Jeannie's Travel Addiction

Paddywagon Tours in Cork, Ireland,  where  leprechauns always  get front row seating in the bus.

Sept. 28, 2016

My  day tour with Paddywagon Tours, in Cork, was wonderful!!!  Very relaxing way to see the Irish scenery — well most of the time relaxing…..

It was not easy adjusting  to the Irish driving on “the other” side of the road…

especially when on the narrow hilly roads,  in the rain and fog and limited visibility.

Though I have to admit our driver, Jerry, was an excellent navigator  and  was never  rattled in the least.

One of our first sights was the highest mountain in Ireland, Carrauntoohil,  which is rarely seen due to  clouds, fog and rain.  But the clouds hanging low over the mountains was an incredible sight!

Believed to be 4000 years old, these  Bee Hive Huts  were interesting to see how well  and secure they were constructed, inside and out.  Though the history of these Bee Hive Huts is not well known.

During  the Bee Hive  Huts visit  I made a  new friend who  greeted me with a friendly ” baa haa haa”.  Sheep can be seen  everywhere  in the Irish fields.  Most are colorfully  branded  with different shades  of dye for identification or……

Also, during the mating season, a ram will be wear  a bag of dye around its neck and chest.  When the ram mounts the ewe, some of the  dye spreads to the ewe’s back.  Then the farmer knows which ewe is pregnant and moves it on to another field.

Much of the hill sides  look like the photo above, though many “sections” also have sheep or cattle grazing. Hedge rows, instead of fences,  separate the sections and effectively keep the herds on the property.

These hills are a perfect  example of the “40 shades of Irish green”.

Dramatic cliffs and crashing Atlantic Ocean   can be seen along the Slea Drive portion of the Dingle Peninsula.

Even the immerse rock on  the  road sides is an  intimidating sight.   If you can see  the person walking the road, it will give you an idea of the size.

Inch Beach was another stop, where the swell is a favorite for surfers.  The temperature was about 50 degrees  yesterday and it was pouring down rain , which kept me from taking photos.  But it did not stop the surfers  from taking to the swells!

We also visited  the fishing village of Dingle and the town voted “most popular”,  Killarney, during this day tour.  Stay tuned  for my  next blog of these picturesque  Irish towns.

. “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is lethal.”

– Paulo Coelho

Thanks for reading!