1/18, Wednesday - Crag Cave and Ring of Kerry (Co. Kerry) -
Like the Burrows, the Ring of Kerry is the area of a path around the peninsula (can be up to a 10 hr drive!). We visited Crag Cave on our way down to Kilarney. Grabbed a bit of lunch at a place called Murphy's where the locals ate. I ordered Irish law stew and b ordered Guinness beef stew (better than the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin; you can actually taste the beer this time. Granted, it was also a bit more pricey). Took a while to find our way to the correct path to the Ring of Kerry. I finally knew we were on the right track when I saw a sign that said Mucklow. That was our first stop and there along the path we saw an abandoned Friary tucked away in the corner next to a lake. Our second stop (not including the God-sent hotel with bathroom) was Torc Waterfall. And that was pretty much it. 
Not even a ride on the jaunting carts. By the time we rounded up the kids (aka. Wendy and Matt), it was almost 5 by then with the sun beginning to set. We did, however, see sheep along the path (see sheep in Ireland: check) and what we did see, did indeed take my breath away.
For dinner, b and I hit up our usual pub, Pat Collins, the same one we went to the first night. I finally got to order bacon and cabbage (not how I imagined it in my mind, but delish)! b ordered another round of Guinness beef. And after sampling their soup of the day again (I did this on the first night, too), I ordered the leek and potato soup. Creamy, smooth, flavored just enough (not too salty). Yum! The Irish really do know their soups! We lounged for a while longer; it so happens that every Wednesday night, they play traditional Irish music at 9 pm (listen to live Irish music: check)!
1/19, Thursday - Adare Manor & Golf Resort -
Matt and Wendy wanted to go back into Dublin to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College and go pub hopping (turns out the Book of Kells exhibit didn't allow pictures, so we didn't miss that opportunity after all). b decided it would be best for us to rest and take the opportunity to explore the place we're staying (ruins, gardens, and forests, etc.), so the kids took the car and we stayed behind. This involved a TON of walking that day (huge property and all around the quaint town), but it was well-worth it. After checking out the Adare Manor estates, we ventured to the surrounding neighborhood. Across the street there was an Augustinian Friary to explore (still in use for church services on a school). It started raining a bit, so we went to find some shelter and food in the early afternoon at our usual pub (I also had my order of Irish coffee - I didn't find out until AFTER I drank it that traditionally, we're not supposed to stir the coffee and just drink straight-up when served). After we warmed ourselves and fed our tummies, we returned back to our exploring. We took a walking path along a scenic path by a river (that locals take to go jogging) that led back to the Manor. On our way, we passed by the Adare Club House. As we were informed during our tour on Monday, the Adare Golf Resort is a different property from the Adare Manor (very confusing). Turns out they had ruins on their property, too, and we only need permission from the club house to gain access. It was uber neat, but the sun began to set and it was getting cold and dark rather quick (we still had a bit to walk back and ruins start to look more creepy than cool when there's a lack of daylight). We hurried in the last bit of light back to the Manor. Although, this part of the trip felt forever (tired and cold), we eventually made it back to our warm villa and had delish leftovers from the night before. Quite an adventure and a most enjoyable day with b. 
1/20, Friday - Rock of Cashel and Waterford Crystals
Our last day, we headed down for our tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory. On our way there, we were able to stop at the Rock of Cashel (thanks b for doing all the research for this trip - esp. since the kids didn't want to plan a lick). This was a really neat place. It's known as a fortress of faith - originally owned by the kings, it was gifted and given to the monks to care for. It was incredibly cold and windy on the rock, but the sun was out and gave the place an almost magical feel. Shortly afterwards, we went about our way. When we had arrived at the Waterford Crystal Factory, we were told that we missed the last tour. We knew that the last tour was 30 min. before closing, but had no idea how early people called it a day on Fridays (it was just shy of 3:30 pm when we had arrived). Sad, we took turns using the washroom and was getting ready to leave when a Sales Manager passed us by and in their usual friendly demeanor, asked us how we were. My sister answered truthfully and when he heard that we came all this way, he took us into the back to see if we were able to catch-up with the tour. It turns out his wife was the tour-guide (he was very proud of her). Indeed we caught up with them (they barely just started - we only missed the intro room, which included a short video of their designers) and got to check out how crystals are made! With our admission, we also had a discount. I ended up picking up a Waterford Crystal Seahorse Memento for my mother and a similar broach for b's mom.
It was hard to imagine that this was our last day of our trip in Ireland. We headed back to the Manor with one last stop at our usual pub, Pat Collins. For my last meal there, it wasn't difficult to figure out what I wanted to order - bacon and cabbage, of course! So yummy! With our tummies full, we headed back to our villa - b and I got to packing and to bed. Aer Lingus awaited us at the Dublin airport early the next morning to fly us back to our connecting flight in Chicago. After many adventures in Ireland and surprisingly, much rest (most of our days were wake-up at 7:30 am, get back at 7:30 pm, and not very dependable internet, so we can focus on unpugging), I was ready to return to my home-sweet-home. PTL for this spontaneous and memorable trip! 
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