As I mentioned in my first post about The Kerry Way, the first and last nights of my hike were spent in Killarney. Killarney is a beautiful town in County Kerry and Google has informed me that its population (back in 2016) was 14,504. When I hopped off the train from Cork, the air quite literally felt ‘fresh’ and ‘light’. It probably helped that it was drizzly that day and, frig me, was I loving the fact that it was more temperate and cool. Based on the time I spent there, I found Killarney to be such a pretty town; it’s got a whack of colourful architecture, countless little shops to check out, a range of spots to enjoy delicious food or grab a pint, and (you guessed I was going to say it) plenty of places to catch live music. Combine all of that with the region’s landscape and proximity to hiking, It didn’t take long to grasp why Killarney is such a draw for visitors.

The evening before I began my hike, I had told myself “Lindsay, you’re starting a long hike tomorrow, you need to stay in, STAY THE FRIG IN, and go to bed early”. But, as I sat on the bed in my B&B room, it irked the bejesus out of me that I was attempting to convince myself to stay in that evening (I was in flipping Ireland, Killarney was such a beautiful town, and what the frig- why was I not out enjoying it right now??). I skillfully reasoned with myself that I’m a ‘night person’, so I’d either be up a bit late watching Netflix or spending that time enjoying Killarney. When I put it to myself that way, the choice seemed clear- Killarney it was!

It was a Monday evening, so I didn’t expect to find much going on at about 8:30PM. I nosed around looking for a spot that seemed busy-ish, but with space, but that also had live music. I found a pub called Charlie Foley’s that seemed to satisfy my criteria and spent the next hour enjoying a terrific live set from an artist named Donal Lucey (I thought he was just great, he’s on Spotify, just saying, and yes I follow him now). Shortly after his set, I started my way back to the B&B. As I walked along, a rather persuasive pang of YOLO hit me. My YOLO and I agreed that it only made sense to pop into one more spot. Most of the pubs I passed were either packed or closed. Then I spotted a pub named Husseys. It didn’t look too busy, and it was on my way back anyways, so what was the harm? I popped in, found myself a seat at the bar, and ordered a pint.

I thoroughly enjoyed my solitary-but-in-a-social-environment evening. I largely kept to myself and revelled in where I was in the world (I often do that, where I sit and consciously think about my physical location by gradually ‘zooming out’…so I’ll think about the bar, then the town, then the country, then the continent…I’m telling you, it typically amps up how ‘wondrous’ life feels). The bartender who handed me my pint commented on my “accent”. As he buzzed back and forth behind the bar, we chatted intermittently about Canada. I finally bit the bullet and asked if he was originally from New Zealand, which he said he was. I learned that the bartender’s name was Ben. When Ben asked what had brought me to Killarney, I briefly/nearly-tripping-over-my-words-due-to-excitement explained my impending hike of The Kerry Way. Ben asked who was joining me and I cheerily informed him that I was hiking it on my own. After my explanation, Ben announced my plans to a few of the gents seated at the bar (all of whom were men I’d peg to have ranged in age from their 50s-70s). I thanked the gentlemen for their encouragement and praises of “that’s grand!”. One of the gentlemen was named Jerry. He happened to be seated two away to my right with a vacant seat between us. Ben, Jerry, and I continued to chat throughout the evening, nattering about Ireland, Killarney, New Zealand, and Cork. Ben explained that Jerry is often referred to as “Jerry from Cork”, even though Jerry isn’t from Cork. They explained the jest of his title a few times and, despite trying to follow the logic, I didn’t really get the comedy but was happy to go along with it nonetheless. And yes, I did eventually point out the amusing observation that they were ‘Ben & Jerry’ (it’s in my soul to be tacky). I mentioned that I’d been down the road and seen a fantastic musician earlier that night. When I told them that the musician’s name was Donal Lucey, Ben’s eyebrows raised and he got quite the smirk on his face. He said that Donal was his wife’s cousin and that he’d tell him about the Canadian girl at the pub who had spoken so highly of him. It really was such a wonderful evening and I was beyond glad that I had guilted myself into going out. As I was getting up to head out, the gentlemen at the bar wished me luck on my hike. Once my coat was on and I was about to go, Ben and Jerry also wished me well on my hike and asked how long it was. I told them that the route would land me back in Killarney on September 28 and that I’d do my best to get back to Husseys. Off I went.

*Lindsay takes 10 days to hike The Kerry Way and returns to Killarney*

The day I got back to Killarney, I was pretty zonked and toyed with the idea of spending my evening at the B&B. Deep down, though, I knew I’d be livid with myself if I didn’t go out for a quick pint to quietly bask in having hiked The Kerry Way.

Since I’m adept at talking myself into FOMO/YOLO-driven decisions, I got ready and headed into the town centre. Even though I considered trying a new spot, I knew (in my black-and-white-soul) that I’d be forever-annoyed if I didn’t follow through on my pledge to go back to Husseys that night.

Husseys was pretty busy when I arrived, but I managed to find a spot a couple seats away from the door. I ordered a pint from the woman behind the counter, who was excelling at the task of serving people en masse. When she handed me my pint, she asked how my day had been. I was too excited and had no shame in briefly telling her that I’d just wrapped up The Kerry Way. She warmly congratulated me on my feat and fluttered off to the other end of the bar where a few people were waiting to order. I casually sipped on my pint, while keeping my phone in my jacket pocket and being strict about not using it while out (this was something I’d been practicing the entire trip). After about an hour, I ordered a second pint.

As I enjoyed the laughter of some older gents exchanging unintelligible stories in thick Irish accents, a loud and friendly voice interjected my reverie with “You’re here!!”. I jumped a bit in my seat and my head snapped to the left. There was Jerry. After realizing who was there and that I’d been the one he was greeting, I enthusiastically said “hello” to Jerry. He repeated himself and exclaimed “I can’t believe you actually came back!”. I replied with “Jerry, I’m a woman of my word, when I say I’m going to do something, I follow through”. He laughed, shook his head, and ordered himself a pint. As he received his pint, Jerry stationed himself and leaned on the bar. He told me that he had been at the pub a couple of nights prior and that he and Ben had been talking about me. He said they’d been trying to recall the date when I said I’d be back in town. Apparently, they’d both remembered me saying that I’d do my best to get back to Husseys on September 28. Jerry told me that he and Ben had been skeptical about me actually visiting again. BUT he said they’d agreed on wanting to try to get to Husseys the evening of September 28, just in case I did end up stopping by, to make sure I was met with a ‘congrats’. I told Jerry that it was both unexpected and so lovely that they’d remembered the date, let alone that he actually turned up to see if I’d show. Over the next half hour, Jerry asked about my hike, I shared stories about the hilarious weather I’d had, and he echoed many of my complimentary sentiments about Ireland, its vistas, and how welcoming the Irish are to solo travellers.

At one point, Jerry cut himself off mid-sentence, locked his gaze over my shoulder, and exclaimed (while pointing at me) “BEN!! Look!! Look who it is!!”. When I turned to follow Jerry’s gaze, I saw Ben puttering around in a storage area at the other end of the bar. Ben set down the box he was carrying and meandered over. He commented on the fact that I was back and asked how my hike had gone. I told him I’d managed to stay out of trouble and remain injury free. He said he’d been mindful of the date and that he’d made a point of stopping in at Husseys that night, even though he wasn’t scheduled to be there. Over the next hour, Ben told a few people seated at the bar “She’s just hiked The Kerry Way on her own!”. Fellow patrons congratulated me, asked how the hike had gone, and a couple of people high-fived me. Over the course of the evening, Ben and Jerry remained my steadfast cheerleaders. I never did catch the female server’s name, but she was lovely and incredibly friendly. Jerry, myself, and a small group at a corner table were there until the pub closed. Begrudgingly, I told my newfound friends that I was going to head ‘home’, as I had a train to catch the next morning. Both Ben and Jerry shook my hand and congratulated me for the millionth time. I thanked them again for being so thoughtful and for keeping me in-mind, both during my hike and on my final evening in Killarney. I assured them that I’d see them next year and they said they looked forward to it.

I headed out, snapped a photo of the pub, and walked home. As I went along, I really couldn’t help but feel humbly stunned. I was stymied by the fact that these guys had purposefully turned up, just in case I’d been serious about returning, to make sure I had someone there to congratulate me. I can honestly say that their thoughtfulness was, quite possibly, one of the most lovely things I’ve had happen to me in my travels. I’m not sure that they know how much I appreciate their thoughtfulness, but I really did.

What an utterly awesome, and unexpectedly homey, way to start and end ‘They Kerry Way’.