Castles and Coasters

We rented a car and departed Dublin with the countryside as our destination. When telling locals our plan they all told us we were crazy to do something so ambitious in one day. So call us crazy.

Kilkenny Castle

Our first stop was the cute town of Kilkenny, a little over an hour out of town. It has been called Ireland's best inland town and we saw why right away. The shops and pubs line the street looking as beautiful as any and they all cluster around the Kilkenny Castle which stands majestically in the center of town. 

We parked and walked around the Castle which was remarkably well preserved. It also had grounds and lawns that were wonderfully well manicured. After snapping some pics we stopped at a local farmer's market that had been set up for the day and grabbed some crepes which were scrumptious. 

The Rock of Cashel

Following Kilkenny we took a quick drive over to Cashel to see that town's main attraction, the Rock of Cashel, which is an old cathedral at the top of a cliff and lies in ruin. There were some great views from the Rock and it was cool to walk through the ruins and feel the history. There was also a decent sized graveyard which was really interesting to walk through. 

After that stop, our plans had then called for us to venture to the cute little coastal town of Kinsale near Cork. However Savannah had other ideas.

She told us that her Grandmother (Shirley) had once kissed the Blarney Stone years ago and that she really wanted to do it. So we adjusted our plans to make it happen.

Blarney Castle

Blarney is just West of Cork and when we arrived we were famished so we stopped at a pub in the center of town to grab a bite (Savannah said it was the best sandwich she had on the trip). We then walked to the Blarney Castle. We had heard that it wasn't a great castle and that you just need to kiss the stone and leave. 

Wrong. We all loved the castle, which is in ruins, and the grounds around it were vast and gorgeous with large trees, colorful flowers and a stream running through the property. The castle is a tall fortress and it is 166 steps to the top in a spiral staircase. It was interesting to see rooms vertically oriented instead of spread out.

Savannah kisses the Blarney Stone!

After the long climb up we stood high above the forest and meadows. It was more precarious than we would have thought but we made our way to the stone on the edge of the upper wall.

To kiss it is no small task. One needs to lie down on their back, then bend backwards while lowering down to reach the stone which is through a hole, one that drops straight to the ground many stories below.

We all did it and by kissing the stone, we are now gifted with eloquence.

The road literally drops off a cliff.

After Blarney we drove to our destination for the evening, the remarkable peninsula of Dingle. Part of the road to Dingle is on the edge of a cliff dropping straight into the ocean and the whole time you drive right on it. I felt good driving and maintained focus during that stretch.

However, if I would have known the possibilities, it may have been more tense. The next day our tour guide told us of a story where he was driving one night and a truck coming the other way veered into his lane slightly. Our guide went off course just a bit and careened down the cliff 200 feet. He broke several bones but survived. Since it was at night and no other cars were around, nobody saw him. He had to climb up and wait for another car to come to help. Amazing.

Our journey was uneventful, save for the amazing views, which we experienced even more of the next day. That is to come.

See the pictures here:

2013 Trip - Day 7 - The Irish Countryside