Official KCLS jaunts in August have been a bit slow (non-existent, really) due to a just completed journey to Ireland and an upcoming trip to the Midwest. But, have no fear, I’m still visiting libraries! While on an 128 mile hiking adventure through Ireland, I happened upon a County Kerry Library branch in Dingle (An Daingean, in Gaeltacht). Unfortunately, it was closed and I didn’t get to go inside!
However, we more than made up for it with our visit to the library in Tralee. Tralee is the start and end point in the Dingle Way. It’s the largest town on the Dingle Peninsula, with a population of ~23,000. Originally, we only meant to spend a night in Tralee at the beginning then maybe an hour one afternoon at the end while we waited for a train. Circumstances changed along the way and we found ourselves in Tralee with nearly 8 hours before our train. The weather was less than agreeable, and though Tralee has beautiful shops and architecture (plus the Kerry County Museum that we visited later), after 128 miles, more walking, especially on pavement, wasn’t too appealing to us. At this very opportune moment, I recalled seeing a sign for the library on our first pass through the town. We set off to see if we could find it and if we could find a comfy chair to read away the morning before lunch.
After a few more marked turns, we found it! And they were open! And they had free wi-fi to boot! When I arrived home, I checked out their website and discovered that, like KCLS, Kerry County Libraries also posts a “most requested list”. I randomly selected May, and we shared several authors, Jodi Picoult and Stieg Larsson.
My time in the Tralee library was a lovely late rainy morning sojourn, whiling the time away with our books, local magazines, and the wi-fi. Our appetite eventually sent us along our way but what a wonderful find in the meantime. It was a bit off the beaten path and a part of the fabric of the community that I’m not sure many visitors seek out.
p.s. In case you are wondering, I spent nearly 0 hours in Dublin when places were actually open. So, I wasn’t able to visit the Old Library at Trinity College or the National Library of Ireland. Next trip, for sure. . .
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