It rained on and off today, so we were rewarded with this amazing rainbow. I don't think I have ever seen a rainbow out at sea. We had been forewarned and we had weatherproof gear, but I really needed a wet suit to go diving for the pots of gold at the ends of this one.
Words and photos just can't do this area justice though. This photo is from the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula. It is part of what is known as the Wild Atlantic Way which is comprised of six regions and 2500 km of coastal roads.
The sheep around here love to have paintball fights! Really - they're all painted various colors. Okay, maybe that's not quite right, but according to at least one website, farmers “paint” their sheep for identification. Pastures are usually enclosed by stone walls or wire fences and they are shared by multiple farmers. When it comes time to claim ownership of the animals roaming around hundreds of acres, a sheep with a customized paint job is easy to identify.
Additionally, during the mating season, a ram will have a bag of dye hung around its neck and chest. When the ram mounts the ewe a bit of dye will be deposited on the ewe’s upper back. This way, the farmer knows which ewes have been impregnated and moves them on to another field away from the ram. Is that TMI for a family friendly blog?
This guy (or gal - some ewes can have horns too) just reminded me of the tears of a clown or maybe a wannabe gangsta with facial tattoos. I'll stick with the clown.
We are staying in a beautiful Airbnb which will possibly be the subject of a whole blog. The picturesque valley behind the house goes for many miles all the way to the other side of the peninsula.
On our valley hike, we met this beautiful piebald Gypsy Pony who came right up to us and nuzzled us and nibbled at our jackets and let us pet her all we wanted. The owner of her and the other two horses we met was just as friendly as his horses, and he told us all about their history and asked us if we wanted to buy one - or three. Sadly not even just one of them would fit in our luggage.
For more information on this breed here's a good article: http://www.flyingwfarms.com/Gypsy%20Ponies/About%20Gypsy%20Ponies.htm
We found our way (twice) to Murphy's Bar, and enjoyed meeting with the locals and testing out some of their Irish products. The bartender, Padraigh, was a perfect guy to have behind the bar. He knew everything about everyone and set about to make sure he knew who we were. The locals were all friendly as well, and it is easy to see why the pub is the center of Irish of village life. Due to extremely strict new DUI laws however, many of the pubs are having problems staying afloat. For remote villages, some pub owners have purchased vans and they're giving rides to patrons since Uber isn't likely to ever be an option. Hopefully they'll all find good safe and healthy ways to stay around.
Hugs from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry!