Ross Castle, Killarney

'Cill Arnie' ... aren't the Gaelic spellings just simply intriguing? Spent our day here exploring the castle and the park. A very hot day it was, as it has been these past two weeks, but with an occasional cool breeze today, which was quite welcome.

Ross Castle is something I'm sure I've seen in some romanticized painting or history book or some such. The poets Byron and Shelly came to mind. Actually it started as a stout defence tower, like the other 3499 of its kind. In short, used more for military purposes than for raising a family. Sometime in the 19th century, like a couple other similar structures, it gradually fell into ruin, the (original) owners running out of funds to maintain or repair them. Sometime early in the 20th century, like a couple of other similar structures, it gained the interest of genuine altruists and was restored. The restorations took a lot of time, lasting decades. Finally, in the 1980s, it was re-opened and presented to the general public. What am I thankul for today? For that long and winding process that leads to historical buildings getting preserved this way. It makes learning history so much easier!

Walked till our legs fell off, then rode a horse-drawn carriage and enjoyed the lakes. One more day in the Emerald Isle ... how swiftly holidays go!