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AThai spa and 17th century Irish poets as the Bluffer does Killarney

G o mbeannaí Dia daoibh agus bhur gcéad fáilte isteach chuig an Bluffer's Guide to Irish.

The Bluffer is just back from a nice wee break in Cill Airne - Killarney in County Kerry.

Getting to An Ríocht the Kingdom isn't the three-day jaunting car ride it used to be. Basically, it is motarbhealach motorway most of the 292 miles from Belfast and the tírdhreach -scenery that surrounds the minor roads is enough to keep the fatigue at bay.

Our destination was the Brehon Hotel, which would have had the breitheamh - a judge after whom it was named typing WTF if they had had mobile phones in ancient Ireland.

The Brehon would have been impressed by the Brehon's facilities although he might have been flummoxed as to what a Thai spa was doing in Kerry.

The Bluffer asked the same but before you could say "sawatdee khap" - that's hello in Thai for you less-travelled folk - he was enjoying the linn snámha - swimming pool, seomra an allais - the sauna and seomra an ghaile - the steam room before braving the pool of freezing cold water.

Then it was lying back on a lounger listening to

music so suaimhneach - soothing, it made Enya sound like Motorhead. This was just what the Bluffer needed after his bolg le gréin sunbathing session with only a pint of Guinness for company.

That evening it was off with his companions to Lord Kenmare's Restaurant in the town centre for a fabulous 3-course meal with fíon - wine and a chat about hurling, a long lost Irish opera and Count John McCormack with fine renditions of The Kerry Dance and of course, The Rose of Tralee thrown in for good measure.

After a deoch an dorais - a parting glass, a splendid day came to an end.

As a workaholic, the Bluffer spent last Friday crom ar an obair - bent over at work on his laptop but the afternoon was filled with the delights of Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne - Killarney National Park.

The highlight of this was a dander around Muckross Abbey (or Irrelagh from Oir bhealach - Eastern Way as it was known).

There is a beautiful cloister and in the middle a crann iúir - a yew tree said to be as old as the abbey which was founded around 1448.

What interested me most was a plaque to four great Kerry poets, Seafraidh Ó Donnchadha, Aodhagán

Ó Rathaille and Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin who are buried in the reilig - graveyard and Piaras Feiritéar who was hanged in 1653.

There is a book called Tourism, Land and Landscape in Ireland: The Commodification of Culture in which Killarney looms large. Tourism - or toora loora loorism - has shaped modern Killarney which has more to do with Bing Crosby than with any of the aforementioned poets. Still, it was a great place to spend a few days with a trip to Daingean Uí Chúis - Dingle adding to the whole experience.