Dingle Peninsular!

Yesterday we left Kinsale & drove the Ring of Kerry to Killarney for lunch & then to Dingle to stay for 2 nights. We travelled the back roads around Cork - through townlands of farms - sheep, cattle, corn & feed crops for animals. They have had an excellent harvest & farmers mostly pleased. There are wild red fuscias & orange (sounds like) mount bresher (montbretia) in full bloom hedges all along the way; hydrangers everywhere too & heather amongst them. We stopped to view the 3 Lough Leanes (lakes) in the National Park.
Our first stop was at Muckross House - built early 1800's - very big house, very well preserved & maintained. Beautiful gardens , all overlooking a lough (loch/lake). Queen Victoria stayed there in 1863.  We were taken to the House in a jaunting cart - horse & cart (taking 8). We stopped at the relics of a 11th century abbey destroyed by Oliver Cromwell. It was built of pale grey stone blocks & has a still used cemetery around it. It's in the middle of the forest of Irish oaks, new, horsechestnuts & lennon trees - just beautiful.
Our hotel in Dingle is in the main street - SO narrow, one way only. Every other tiny place in all of these places is a pub where there is traditional singing every night. Most other places restaurants & souvenir shops. Lots of little white Irish cottages; & rows of 2 storey all joined together, many brightly painted. Also lots of individual houses.
 Lots of tourists everywhere. 90% of Killarney is tourist driven. The Republic is starting to come good. the EU loaned & granted them money to build new roads, freeways & bridges. Where the money ran out you are back to narrow, single roads. They are under all the decisions of the EU. Some good (the 4.000 Waterford Crystal workers who lost there jobs & received no payouts or pensions owed to them are now going to be reimbursed. However the farmers have so many rules & regulations on what they can & can't do they say it is not worth keeping sheep, chooks, dairy cattle  etc because returns just under what it costs to produce goods - which all go to the EU for sale. They are in a bind if to stay in EU - Britain still take their main exports & Republic owes EU so much money (not have to repay for 35 yrs). They are bound / 'governed' by EU regulations - all decided so far away & often no relevance to Ireland.'

The south east here are staunch Republicans, speak Gaelic & furious that QE2 was allowed to visit.
Our Guide has wonderful sense of humour & full of stories of tradition & history - very fair in his delivery.
The beautiful hotel we stayed in at Kinsale is up for sale. The builders/owners went bust in the downturn & left for 'warmer climate with 67 million euros. It's valued now at 21 million &new  hopeful buyers, who were being wined & dined the night we were there, expecting to get it for 4 million!