Tuesday May 21 – The weather today was spectacular. Truly our very first spring like weather we have had anywhere. In Canada we had a very long cold winter and a really wet and cool spring. We had breakfast outside and then we traveled to just the other side of Killarney to the Muckross House Estate. This beautiful house was built in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, the watercolourist Mary Balfour Herbert. After preparing for 5 years for a 2 night visit of Queen Victoria, the family found themselves in financial difficulty. It was sold to Arthur Guinness (Guinness Beer fame) who rented out the house and grounds as a hunting lodge. He eventually sold the house to William Bowers Bourn. He and his wife lived in the house until her death in 1929. In 1932 the children presented Muckross House and its 11,000 acre estate to the Irish nation, creating Ireland’s first national park. After a great tour of the house we traveled by a jaunty carriage ride to Torc Falls. We had nice lunch back at Muckross House. After lunch we traveled a little further around the lake to Ross Castle. We had a nice walk around the castle and then a walk through the grounds.
Outdoor Breakfast 
Muckross House 
Muckross House 
The view from Muckross House 
Muckross Lake 
A Jaunty Carriage 
Bottom of Torc Falls 
Torc Falls 
Torc Falls 
Us at Torc Falls 
Muckross Estate 
Our Jaunty Ride 
Our Jaunty Ride 
Cool Tourist Bus 
Ross Castle 
Ross Castle 
Ross Castle 
Killarney Lake – Ross Castle 
Boats at Ross Castle 
Boats at Ross Castle
