Moya and Kevin’s Intrepid Walk – 12 July 2010
The day dawned fine so off we went to explore the walks around our house. We chose to walk the Mass Path a track that joined the beach at the bottom of our hill to the Derrynane Beach. This is part of a Kerry Walk, a series of walking tracks that dot the peninsula. The Mass Path is so called because in penal times the catholics used to meet on the path at a flat rock where the priest would say mass. Children would be on the lookout in case the cursed English protestants would attack them. The path is now an easy walk through beach and bush. It takes about an hour each way and of course we stopped at Bridie’s for a beer and a fresh crab sandwich. At Derrynane Bay, a popular holiday spot for families, there is Abbey Island, which of course housed an Abbey. This is now a ruin although the graveyard is still used. The chapel at Derrynane House, the Liberator’s house, has a chapel that Daniel O’Connell added which is an exact replica of the Abbey chapel. It was a great walk even though it took a couple of hours and the final walk up our steep hill was a pain. We see people doing the Kerry Walk passed our place regularly. Walking is a popular pastime.