Our port is actually Cobh, which is the nearest port for Cork. Butler tours sent us an email a few days before our tour to give us specific directions for joining the tour, and they sent this photo so we could find our bus easily.
And it WAS easy to follow their directions. They were exactly where they said they would be.
Main Destination: Blarney Castle
We found the line to tour the castle and kiss the stone. See that little opening way at the top of the castle? That is our destination.
We waited 30 minutes in line to get to the entrance and then 10 more before we saw this sign. Last time to turn around.
The entrance led us into what would have been the cellar. We climbed the wooden staircase to what would have been the great hall. No dancing in the great hall today. There is no floor at this level!
The stairways became much more narrow and winding. Near the top, they were so steep that the handrail was a vertical rope.
I squeezed myself into one of the little nooks to get this photo.
Along the way we could see into several chambers. No furnishings to see, though.
The climb to the top was worth it for the views of the interior of the castle; the tower bell; and the views of the surrounding lands.
Legend says that a person who kisses the Blarney Stone will receive the gift of eloquent speech. You need to be a contortionist to be able to kiss the stone. The “kisser” lies on his/her back and leans back really far to reach the stone, and a strong person holds on. My opinion is, “I already talk good.” I took a picture of someone else doing it. That was good enough for me!
After Blarney Castle, we were on our way to the lovely village of Kinsale; however, there was an overturned Lorrie (delivery truck) on the narrow road leading to the village, and our route was blocked. Nothing to do but stop for a few minutes to look at the grounds of a fort along the way and wait to see if they would open the road.
The police told our tour guide that the road would not be open for another two hours. Happy we weren’t stuck in Kinsale with no way back to the ship, and even happier that we weren’t in the overturned vehicle! We have an overnight in Cobh tonight, so even if we had been stuck in Kinsale, we would have had time to make it back to the ship. Tomorrow we will explore the port town of Cobh, Ireland.
I enjoyed reading about your Blarney adventures. We’ve been there too, and I wholeheartedly agree that the climb up to the stone is worth it, and there’s no way in the world I would kiss that thing.