Last I left off, we were at the half way mark of our Ireland Adventure from this past summer.  To read more about our family trip to and see the Ireland family travel photography that accompanied our first leg, you can click here.

Now on with the trip!

Day 4: The Dingle Peninsula. If I had to pick one favorite day from this trip, I would give it to the Dingle.  I’ve always felt my happiest at the ocean, and while a summer beach day in Ireland closely resembled a winter beach day back home, it was nothing short of beautiful.

We began our drive around the Dingle at Inch Beach.  One toe in the water and there was no question why the surfers their embrace wetsuits.  The wind whipped fast enough to take our breath away but so did the scenery.  I have never experienced this combination of soft beige sand and lush green backdrop before.

After warming up with large mugs of hot chocolate and Irish coffees for the grown ups, we hopped on the road to explore the beautiful countryside.  We saw more shades of green than in the largest box of Crayola crayons.

When traveling, I find over and over again that some of the most special memories result from things that are not planned.  Getting lost in the Dingle was exactly that.  Even armed with an unlocked phone, a SIM card and Google maps, the narrow dirt country rides of the Ireland countryside can be hard to navigate.  One wrong turn and you can get lost.  Or you can get lucky.

After getting the sinking feeling that we were moving far off course, we stopped on the side of a small dirt road to gather our bearings.  This is where we came across a group of cows who seemed quite happy for some company.  Maybe we had reached our destination after all.    We fed our new friends.  We picked a bouquet of wildflowers.  We took in the stunning view.  The happiest of accidents.

After getting back on course, we headed for the spectacular Coumeenoole Beach.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Day 5: Tuckered out from a very full day traveling the Dingle, the grandparents took the day off to relax while we hung out in Killarney at the Muckross house and surrounding national park.  We rented bicycles which was the perfect way to tour around.  We ended our evening with this fantastic show that exceeded all of our expectations.  There was more than one tear shed that night – all of the “pinch me – life is good” variety.

 

Day 6: As a HUGE Airbnb fan (I’ve used them successfully all throughout the USA, in Paris, Amsterdam, and Croatia), this might have been the best service yet.  (FYI – book your first Airbnb stay via the link above and you’ll save $40). The owners of our home run a large sheep farm, and since the grounds were too muddy for us to visit without proper wellies, they brought the sheep farm to us!  Their son is the same age as ours, and what better way for two boys from across the pond to bond, than with a game of soccer.

One of the many lakes at Killarney National Park

Ross Castle

We met some colorful townies at the local pub. When they heard that we had not taken the kids to the carnival in town, one slipped them 20 Euros and told them to enjoy.

Day 7: Time for our goodbyes.  There is more adventure yet to come this trip.

Here’s a little hint where to next…

Kami Friday is a NH based lifestyle and portrait photographer specializing in photography of families, children, newborns, maternity and high school seniors.