watching GP2 .......

photo by asraf's Sony H7

The Ring of Kerry is part of the mystical & unspoilt region of Ireland that has attracted visitors for hundreds of years. Its spectacular beauty is beyond question and it is a natural centre for outdoor pursuits including golf, watersports, cycling, walking, riding and the very best fishing for salmon & trout. The Ring of Kerry has some of the finest beaches in Europe that provide all the facilities for a traditional seaside holiday. Above all the Ring of Kerry provides an amazing insight into the ancient heritage of Ireland - see the Iron Age Forts & Ogham Stones, Old Monasteries and a landscape carved out of rock by the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago. Visitors to Ireland should not miss a trip to the beautiful Ring of Kerry

Ross Castle (Irish: Caisleán an Rois) is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan. It is located on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. Ross Castle was built in the late 1400s by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues, though ownership changed hands during the Desmond Rebellion of the 1580s. The castle was amongst the last to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads during the Irish Confederate Wars, and was only taken when artillery was brought by boat via the River Laune.

The castle is typical of strongholds of Irish chieftains built during the middle ages. The tower house had square bartizans on diagonally opposite corners and a thick end wall. The tower was originally surrounded by a square bawn defended by round corner towers on each end. There is a legend that O’Donoghue leaped or was sucked out of the window of the grand chamber at the top of the castle and disappeared into the waters of the lake along with his horse, his table and his library. It is said that O’Donoghue now lives in a great palace at the bottom of the lake where he keeps a close eye on everything that he sees