Ireland 2015: Southern Road Trip - Killarney, Ewe Experience, Bantry

In preparation for a day of touring the Ring of Kerry, we selected a bed and breakfast in Killarney and then decided to stay an extra night so that we would have enough time to explore the area around Killarney and Killarney National Park.  The town of Killarney itself is quite typical of the touristy towns in the area with the quaint shops and pubs.  We were more interested in the natural and historic sights in the surrounding areas.

Containing with 65 rooms, Muckross House was built on Muckross Lake in 1843 for Member of Parliament Henry Herbert.  It was renovated in the 1850s in preparation for a visit by Queen Victoria.  It was bought in 1911 by wealthy Californian William Bournes, who donated the house and the 11,000 acre estate to the Republic of Ireland in 1932.  This land formed the basis of Killarney National Park, which was later expanded by adding the estate of the former Earl of Kenmare.

The Muckross House grounds feature views across Muckross Lake, floral and rock gardens, an arboretum, a boat house, traditional farm, weaving and pottery studios and a Jarvey stand.  The jarveys drive horse-drawn carriages, providing rides for tourists on the 15 kilometers of internal pathways within Killarney National Park.  They act as taxis, ferrying visitors between the various nearby attractions including Muckross Abbey and Ross Castle. 
 

We chose to walk the pretty path leading to Muckross Abbey and were rewarded with the sight of a deer grazing in the tall grass.

Muckross Abbey was a Franciscan friary founded in 1448 by the McCarthy clan.  It was occupied on and off by an order of  Franciscan monks who had strict rules regarding diet, clothing and possession of property.  In the 1650s, they were driven away by Oliver Cromwell's invading troops.  The grounds outside the abbey acted as a cemetery for local chieftains and are still used as an active graveyard today.

The Abbey now stands in ruins without a roof, but many of the walls and windows of the various sections are still in relatively good condition.  Still standing is a square tower with stone steps leading to a second level, various parts of the church with its elaborately trimmed window openings still intact, and a central courtyard that is surrounded by a vaulted cloister or walkway lined with rounded windows.  In the middle of the courtyard is a giant yew tree that is rumoured to be as old as the Abbey.

Ross Castle is a tower house built in the 1500s by the O'Donoghue clan, surrounded by a stone outer wall with round defensive towers on each corner. Over the course of many centuries, due to wars and rebellions, the castle passed on to the McCarthy clan and then the Browns who were ancestors to the Earl of Kenmare.  Ross Castle was the last in the area to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's forces in the Irish Confederate War.  The castle sits on the edge of Lough Leane and legend has it that O'Donoghue's ghost still roams the bottom of the lake.

After two nights in the Killarney area, we moved on to our next overnight destination of Kenmare in preparation for driving the Ring of Beara the next day.  En route, we took a brief detour towards Glengariff in order to visit an amazingly whimsical and quirky interpretative sculpture garden called The Ewe Experience.  Knowing how much I enjoy looking at cutesy things, Rich always looks for such opportunities when we are planning our trips.

Following a lengthy nature trail through hilly woodlands, over bridges with  brooks running underneath and past waterfalls, a new surprise can be found at every turn.  Many plaques provided educational material about the wonders of nature and the need for preserving the environment including information about wollumi pines, beetles, bower birds, fish, flora, fauna, water, and the impact of man on our environment.

Set in a large woodland property of over 6 acres on Highway N71, The Ewe Experience embeds fanciful figures made of various materials including textiles, mosaics, ceramics, plastics, rubber, metals, woods, found objects and natural items like branches and pine cones.  Four main themes are represented–Water, Time, The Environment and Ancient Earth.
 

Scattered throughout the paths are interactive games including TicTacToe, Checkers, Ball toss, Find the dinosaur tracks or Unlock the vault to see the most destructive creature that ever lived (hint .. inside is a mirror). 

Not realizing the immense size of the sculptural garden and the large number of art pieces to discover, we planned to make just a brief visit to the Ewe Experience before continuing on our way.  I was so enthralled with all the fun and fabulous sculptures that we ended up staying for several hours and gave up on visiting a few other sites instead.  This was probably one of my favourite excursions of this trip.

In an attempt to keep our vacation costs down as much as possible, we tried to choose frugally when picking accommodations to stay overnight during our 12 day road trip of southern Ireland.  The one exception and our one big splurge was our single night stay in Bantry House, the 18th Century manor house and estate in the town of Bantry.  Inhabited for centuries by the White family including four generations of Earls of Bantry, the house still remains in possession of the family today and is run as an elegant bed and breakfast establishment.  While our other bed and breakfast accommodations ranged from 60 to 120 Euros per night, the stay at Bantry House cost 225 Euros.  Yet the extra cost was worth it since it gave us the unique experience of living like the 18th Century upper class did.  We were shown to our room by Sophie Shelswell-White, the current lady of the manor who also runs the B&B.

 

The house and grounds are open to the public for paid tours during the day, but as guests of the bed and breakfast, we were allowed to freely roam the beautifully landscaped property after the crowds were gone.  After enjoying a smoked salmon salad plate on the outdoor terrace, we proceeded to explore the estate.  Bantry House is set on the shores of Bantry Bay with a stunning view of the Caha Mountains in the distance.  A statue of Roman Goddess Diana the Huntress can be found in the courtyard while sculptures of herons, part of the White family crest, guard the front entry.

Four cannons from the late 1700s overlook Bantry Bay.  The elaborate Italian garden was developed by Richard White, the 2nd Earl of Bantry, and features symmetrical maze-like hedges connected by gravel pathways, cone-shaped evergreens and a circular fountain surrounded by purple-flowered wisteria shrubs.

Rising out from the Italian garden is a monumental staircase of one hundred steps built out of local stone that leads up to a woodland trail with exotic plants, trees, a running river and footbridge.  The view from the top of the stairs is spectacular as you look back onto the house, property, Bantry Bay and the mountains in the horizon.  It was surreal being able to wander around the estate on our own without running into other tourists.  It made us feel like we were the lord and lady of the manor and had the run of the place.

Our bedroom suite was so large that you could cartwheel across it and the view from our bay windows was stunning.  It was quite spectacular to sit in the comfy arm chairs and watch the sun set over the horizon.  Going back to my original checklist for the perfect B&B that I created prior to starting this road trip, I found that Bantry House met most of my criteria–good strong WIFI, accessible power outlets, large plush towels, good water source and sufficient hot water in the shower, a sizable bathtub that I could soak in, comfortable bed and firm pillows, good lighting and a kettle with complimentary tea bags and cookies.
 

The one area where I was disappointed was the breakfast.  Given the price that we paid, I was expecting a fancy, elaborate breakfast in a luxurious setting.   Instead the breakfast which we got was quite similar to the ones we were served at most of the other B&Bs. There was the usual buffet offerings of fruit, yogurt, cheese, breads and sliced meats and then the "full Irish Breakfast" (again!).  This would have been quite lovely had this been our first or only meal, but this was our ninth time being regaled with the same fare.   The one item they offered which was a bit different was kippers or smoked herring.  I went for this option just to have something other than the typical bacon, sausage and eggs, but I didn't like them very much.  I was also hoping that our dining area would be more elegant but compared to the rest of the house, it was nothing special.

But beyond the qualities of the bedroom and the breakfast, which are the usual standards that a B&B is rated on, Bantry House offered us a most memorable experience that is thus far unrivaled by any from our previous vacations.  As part of the perks of being guests in this manor house, we were allowed to play billiards on an antique billiards table and were given private access to the grand library.  Being in this opulent room with the period furnishing and decor let us feel like we were part of the upstairs aristocracy in Downton Abbey.  Rich took the greatest pleasure in sitting in an arm chair reading his book while sipping snifter of Irish Whiskey–all he needed was a dinner jacket, an ascot and a cigar to complete the picture.  We noticed a call bell next to the fireplace that was once used to summon the butler.  The far end of the library featured Roman columns, a large spinning globe and a grand piano that was available for guests to play.

After breakfast, we were taken on a private tour of the rest of the home before the regular tourists were allowed in.  We visited the inner and outer halls, multiple drawing rooms, the dining room and the upstairs bedrooms.  This turned out to be an unforgettable experience that was well worth the extra money.