That Time We Went to Killarney (With Kids)

Happy last day of Summer!

Does anybody else approach Fall with the bittersweet feeling of what is to come — a long, dark winter?

As the days get shorter, I always find myself contending with what doctors refer to as Seasonal Affective Disorder, abbreviated SAD.  Um guys, could you have possibly come up with a worse name?!

So, not only do I experience a lack of energy, general melancholy and difficulty in focusing at this time of year — I now have to be reminded I’m SAD?  Heck no!

From now on I will refer to it as HAPPY, Having A Pity Party (about the weather) Yessiree.

It’s all in the branding, as they say — so no longer do I suffer from SAD — rather, I am HAPPY.  Yippee! 🙁

Along with SAD comes zero motivation to write anything, so I decided it’s time for something a bit light-hearted.

I’m going to try really hard not to touch on anything depressing — like scandals, politics or my current news feed.  You’re welcome.

Instead, I am going to write about that time we went to Killarney.

For those of you who are new to the blog, welcome!  I began writing my “that time we went to” posts as a way to catalogue some of our favorite moments as a family.

If I’m being completely honest, I also began this series for those times when I find my kids saying, “Mom, we never do anything” or “Mom, we never go anywhere“.  and I can reply, “What about that time we went to…” and then send them the link.  Ha, ha.

If you’re here to find out about making your time in Killarney an amazing experience, I’ll try my best.  It’s going to be amazing.

For a good start, I highly recommend you consider staying in a local cottage right outside of Killarney town.

The town itself is great, but in my opinion when you are traveling with kids, it’s nice to have a little space to relax and just let your kids be kids — which isn’t always easy in hotels.

We saved lots of money by opting for AirBnB, rather than hotels. You also can save money by preparing some of your meals at your rental,  and I think it’s a great choice for families on a budget.

The town of Killarney is really cute, and you should spend some time there — but it is on the doorstep of some of the most amazing views in all of Ireland — so you have to make sure you get out and explore the countryside!

By the way, Ireland is a place where you have to rent a car (or hire a driver) to really see the little gems of this Island.  So if you’re a family like us, that means book your 9 passenger van super early and buy your insurance ahead of time or they will literally charge you an arm and a leg for it.

While in town, don’t miss Murphy’s Ice Cream and really good home-made pastries and coffee at the Lir Cafe. (Coffee and Ice Cream is kind of our love language 🙂 )

For Mass, I would definitely recommend you go to the Franciscan Monastery in Killarney.  Great homilies, faithful people, conveniently located right in town.

I can not tell you how incredibly beautiful it is to get out and explore the area around Killarney.

We had a great experience with a local guide, named Paudie with Wild Atlantic Tours.

Paudie really knew the area and he took such pride in bringing us to the best spots — spots that we would never have found on our own.  He was amazing! Shout out, Paudie!

This is not a sponsored post, we just really enjoyed him!

Paudie took us to the best spots on the Ring of Kerry, as well as the beautiful Valenica Island and the Skellig Ring.

The Skellig ring offers beautiful views of Skellig Michael, famous for being a historic hermitage for rugged monks.  Skellig Michael is also a UNESCO heritage site.

More recently, it’s become a popular tourist destination because it was Luke Skywalker’s hermitage in the Star Wars Movies.

One day I want to see that Island, but it’s one of those sacrifices you make when you travel as a family — they didn’t allow children under eight — and so we had to stare at it from a distance and ask those holy monks of long ago to pray for us as we try to keep Christ’s light alive in our own hearts.

Paudie showed us ring forts and castles and breathtaking views.

He was a great part of welcoming us to Ireland, after the horrific fiasco of having to fly to Ireland twice in one day.

He showed us spots like this little grotto on Valencia Island, where simple, faithful workers in a granite quarry lifted a statue of Mary up to great heights to honor her.

He even handed our kids coins for the guy who stands by the ring fort and lets the kids snuggle with a sweet little sheep.

He also brought us to a great little spot for a late lunch — simple, but really good soups and fish and chips — highly recommend.

May have been one of the tastier meals of the trip.

The views were beautiful and inspiring and filled me up in ways I didn’t know that I needed — but I really did need them.

It was like a little foretaste of Heaven — and the amazing thing is that Heaven will be so much more beautiful than these places.

All is can say, is “bring it on, people”.  Heaven is going to be amazing!

Beyond the Ring of Kerry, you have to take time to explore the Muckross House and the Killarney National Park surrounding it.

Muckross House and Gardens is a stone’s throw from Killarney town, but it will give you a beautiful taste of the countryside if you don’t have a rental car or the budget to hire a driver.

There is admission to enter the house, but the gardens and entrance to the National Park is free.

We didn’t pay for admission to the house, but I think it would have been worthwhile, if you have the time.

While you are at the Muckross House, most definitely take the hike to the Torc Waterfall.

This is an brilliant way to get rid of all the kid’s energy and work off the fish and chips you will most likely partake of while in Ireland.

Oh, those greasy and delicious fish and chips covered in malt vinegar.  How I miss them!

It’s a pleasant little spot and you’ll meet lots of friendly tourists. It was actually fun to connect with other Americans who chose to spend their summer holiday in Ireland.

I have to say, the tourists in Ireland were noticeably friendly and pleasant to be around — it was half the fun of our trip.

After your hike, don’t forget to try to get a few family pictures — always an adventure — but you’ll appreciate those pictures and all the effort it took to get one with most of the kids looking.

I don’t think we have a single picture that has everybody looking and smiling at the same time, but we’ll still cherish all those shots.

If at least half of you are smiling, I call that a win!

This picture above would definitely have made it into our Christmas letter — if ever we did a Christmas letter.

I am not that on top of life, people!  There won’t actually be a Christmas letter.

So, for any of my friends and family reading this, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Back to Killarney…

If you get lucky, you might even catch sight of a leprechaun or two on your journey.  We seemed to find them wherever we went.

Well, that’s about it.

I hope this post encourages you to travel with your kids and to make the most of this time you have with your family.

No matter where you go — and it doesn’t have to be to far off lands — that time with your family adventuring together is so precious and truly will be some of your fondest memories.

So get out there and enjoy that beautiful family God gave you!

 

 

Sharing over at Kelly’s.