We never heard of Bantry, Ireland, but we will never forget our visit here. It was described as a lovely little harbor town in the West Cork area of southwestern Ireland. What the town lacks in size, it makes up for it with history, landscape, flora and fauna. What can be found here appeals to nature lovers, history buffs, lovers of good food, festivals, sailing, kayaking, and mountain hikes.
It could not have been said better, however, we discovered the most authentic part of Ireland. It was like stepping back in time. Located in West Cork County on the rugged coastline, Bantry is situated at the end of an inlet hemmed in by high mountain ridges, hilly pastures, and country homes with wonderful views.
The Amsterdam arrived to the bay around 8am to drizzling rain and cold temperatures in the mid 40’s. Today would also be a tender port, and the last port of this world cruise. We noticed that both forward platforms had been opened, and some local tenders were being used to get folks off for early tours. Speaking of excursions, there were three offered today. One was 8½ hours to the Kingdom of Kerry. Tablemates Greg and Heo booked this tour, mostly because they have never been here before. The other two tours were half day ones that took the guests out of town. Since the port guide we had from the ship showed very little in town, but they could not have been more wrong.
Leaving the ship for the tender for us was around 9:30am, well after the tours had gone off. By then, no more tender tickets were needed. First thing we noticed was the bay full of aqua-culture. We saw strips of buoys holding mussel-growing nets. Also farmed here are oysters, and floating markers showed where lobster and crab traps were located. This must employ many locals from town to maintain this type of farming….sometimes controversial.
From the tender landing, we had a medium long walk to get to the center of town. There may have been a free shuttle to town for those who could not walk as well. From the time we got off of the boat, the signage in town was phenomenal. Following the ship’s map basically showed very little in town. We found the center of town which was Wolfe Tone Square with monuments and many signs with the town’s story. We could have read every sign, which might have taken an hour. Taking photos of them was better. The info we gathered included the history of fishing. Some species caught here are Bluefin tuna, bass ray, garfish, bullhuss, dogfish, codling, flounder, haddock, skate, conger eel, coalfish, rays, plaice and wrasse. Other sea life are dolphins, porpoise, harbor seals, and otters. Birds are puffins, kittewakes, crows, arctic terns, and gannets. One other industry that put this area on the map was copper mining in the 1800’s. Smelting was conducted here as well as the giant machinery that crushed quartz rock, where the copper ore was hidden. Like we said, the history to us was fascinating.
The closest place of interest had to be St. Brendan’s Church, an Anglican Gothic building. The rhododendrons and camillias were just starting to bloom. We did locate the information center, which was filled to the brim with ship people. Getting a few maps, we followed the directions to see more of the town. Making our way uphill, we found many small shops for everyday needs of people. No high end malls or pricey boutiques here. And it was nice.
The town was full of places like Box of Frogs, a café/bakery, One Man’s clothing shop, alleyways of street art, or Ma Murphy’s Pub. Near the top, we passed by the waterwheel and the Mill Pond Stream by the modern library. A commanding spot for St. Finnbar’s Catholic Church was at the top of this hill. After strolling through the attached cemetery, we took a walk inside to find a small class of Catholic school kids preparing for their First Communion. Boy did that bring back memories for both of us. It appears that time has stood still in this part of the world, and perhaps that is a good thing.
From here, we hiked down the same way we came, since some of the roads up here were closed. This time we ducked into the shops to see what they were selling. We found mostly souvenirs of jewelry, scarves, t-shirts, and Irish keepsakes. Could not help seeing the signs on some establishments saying Bantry Tidy Town Award for 2007. They deserve it.
Time for lunch, we located the Brick Oven, and found two customers, Hazel and Tina, already seated and enjoying one large pizza from the wood fired brick oven. When we walked inside, both of them teased us by saying look who they let in, making the owners and staff chuckle. Within minutes, we had our customized Margherita pizza with ham and carmelized onions, an order of fries, along with two Guinness pints. We asked our waiter how many cruise ships come to Bantry, and he said maybe three a year, but only during summertime. And we also inquired about the traffic in town, which was really bad today. He said that was normal, since there were more cars than parking spaces. He added the traffic is way worse during the summer. Finally, we ended our meal with a shared brownie sundae. The whole place had filled by the time we left.
There was one more sight we wanted to see if we could access it. That was the Bantry House and Garden, located on the side of the hill overlooking the bay. It is a most impressive mansion lived in by the descendants of the Earls of Bantry, a Georgian house owned by the family since the 1700’s. It has been opened to the public since 1945, and today, it also has a small portion of the house dedicated to a bed and breakfast facility with a tearoom where cakes and light lunches were served.
Entering through a classic rock arch from the main road, we walked up a wooded road for 10 minutes before we sighted the stately house. Despite signs saying there was a fee to tour it, we stayed on the outside and strolled around the front garden with classical statues, urns, ballustrades and terraces. When the wisteria blooms, it will be beautiful. The lawn area had circular beds, topiary, cannons,O and sunken gardens. On each side of the mansion were carriage houses. The views from here of the bay were fantastic. But that’s when the drizzle began again. Time to walk back.
On the way back, we noticed that the gas prices had risen from 1.44 to 1.48 from the morning. Fuel is so expensive that all of the vehicles are small or the new hybrids. The tender boat was waiting, but left with only a handful of people. We may have overheard that there was a medical debark from the ship on the way, and we needed to clear the way for them.
All aboard was 4:30pm, but when we went outside to deck nine, we noticed that some tender boats were not loaded yet. And by now, the mist was getting heavier, but dressed properly, we stayed and waited. Captain Mercer came on the PA and announced that we would be late in leaving due to some delayed buses coming back. As it turned out, we left after 6pm to wet, windy, and cold weather. Not the best sail away ever, but the last one we will have until we return to Ft. Lauderdale.
We had three things waiting for us in or room. One was the early delivery of flowers and sodas for our PC gifts, and the other was the reminder for a Tamarind dinner in the Pinnacle Grill tonight. A most delicious one too. And the good news was that the clocks went back one hour tonight. We will have four more hours to go before we reach Florida in 8 days from now.
Bill & Mary Ann
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Report #109 Bantry, Ireland May 7, 2019 Tuesday Scattered showers & 53 degrees
