Kinsale

Kinsale is a popular seaside holiday destination for both Irish and overseas visitors. Apparently it's also a foodie destination with its festivals.

Parking is scarce and costly in the village so the authorities have provided a free car park; you only have to walk downhill into the village.

People enjoying the good weather. Temperatures are milder on the south coast compared to the west coast.

Tables ready for customers. But the wind has ruffled one.

I liked the pattern on the grill of this planter.

If anything the coloured facades are even more prominent here.

And here.

Ah, it was the subliminal effect of that gelato cone later. That's my story anyway.

Everybody can use this therapy. Not open though.

Pirate Anne Bonny was born in Kinsale and they are proud to claim her.

Tidy streets. You will notice there is no law requiring a parked car to face the direction of travel, presumably because narrow roads in the country are hard to turn around on.

A gastropub is not an abdominal condition but a pub that serves cooked meals as opposed to cold dishes, in addition to drinks. Apparently the appellation was coined in the UK.

Quaint shops.

The post office and I think the bank house is now a hotel.

And now the port.

It was rather silty, maybe because the tide was out.

Probably many of these are accommodation.

Further out.

There's a modern building behind.

It is possible to get a better view from Compass Hill but I didn't walk there.

For lunch I found a pub serving seafood chowder.

It was Monday, but that didn't stop me from having a gelato from Sundays after lunch.

Panoramas:

Killarney

Killarney is a popular tourist destination because it's the gateway to Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry. Naturally a town so popular commands high room prices. As I had a car, I picked a place outside the town. It was a new B&B which had opened only the year before and there was still work in progress. But it was very tidy and very comfortable. I was glad I had sandwiches from Tesco and didn't need to venture out for dinner.

At breakfast I encountered the other lodgers, two Italian couples. We had an interesting time figuring out some of the modern appliances in the kitchen. Breakfast was continental, with cold meats, not an unwelcome change from cooked Irish breakfasts of the last couple of days. I had a friendly chat with the young host, who complimented me on allocating two days for the Ring, unlike the tour buses who rush through it in a day.

I bade farewell to the host and drove into Killarney town. As you can see, buildings painted in bright primary colours are represented here.

The Town Hall.

The kind of accommodation out of my means. There's a tour bus waiting for passengers.

This was just one of the many hotels. Tourism is a major earner for this town.

Must have a cinema in any civilised town.

Green experimental projects.

More colourful buildings.

Fascinating music shop.

This was all very picturesque but I had to get going. Besides it was raining slightly and my paid parking was running out.

The road out of town to the national park was lined with B&Bs. It seemed almost a national occupation, running such establishments.