Ireland
Report
Killarney & District
Canine Club Show August 23,
2005
We left the town of
Clonmel the next morning for the 3 hour ride to
Killarney with fellow judges Bruce Owen from Canada,
Ken and Narelle Hammond, Michael & Margaret
Derryshire from Australia and Peter Banks from the
USA. The Killarney show is the second day of the
cluster and we were staying in the Failte Hotel
which is a combination pub and hotel centrally located
in the town of Killarney. We checked in and all
of the judges decided to stretch our legs and walk
the short 2 kilometers through the beautiful Killarney
National Park to the Ross Castle. The Ross Castle
tour was quite interesting and steeped with Irish
history. After the tour we decided to take the horse
and cart ride along the lake back to the town center
with Narelle and Ken Hammond from Australia. To
our pleasant surprise our driver Shamus turned out
to be a real 'Leprechaun' and mused us with tales,
jokes and stories on this very entertaining ride
through the quaint Irish countryside. He also turned
out to be quite a flirt and quickly won over the
ladies with his gentlemanly Irish charm. We spent
the next few hours shopping in the numerous shops
in the downtown core.
In the evening we had
a pleasant dinner in the hotel's dining room which
had been awarded the 'Killarney's Best Award' for
the past several years. The delicious menu gave
us a choice of many local delicacies included lamb,
beef and fresh fish accompanied by a wide assortment
of new potatoes and vegetables. After dinner many
retired to the pub to continue the banter and drink
the many types of Irish beer which flowed from the
taps including the world famous Guinness. Friends
of Narelle and Ken Hammond will have to ask them
why they brought the rum flavoured chocolate syrup
from dessert back to their room.
The next morning we
were up early and off to the dog show which was
located at St Brendan's College field which was
adjacent to a magnificent Abbey which served as
a backdrop for the show. Once again the grounds
were on manicured lawns and the show well laid out
and organized by the committee headed by Mrs. Pat
Lawlor who with the help of a willing committee
took care of every detail in this well run event.
The Championship show was held under Irish Kennel
Club rules with "Green Star's" towards
Irish Championships being awarded in all breeds.
The exhibitors were set up beside the rings and
seemed to be enjoying the day in spite of the occasional
down pour. From how both of the shows had been run
so far, it was no wonder the
circuit is so popular.
Best in Show Judge
Austin Long-Doyle from Ireland selected a Newfoundland,
IR GR Champion Merrybear Enrique owned by Stephen
& Michelle McConnell and a Belgian Tervueren,
Nosregor Hurricane George at Norlyght owned by C.J.
& P.M. Such was Reserve Best.
In the evening we were
treated to another fantastic meal in the Failte's
restaurant and enjoyed meeting many of the outstanding
committee members who helped run the show. Killarney
president Evelyn Hurley welcomed everyone and thanked
especially Mrs. Pat Lawlor who performed her tasks
with much efficiency. Pat's husband was conspicuously
absent due to illness and deeply missed by all who
relish him as a staple of the Killarney shows. We
retired to the pub to complete a wonderful day with
fellow judges Narelle and Ken Hammond, Michael &
Margaret Derryshire from Australia and Irish judges
Ronni & Anne Tolson from Ireland. After much
'crog and swill' and many tales and jokes we were
off to bed to dream of all things Irish. After many
years of visiting Irish pubs throughout the world,
we finally were able to do it in the truly authentic
place, Ireland.
Luckily we had another
day of sightseeing and shopping and we spent our
final full day in Ireland on the 'Ring of Kerry'
bus tour. The ride is best enjoyed by letting someone
else drive as it would take us to breathtaking views
along the Kerry coastline on narrow roads at high
elevations. The first stop was at a Peet Bog farm
and village where we sampled life in early Ireland.
Next we were off to an excellent demonstration of
Sheepdogs at work on the steep mountainside. It
was fun to see the dogs work so naturally and willingly
as they rounded up the sheep. The running commentary
throughout the day long trip and majestic countryside,
villages and vistas made us wish we were staying
longer to enjoy our visit. After the tour we joined
Narelle & Ken Hammond and were off to the 'The
Laurels Pub', one of Killarney's best and the favourite
haunt of many circuit exhibitors for some refreshments
before dinner.
We ended our last day
in Ireland with yet another gastronomical treat
at the Failte Hotel with Narelle& Ken Hammond
and Ronni & Ann Tolson. It was off to bed early
for a 6:00 am flight to Helsinki. We definitely
enjoyed our visit to the Emerald Isle, especially
the friendly people, great sights, history and shopping.
We will look forward to our next visit.
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