Ice Cream Ireland

Anyone going to Killarney on Saturday the 7th, might run into the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. The event started on Friday evening, with a local celebrity cycle around town, followed with a race with some of the cyclists. Since winning isn’t everything, we offered the prize of a free ice cream and coffee to the cyclist who came in last. It’s all good, healthy fun, and they have raised €2.5 million to date for various charities…

Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, charity cycle, Ring of Kerry, 2007

 Driving home from our Killarney shop, I heard on the radio that Cork had 10 times the amount of rainfall in June this year compared to last year. Ireland as a whole has had double the average rainfall. I’m not surprised. It’s getting pretty soggy here in the world of Irish ice cream.

It’s July 4th, and one might think of barbeques in the sun, but instead, the rain has been incessant, and it’s been cold and windy as well. I saw a single family walking on the beach at Inch and took the photo above. Normally at this time of year, the beach would be chock full of sun-worshipers and surfers, but it was deserted. I took the shot at mid-afternoon, so you can see how murky things have been!

In Killarney, it was judging day for the Entente Florale, with street entertainment and a parade planned to impress the judges. Instead, there was a lot of rain. The town did make a huge effort, though. There are beautiful flower arrangements everywhere, and I do hope the judges look past the weather!

My sister, Deirdre, is over from Germany, and she did her bit to cheer up our customers by painting a huge sun on the shop window and then going even further by dancing with the drummers who took refuge under our awning during the worst downpours (and then were reluctant to move on from their safe haven).

I think my sister has the right idea. We’ll put up lots of painted suns in both shops. Maybe there will be dancing. We will have a summer one way or the other!

Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, Entente Florale, Ireland, rain

 I managed to sneak off to Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney for the Munster Final yesterday, where Kerry just about managed to beat Cork 1-15 to 1-13. The weather held, and the play was open and enjoyable. It’s one of the best rivalries - the competition is intense, but there is no ill will, as seen by the above picture as two friends from opposite sides came in to us after the game to enjoy an ice cream…

Technorati tags: Killarney, football, Kerry, Munster Final

 I’m delighted to announce that we finally got approval for a couple of tables outside our Killarney shop. With this fine weather we’ve been having, the competition between customers for them already has been intense!

Technorati tags: ice cream, Killarney, Kerry, Main Street, shopping

 I must be lacking the male gene associated with the love of roaring car engines, for my least favourite time of year in Killarney is during the Rally of the Lakes. It’s a weekend I associate with noise, traffic, fights on the streets at night, and hundreds of boy racers creeping along in thundering custom cars and drinking cans of lager in the parking lots. It’s the kind of scene that scares away most of our regular customers, who try to put as much distance between themselves and the town as possible.

Driving to Killarney today to visit our shop there, the traffic was indeed horrendous, and to make things worse, rally cars tore up the middle of the road sending normal motorists veering out of the way to avoid them. It was not a pleasant experience…

On a positive note, after I did my business in the shop, I headed to Tesco to try to find ripe avocados (a difficult task in Kerry) and noticed that they are selling home ice cream makers for €19.99. Not a bad price at all! So if you were ever tempted to try some of the ice cream recipes on this site, it might be a cheap way to get started!

Technorati tags: Killarney, rally, lakes, Tesco, ice cream machine

 I’m sorry I haven’t posted over the last few days, but Eircom broadband has been down in Dingle (and Shannon and Limerick, it seems). We can’t seem to get word on when the problem will be fixed. What a shock to go back to the snail’s pace of dial up! Arrgggh!

A bit of good news, meanwhile, is that the refurbishment of Main Street in Killarney is pretty much complete. It looks quite well, and it is great for our shop, which has been surviving in a construction zone. We’re in the process of applying for outside seats, which should make all the difference!

Technorati tags: Dingle, Killarney, Kerry, Main Street, broadband, shopping

I have written here before about Killarney National Park, and I still remain in awe of the beauty to be found within its boundaries.

Just before this busy weekend, I had to visit our shop in Killarney to drop off a few things, and I decided to bring along the bicycle for a spin in the park. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before!

After I was done with my errands, I pulled out the bike and spent a few peaceful hours with the birds and the scenery. The park is a cyclist’s dream, with perfect paths along the lakes and good protection from the wind that usually makes cycling in Kerry a challenge.

I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Killarney, since you will see much more than if you were on foot. If you don’t have your own bicycle, there are places in town to rent one. Pack a lunch if the day is fine, roll up your trouser legs, and head away…

Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, national park, Ireland, bicycle

 Anyone visiting or living in the Killarney area would do well to seek out the German Butcher Shop in Aghadoe (halfway up the hill on the road to Milltown). That is, if you’re not already one of their many happy customers. It’s the kind of place you’re most happy to have in your life.

Besides all sorts of meats, including Killarney Park venison, they have an interesting array of German foods that are not so readily obtainable. For people like me, with a serious sweet tooth, they have a tantalising selection of German biscuits and chocolates…

Technorati tags: butcher, Killarney, Kerry, German, Aghadoe, chocolate

 Things seem to be looking up for our poor, beleaguered shop in Killarney, as the construction on Main Street is continuing apace. The Killarney UDC promised us that the sidewalk outside our shop would be finished by the end of January, and it looks like they have made good on that promise.

You can see from the photos that they are putting down the paving slabs outside our door…

Hopefully the entire project will be complete by the middle of March, which means that we will be operating in a construction zone for the next month and a half. However, as we open the shop for the season day after tomorrow, at least customers will be able to get to us!

We certainly hope that the redevelopment of Main Street will improve the town, and it will give more of a plaza feel to our street. The downside is it might make traffic worse and parking more difficult.

We’ve also been promised permission for a couple of tables outside, and the happy thought of people drinking coffee and eating ice cream outside helps to mitigate the construction disruption to our business…

Technorati tags: construction, Killarney, Kerry, Main Street, town, shopping

 Killarney doesn’t really have the best reputation among many Irish people, who view it as a tourist trap. However, there are reasons that it has been popular among tourists, both foreign and national, for so long (my great grandfather used to visit it from Cork). The top reason is the National Park, with its mountains and lakes. Whether for hiking, strolling, boating, or simply walking the dog, it’s a treasure.

Even in the depth of Winter, the beauty is stunning. I managed to sneak an hour of walking in yesterday, and I’ve made a vow to make more of the park on my frequent trips to Killarney to visit our shop there. It’s such an amazing resource…

Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, national park, Ireland