Kerry, part ii - The Kerry Way & Derrynane

Former Wexford Camogie Player, and RTE analyst Ursula Jacob heads south towards Waterville for her next walk along the rolling Kerry coastline where land and sea collide.

Ursula settles in for a hike which even though is only 10km long, takes in sections of 3 routes, an Old Butter route, The Kerry Way and the Derrynane Mass Loop.   With the rugged atlantic coastline spread out before her, she walks a section of the trail in the company of Eileen Daly, a volunteer member of the Kerry mountain rescue and who also organises the famous Kerry Ultra Race, after a walk together down the moutain in the typically changing Irish weather, Ursula then continues down on her own in the direction of Derryanane.   

Here she stops off at the home of Daniel O'Connell for a tour around the gardens of his beloved home with foreman James O’Shea, before meeting local poet Dr Paddy Bushe to hear the story of a recently uncovered path which has lain hidden in the grounds of Derrynane and rediscovered through the words of a poem written in 1832 by Ellen, a daughter of O'Connell’s.  Ursula then heads towards a Waterfall in the grounds of Derrynane which was another favourite place of O’Connell’s.  As she completes her trip to Kerry, she takes Paddy’s words with her,  ‘it is possible to dig down through those centuries and through the land itself and find the walk ‘