Went straight to Blarney Castle (originally pre-AD 1200, then destroyed and rebuilt after 1446) with its famous eponymous stone, also called the 'Stone of Eloquence', said to impart the gift of the gab on all who kiss it. Anna and Terry declined, but I gave it a shot. It's an odd little ritual, and one wonders who first decided to kiss this random stone and attribute some benefit to it. There are many legends as to the origin of the stone, but some say that was the "Lia Fail" or the magical stone Irish kings were crowned upon.
Anway, the ramparts overhang the side of the castle, and there is a narrow gap all the way around. The stone is on the over-hanging part, and has to be kissed upside-down. As a kid, I always found this extremely difficult to imagine, but it all becomes clear in person. Basically you lie on your back, then tilt your head backwards to kiss the stone. Only you have to reach it over a large gap. Nowadays there's someone to help you, and there are safety bars, but in the old days I expect you just had to hold onto some side rails and hope for the best. I'm sure Mum and Lisa will love giving this one a go one day...
From underneath:
Great views from up top!
The castle itself is quite interesting and worth a look over, and there are extensive grounds with many note-worthy features, such as the Rock Close - natural rock formations such as a Dolmen, Druid's Circle, a Witch and the Wishing Steps. There is also a newer mansion called Blarney House (imagine that!) built in Scottish baronial style in 1874.
There were millions big of big oarsmen bugs on all the ponds...
The rest of the day was spent navigating the Ring of Kerry, a beautiful coastal route around the Iveragh Peninsula. We passed the mountainous Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and Carrauntoohil, stopping in Macroom (crummy) and Kenmare, and also on the road in several places due to roadworks. These pics are from Macroom:
I also pulled over to take a photo of a beautiful Lough, where we met a salty old fisherman. Unfortunately we just missed a mama otter and her babies. Aww...
We also stopped in Waterville to see the Charlie Chaplin statue. Somewhat random, but apprently he visited there himself once.
Peat cutting field:
We stayed the night in Killarney (Irish: Cill Airne, meaning "The church of the sloe"), County Kerry. A nice enough, but not amazing, place. We wandered about a bit, saw the Franciscan friary, some big old statue of Jesus, and bought some decidedly sub-par fish and chips for tea (with a few cans of Guinness to wash it down).
Anway, the ramparts overhang the side of the castle, and there is a narrow gap all the way around. The stone is on the over-hanging part, and has to be kissed upside-down. As a kid, I always found this extremely difficult to imagine, but it all becomes clear in person. Basically you lie on your back, then tilt your head backwards to kiss the stone. Only you have to reach it over a large gap. Nowadays there's someone to help you, and there are safety bars, but in the old days I expect you just had to hold onto some side rails and hope for the best. I'm sure Mum and Lisa will love giving this one a go one day...
From underneath:
Great views from up top!
The castle itself is quite interesting and worth a look over, and there are extensive grounds with many note-worthy features, such as the Rock Close - natural rock formations such as a Dolmen, Druid's Circle, a Witch and the Wishing Steps. There is also a newer mansion called Blarney House (imagine that!) built in Scottish baronial style in 1874.
There were millions big of big oarsmen bugs on all the ponds...
The rest of the day was spent navigating the Ring of Kerry, a beautiful coastal route around the Iveragh Peninsula. We passed the mountainous Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and Carrauntoohil, stopping in Macroom (crummy) and Kenmare, and also on the road in several places due to roadworks. These pics are from Macroom:
I also pulled over to take a photo of a beautiful Lough, where we met a salty old fisherman. Unfortunately we just missed a mama otter and her babies. Aww...
We also stopped in Waterville to see the Charlie Chaplin statue. Somewhat random, but apprently he visited there himself once.
Peat cutting field:
We stayed the night in Killarney (Irish: Cill Airne, meaning "The church of the sloe"), County Kerry. A nice enough, but not amazing, place. We wandered about a bit, saw the Franciscan friary, some big old statue of Jesus, and bought some decidedly sub-par fish and chips for tea (with a few cans of Guinness to wash it down).
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