Ireland-Tralee & Kerry Camino
64th Annual Irish Rose of Tralee Festival
Finally! On our 6th day in Ireland, the sun came out and we didn’t have any rain all day! We’re staying 15 minutes from Tralee and by a stroke of Irish luck, we unknowingly planned our visit during the annual 5 day national/international Irish Rose Festival. The festival includes parades, fireworks, live music, food and craft fair, a carnival and a circus, and is a celebration of Irish culture and heritage. According to the website - Rose of Tralee, the festival takes its inspiration from the 19th century ballad “The Rose of Tralee” Young women born in Ireland or of Irish descent who are deemed “lovely and fair”, attributes espoused in the song, participate to be named the Rose of Tralee. This year there were 32 participants, 6 of whom were International, and a New Zealander who won becomes an ambassador for the Festival locally and internationally.
My favorite part of the festival was the Pipes and Drums marching bands that participated in the parade. Hearing them always stirs something in my Irish blood, no matter the setting!
After the parade, we decided to do a short walk on the Kerry Camino path behind our AirBnB, about a 1/2 mile up the mountain. Once again, we were awed by the views of the land and ocean.
So we see this beautiful mountain stream, and of course, Pierre has to take a cold plunge.
Pierre: I’m thinking about going in naked. Me: I don’t think that’s a good idea. We don’t know the laws of this country and I really don’t want to have to bail you out of jail. Pierre: Don’t worry, there’s no one else out here!
He gets in and within seconds, he’s pointing to a lady waiting to cross the bridge while I’m taking the photo. She and her husband move along and as he’s getting out, 3 young girls, all less than 11 by my estimation, approach the bridge from the other side! Luckily he got his pants back on lickity-split and even luckier, he followed my advice!
The oldest of the girls told me I was “very clever” to have my Wellies on because of all the mud on the trail. It made my day!