We arrived at Kilmackillogue.

I got a few nice shots of the pub and the pier which I’ll post later.

We explored Kilmackillogue Cemetery.

We found an open tomb ….. with bones exposed for all to see.

We also found another open tomb ….. with skulls exposed for all to see.

It’s a disgrace that we have so liitle respect for the people who have gone before us that we can’t look after their remains properly.

Graveyards are links to our past.

Our past has shaped who we are …. the people who came before us have shaped the country we live in.

Our graveyards should be well maintained ….. in Kilmackillogue Cemetery this wasn’t the case …. Kerry County Council should be ashamed of themselves.

Why aren’t our graveyards given pride of place? A lot of them are stuck on the side of the worst piece of hill available or stuck in the worst drained piece of ground that could possibly be found.

(Thankfully I’m going to be cremated when my time comes)

Can we not show our ancestors a little gratitude?

Rest In Peace to the forgotten of Kilmackillogue Cemetery.

The day was a little overcast but no sign of rain.

My walking companion was delayed so the starting time was pushed out as well.

Still, we got about 5 hours of trotting in.

I took some more photos. I’m going to seriously try to figure out how I can integrate them into the site better.

I want to be able to upload many photos at one time.

Uploading in ones and twos is a slow and painful process.

Here’s one I took from the top of the Healy Pass:

Time for some fresh air!

More later …………

Where I’d like to be ….. a project and a place to get away from it all.

I have internal photos. I will get them up within the next week. Bear with me!!

I wonder?

We were walking in the Black Valley today. We did part of the Kerry Way walk. I took the photo in the Black Valley. The snowcapped Macgillycuddy’s Reeks are in the background.

I’ll post some more photos tomorrow.

Self explanatory I think!

Rabach’s Way is a walk that took us to a hidden valley (known as The Pocket) and a ruined village. It was the location of a true story of murder and betrayal.

Cornelius Sullivan Rabach was the last man to be hanged in Kerry in 1831.

The story goes that he murdered a traveller, or a stowaway who jumped ship in Castletown, who came to his house in the remote mountain village. He was seen by a neighbour and when Rabach found out that she had seen the murder he murdered her too.

He was caught, tried and hanged for both murders. The cave he hid in whilst on the run can be seen above the village.

The walk takes between four and five hours. We started at the Sibín Pub which is at the base of the Healy Pass.

We passed Shronebirrane stone circle on the way to the hidden village.

The remoteness of the village is amazing.

They couldn’t even carry a horse and cart in there. We counted 7 houses. The remains of stone walled fields can be seen there and evidence of turf cutting is also visible.

The location was quite spectacular. The mountain sides are quite bleak, there is a waterfall to the rear of the village and the water in the stream was crystal clear. Better than any bottled water you could buy.

We saw a farmer half way up the side of the mountain rounding up sheep with his sheepdog. He must have been there for hours rounding them up because he was there before us and there after we left.

The day was magnificent …. well worth a visit!

(As soon as I sort out how I’ll display photographs on the site I’ll upload them … until them I hope you enjoy the ones on this page!)

One of the natives I met while hill walking in Kerry!

I’m up the walls with school at the moment but watch this space ‘cos I’ll be uploading some photos from Sunday’s hill walking trip.

We explored a ‘hidden village’. It has a great story attached to it. More to follow!