I have been to some really pretty places and seen some beautiful things in my day– the world we live in is really a gorgeous place. Visiting Killarney National Park took my breath away and made my heart ache. At one point, I told Jeff that I was feeling kind of nauseous because I was just so overwhelmed by all of the beauty, and knew that I couldn’t possibly take it all in.
I wish you could actually come there with me. But I’ll do my best to show you some of the beauty we saw. This post will be mostly photos– my words wouldn’t add much to the scenery, really.
Our first stop was amongst the last along the Ring of Kerry: Torc Waterfalls. This was a really incredible hike, and I have a whole post coming soon just about that part of the trip. (Here it is.)
We climbed these stone stairs and hiked through gorgeous forests, up to the top of the waterfall.
It was breathtaking and magical. I can’t wait to show you more pictures of that.
Next, we drove a little further on, to Lady’s View. The drive was unbelievable, and I can’t imagine a better time of year for it than autumn, because of the incredible colors.
This is Lady’s View. Surreal, right? It’s about 10 miles from the town of Killarney, and you can see the areas mountains (when not totally enclosed in fog) and three lakes from here. Sigh…
On our way to Lady’s View, I had seen a little beach– a tiny gap in the rocks and scrub, where we could actually get down to the water. So as we headed to Killarney for lunch, stopped there and went to see the lake up close.
It started raining a little, and the fog was really thick. It was also super-windy.
And ridiculously gorgeous, in that spectacularly wild way.
All that wind, water, and beauty evoked certain reactions– I took off my socks and shoes and stood in the freezing water.
Jeff laid on a rock to take it all in. Amelia just clung to me.
And we left cold, but much more alive– yet more peaceful– than when we arrived.
I hope you have enjoyed these pictures. Ireland was so wonderful to visit, and I can’t wait to show you some more.
I too prefer to relate my thoughts and experiences with photography. It was a lovely story today! Thank you for sharing…especially in a world where the lesser of us are afraid to travel too far from home. Love your posts, your family is adorable, keep ’em coming!
So beautiful! I’d love to go there. Thank you for sharing your pictures! 🙂
I know that feeling, that ache and sense of being overwhelmed by the wild beauty of a place, even in the fog and the wind. Thanks for sharing, you captured the scenes beautifully.
I love that wild almost barren beauty, bare rocks and crashing waves and autumn colours. Beautiful!
I visited Kenmare near Killarney for a week six years ago, still here. It is indeed beautiful and magical, especially if you stray off the touristy routes.
Beautiful! I hoe someday to visit…
Beautiful! Looks a lot like here in East TN and Western NC mountains. There are tons and tons of waterfalls in W. NC. Only it’s greener here and a little less bleak. Looking forward to your next travelog!!!
Stunning! Thank you for sharing this. It’s hard to believe my ancestors wanted so desperately to leave.
You would love Glendalough in Co Wicklow! And Glenveigh in Co Donegal is pretty amazing too. Where else did you get to in Ireland? We live in Dublin 🙂 It’s nice to hear how much you loved it here.
We only had three full days, so it was Killarney area and Cork, plus Cashel. We really loved all of it!