Breakfast in Killarney

We took a Thanksgiving break and toured up to Killarney for the weekend. Last time I was there was about 25 years ago, when I took my kids camping at the nearby Killarney Provincial Park. It’s fair to say Killarney is a bit off the beaten path. It’s a good 75 kilometers off the main highway between Toronto and Sudbury. In fact, from Toronto, it’s actually further away than Sudbury itself. But if you want to spend some time in a quiet, out-of-the-way coastal community, it’s well worth it. Mind you, it’s probably not all that quiet during peak tourist season. I don’t recall the Killarney Mountain Lodge being there 25 years ago. That looks like a first-class joint. You can dock your yacht at one of their many berths, or have your float plane hauled out of the water onto a convenient concrete pad, right handy to their water-front $1,400/night Douglas fir cabins. Alas, they don’t take dogs, and we don’t go anywhere without Big-lips Bruno, so we ended up at the Sportsman’s Inn a ten minute walk away. I suspect most tourists without yachts or float planes find themselves at the Sportsman’s. We got into town late Saturday afternoon, and immediately met Phil and Brett. That’s because they stood chatting in the middle of the street in front of the Killarney General Store. When our car approached, they didn’t stop chatting, nor did they move out of the way. I stop and roll down the window. They keep chatting. Finally one of them turns to my open window. “Are you lost?” I immediately thought maybe they’re doing an anti-tourist protest, like they have in Naples and Barcelona these days. “Not lost, just wondering why you guys are standing in the middle of the road. Are you collecting money or something? Is there a toll?” Turns out there was no protest and no toll. Just two guys standing in the middle of the road having a chat. Phil grew up in Killarney but now lives in Manitoba. Came home for the weekend to visit his childhood pal Brett, who has lived in Killarney all his life. Killarney was established early in the 19th century by a guy who had his fur-trading post nearby burn down. We’re way back in pre-Confederation history here, when trading posts were a thing. It was strictly a water-access community for the first 140 years of its life. There was no road to Killarney until the 1960s. But there were people. There was a school. The teacher was dropped off in September and lived in a cabin next to the school. If the students needed education beyond grade eight, they took the same boat that brought in the teacher back to Owen Sound, where they spent the entire school year. There was also a commercial fishing industry in the latter half of the 19th century, which was decimated along with all great lakes fisheries when the sea lamprey showed up in the early 20th century. Today the main industry is tourism. There’s not enough locals to staff the resorts, so they’re brimming with young people from a variety of countries who come as temp workers. Gives the place a bit of a cosmopolitan flavour. On Sunday morning we had a fabulous breakfast at the Gateway Bakery & Restaurant. Right on the water, with window views of the multiple marinas that line the shore. After breakfast I’m sitting outside in the sun with Bruno, while the Farm Manager is picking out a Killarney souvenir hoodie in the gift shop, when who do I see heading my way? It’s Steve, who I vaguely know from the Owen Sound dog park. Turns out he’s got a place in Killarney. Why would you have a place in Killarney when you live in Owen Sound? There’s no shortage of water or waterfront, after all. Steve invited us to his place for the afternoon. Bruno and Rosie had only ever met at the dog park, and both were mystified and delighted by this unexpected rendezvous in Killarney. Steve and his wife Brenda have been coming to Killarney since the 1960s, first got a place there in the ‘80s, and have been making the nine hour round trip ever since. I asked him, what’s the draw? “It’s got community like no place else. You can’t open your toolbox in the driveway without somebody stopping to ask if they can help.” Steve’s got a 24 foot Sea Ray. Does he do any fishing? “No. I get so much free fish from the locals there’s no point.” That’s quite something, considering fishing is what originally brought him up here. That’s Killarney. Come for the fishing. Stay for the community.