The Tidy Towns Committee announced the 2007 winners, and Killarney won for “Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town.” I have to say, from our experience of running a shop there, that the civic spirit of the town is wonderful, and so many people really put care into how the place looks.
Well done, and well deserved!
Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, 2007, Tidy Towns
Sorry I haven’t posted for the past few days, but this is our busiest time of the whole year.
The August Bank Holiday weekend is always madness, and my brother and I have been in the Dingle and Killarney shops from morning until night. It’s really the peak of the whole season, and from here, we slowly begin the return to quieter times and a more normal life.
However, it’s fun when the shops are so crowded. There’s a real buzz, and today the sun came out in earnest, and the Killarney shop was hopping. I snapped these photos in an attempt to show what we look like in high season!
Now I must go back and scoop some more ice cream!
Technorati tags: Killarney, Dingle, August Bank Holiday, shop, ice cream
It’s not always easy to eat well in Killarney, but my sister and I were quite impressed by Cucina Italiana, a tiny restaurant hidden away at 17 St. Anthonys Place, a tiny lane off College Street. I had heard very positive reviews here and there from various people, and I would go a step further and say that there are few places in town where you could eat better. My main dish of grilled tuna was the best I have had in a long while. Especially don’t miss it if you like Italian food…
Technorati tags: eating out, Killarney, Kerry, Restaurant, Italian, Cucina Italiana
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 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 delighted to announce that we finally got approval for a couple of tables outside our Killarney