Tralee Playground and Garden, Tralee, Ireland

We wanted to go to dinner in Tralee after visiting the Dingle Peninsula (which will appear in future posts). Unfortunately the children fell asleep on the drive back. What better way to wake them up than by taking them to a playground? After parking, the children were groggy and whiny. Upon entering the playground, their attitudes changed quite a bit.

Tralee playground

L and J both headed for favorites first.

L swings!

J zips!

L soon tried a new swinging style. Basket swings are usually for sitting or lying down but she had seen some older girls standing on the sides. Often, older children use this position to swing the swing faster but L hasn't figured that out yet.

L side-swinger!

J also found something new--a spider web that spins itself! This rope cage rotates around the center axis, which meant that I had to grab on and run around to make him go. He loved it. The jury is still out on who got dizzier.

Trapped in the web, or is he Spider-man?

Soon they were together on a tire swing, a favorite that always brings smiles.

Never tired of the tire!

Great smile, J!

To get to the restaurant area, we walked through a small portion of the nearby gardens. L posed at a fountain. Strangely, J was not interested in the fountain.

Fountain with L

Nearby is a statue of the Rose of Tralee, made famous from the ballad and the subsequent  Rose of Tralee festival.

Rose of Tralee statue

Here are the lyrics:

The pale moon was rising above the green mountains,

The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;

When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain,

That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;

Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,

that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading,

And Mary all smiling was listening to me;

The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding,

When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.

Though lovely and fair as the Rose of the summer,

Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;

Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,

that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

In the far fields of India, 'mid wars dreadful thunders,

Her voice was a solace and comfort to me,

But the chill hand of death has now rent us asunder,

I'm lonely tonight for the Rose of Tralee.

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;

Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,

that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

Hear it here: