Well, I would think that most people do plenty of research. However, whenever I meet visitors in Limerick, I always urge them to head to the coastal areas rather than hang out in cities like Limerick. Any coastal area would probably do. And Kerry is my personal favourite. My first visit to Killarney, one of its main towns, was way back in 1971. I travelled there from Cork, my hometown. It seemed amazing to me. And I remember hearing a song about it. In fact, I heard quite a few old songs about it.
I was impressed that people came from all over the world to see it. But, now that I do much armchair travelling on Google Earth-type applications and YouTube, I see that every country has its beauty. Perhaps Killarney was particularly popular with Irish Americans. And of course, Luke Skywalker ended up on an island off the Kerry coast 😀.
What about Christian songs? I don’t know any Christian songs about Killarney. I did preach in a church there back in 1993, one of several evangelical churches in the town and throughout Kerry. Here are two songs that seem to have some kind of spiritual connections, The first is a song named Killarney, sung by what’s said to be two American evangelists. And Rend Collective are a modern Irish evangelical band, most famous for My Lighthouse.
I’m a little puzzled by Kevin McDermott and Ralph Richey. The poster on the video looks old, but Co-pilot told me that they’re contemporary artists. And Rend Collective’s Christmas in Killarney was once recorded by Bing Crosby. That’s the version that I heard first. Anne Murray and Neil Diamond also recorded versions.
Anyway, if you ever visit Ireland, do go to Kerry. And if you visit Dublin, make sure to visit the nearby coastal areas. I love the coast.
Hibernia Gospel 