Killarney

We headed west towards Killarney, Ireland's version of Yellowstone (my opinion, not theirs).

Located on a series of 3 lakes in the west coast and the start of the Ring of Kerry, Killarney reminded me of West Yellowstone. The park itself started when the owners of a large estate donated their house and lands to the Irish government.

The house was originally built in the 1840s for newlyweds (the Herberts). In the 1860's the owners convinced Queen Victoria to visit Ireland and stay at their house. As a result they spent 6 years and way more money than they had fixing the place up. As a result of the expense and the less than frugal behaviors of their heir, the Herberts lost the house in the late 1800s.

In the early 1900's a wealthy Californian couple bought the house as a wedding gift for their daughter. She unfortunately passed away shortly after so the parents donated the house to Ireland in 1932 as a way of honoring her memory. The country was very new then so the house sat dormant for many years until the government got around to making it public. Combined with another large estate, the lands have become a national park. In addition to the manor, there are amazing gardens, biking/hiking paths and jarveys (horse drawn carriages).

The is also a living farm where "characters" enact life as it would have been in rural Ireland prior to 1955. No electricity, no running water and lots of farm animals. It was very enjoyable walking around and talking with people about what life would have been like for my grandparents generation in Ireland.

Later we made our way into the very busy and tourist heavy downtown. The city has several blocks of shopping and tourist draws, again reminding me of West Yellowstone a great deal.