Discovering Derrynane House: A Happy Accident
Gerhard and I discovered Derrynane House by accident. It happened on our first trip together to Ireland (in 2017) when we decided to explore the Ring of Kerry. This is a lovely circular drive (about 111 miles) that follows the perimeters of County Kerry.
It was a fairly cold, cloudy and rainy day, but we were still having fun looking for interesting beaches where Gerhard could kitesurf. We were driving through an area of thick green forests and few inhabitants on the Iveragh Peninsula when we started seeing signs for Derrynane House. Curious, we turned down a narrow forested lane that soon opened up to beautiful grounds and a stately home.
A Bit of History
It turns out that Derrynane House was the ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847). I’ll admit that I had never heard of O’Connell before, but thanks to a tour and video, we learned he was one of Ireland’s most important historical figures. Often referred to as “The Liberator,” O’Connell was a lawyer and politician who campaigned for the rights of the Irish people. He also played a major role in the international effort to abolish slavery.
I didn’t realize this until recently, but at one time Catholics in Britain literally had no rights. They could not vote, own property, attend university, enter professions such as law, academia or the military, or serve in parliament. This didn’t begin to change until the Papists Act was passed in 1778! Even after this act was passed, however, many restrictions still remained.
O’Connell helped to change this by leading a mass movement for Catholic emancipation. The effort eventually led to the Emancipation Act of 1829, which removed the remainder of the restrictions and granted Catholics the right to sit in the British Parliament in Westminster. This included O’Connell himself, who had been elected to represent County Clare in 1828.
Apparently O’Connell (and his wife Mary and their four daughters and four sons) loved spending their summers at Derrynane House. Even today it is in a very isolated location that is a long way from Killarney much less Dublin. I have no idea how much time it would have taken them–along with family, friends, servants and more–to travel there from Dublin by horse and buggy, but it must have taken weeks.
Discovering Derrynane House’s Gardens
The house is large and comfortable, but it was certainly never opulent. The gardens in which the buildings are located, however, are lush, green and beautiful. Generations of O’Connells planted and tended them, and the national park continues to maintain them today. Although the peninsula is really windy, it is also fairly warm, and tropical plants from South America thrive there. (I ended up taking several pictures of the gardens, but only one of the estate!)
And Even an Ogham Stone!
Today the entire estate lies within a 300-acre (120-hectare) national park that even includes an Ogham stone. The stone stands about 2.1 meters high and dates from between 500 to 550 AD.
Ogham is the earliest written form of the Irish language. Numerous theories–ranging from the mundane to the mystical–exist about how and why it was created. The alphabet basically consists of from one to five parallel lines or notches. It is sometimes referred to as the Celtic Tree Alphabet because many of the letters represent the Irish words for trees like alder, birch and oak.
Whatever their esoteric meaning may or may not be, the literal messages on Ogham stones often say something really mundane like “Bivaidonas, son of the tribe Cunava.” (And of course they are clearly phallic!)
The view from the Ogham stone, which is standing alone in a field overlooking the sea, is stunning. Which is not surprising considering that this is Ireland. However mystical the stones may or may not be, the Irish landscape certainly is. And County Kerry is one of the most stunning in Ireland. The ancients must have thought this as well because they built numerous standing stones there.
