Day 9: Tralee

This morning I left Killarney, chose to avoid the crowds on the Ring of Kerry, and drove around the Dingle Peninsula to Tralee. The views were amazing and the roads something else!

The road over An Chonair is the highest mountain crossing on the Wild Atlantic Way. You can see Loop Head in County Clare, Galway's Aran Islands, and the beaches of Castlegregory.

Although it's the county seat, Tralee is down-to-earth and more engaged with the business of everyday life than the tourist trade. I like the vibe. A nice museum, a wetlands centre, and the National Folklore Theatre, made it well worth my stop.

Founded by the Normans in 1216, Tralee has a long history of rebellion. In the 16th century the last ruling earl of the Desmonds was captured and executed here. His head was sent to Elizabeth I, who spiked it on London Bridge.

I visited the Kerry County Museum, housed in the Ashe Memorial Hall. The building is named after Thomas Ashe, a Kerryman who was a member of the Irish Volunteers and who died on a hunger strike while imprisoned in Montjoy in 1917. The very same prison my grandfather was imprisoned in, and released from, after he went on on a hunger strike in 1924 demanding the release of all political prisoners. I am staying in the Ashe Hotel, also named for Thomas Ashe.

The Rose of Tralee International Festival is an international event which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The Festival, held annually here in the town of Tralee, takes its inspiration from a 19th-century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called "The Rose of Tralee".

The sunsets here are dramatic, reminding you of the centuries of unchanged landscape, with the winds and the rain adding to the feeling of timeless isolation. As the Irish blessing goes: “May there be just enough clouds on your horizon to cause a beautiful sunset!”

This evening, I enjoyed more great Indian food and attended a live performance of Oileán at Ireland’s National Folk Theatre.

The show captures the essence of the island community, their

traditions and customs, their wealth of song and story, their love of life and their strong kinship with one another.

Presented by the members of the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, Oileán celebrates and explores Blasket Island in a moving, emotional and lively presentation.

The Great Blasket Island, located off the coast of West Kerry still retains an almost mystical significance for many, both from Ireland and abroad. The way of life of the islanders and their spirit of survival is framed in this production, which captures the essence of this island community, their traditions and customs, their wealth of song and story, their love of life and their strong kinship with one another.

I will continue north along the coast tomorrow morning on the Wild Atlantic Way for two days in the historic town of Tarbert.