in its seventeenth - eighteenth century scenery/setting (not sure how I should put that). I think I'll skip that bit.
L:
Hey- thanks for the compliment. We had a great time, and the blog is good for remembering details otherwise lost to time. And the French were excellent, really. I'd go back there anytime.
I think the statement about a 17th/18th century setting refers to the castle's constantly evolving structure/function. The materials online at the Killarney websites explain the history of the castle, and one point they make is that various owners did things like take off the roof, extend portions, etc. So I suspect that the restoration put the castle back to its last incarnation as a real castle (as opposed to a house or a ruin or a barracks), so that they could most easily depict the castle in the way tourists want to see it.
I think of it as the same reason why B&Bs are all "Victorian" and manor houses are all Georgian in design/decoration. You have to give the public what it wants, right?
Inside Ross Castle's first floor, there's a mockup of the castle as it would have been ca. 1500-1650 or so, and they've cut away the side of the model to show the castle interior. So even if you don't take the tour, you can see the basic structure and functions of the building.
I'm betting they tried for a restoration that would echo that without requiring that they rebuild a castle that hasn't actually *existed* for centuries because of renovations.
Or, you could just ignore that part.
And keep in mind that I'm a historian of American history, so I'm pretty much speculating here about 16th century Ireland.
Yes, you're probably right about their decision to restore the castle as it was in the 17th/18th century. Plus I've read somewhere they had a nice set of 17th century furnitures, so I suppose it fitted in nicely.
However, I didn't set out to write an exhaustive monograph ! Only a short description... so yes: better leave the speculative part behind. Thanks for your help and for your time.
Post a Comment