Ring of Kerry

Hey Jason, I heard your ISA program did a bus tour around the “Ring of Kerry”. First off, what is that? And secondly, was the travelling in the bus miserable?

Oh man was the travel miserable. I know you asked that question second but by golly does being in any form of transportation (except boats, maybe I should live on an island), really make me a sad bean. Firstly, however, the Ring of Kerry is a trip around a western peninsula of Ireland that houses county Kerry. It is filled with scenic views of mountains, hills, pastures, rivers, and bays. Some of the views were especially nice, but my favorite part was getting to know some of the other members of my ISA group better.

What all did you see?

Well, we stopped along many outlooks over water and valleys. There was a particular spot called the Knot of Kerry which was a bridge overlooking some rocks in a very interesting formation. It was a neat little spot in a small town with a coffee shop and a spot for tourist gifts. I must say, I feel a lot better about the horrible cartoonization of Irish culture in America with silly looking leprechauns and four leaf clovers, after seeing the Irish tourism industry is far worse. Our bus was called the “paddy wagon” and had a a giant cartoon leprechaun smoking a pipe on each side of the bus. It was a little brutal. All in all, a good trip though.