We left Kinsale on Sunday morning, with our sights set for Blarney Castle. This trip was a bit of doubling back driving wise, because we ran out of time on Saturday. We also weren't set on visiting Blarney...after hearing that it's overrated, etc...but decided to and I know we were all glad that we made that decision. Blarney Castle is 'younger' than Cashel, thus more intact and obviously home to the infamous Blarney Stone. I knew I would have some anxiety about kissing the stone because of the way you have to kiss it, given my fear of heights. There are many steps up through the castle to get to the top, which is where you wait in line for your turn to kiss the lucky stone. On the journey up, I enjoyed detouring off the spiral steps to see the rooms...i.e. kitchen, banquet room, bedrooms...and imagining what it would have been like to live in such a place so many years ago. As a civil engineer, it's always amazing to me how well these structures were built such as to last so many years, with none of the modern engineering plans! When we all got to the top, in stages because some of our group was detouring longer than others...we waited in not too long of a line to kiss the stone. That part was humorous, because it was a bit like being in a production line...the guy up there kept saying the same thing over and over as people approached. Lay back, arms over your head, scoot back, kiss, get up. My fear of heights was not an issue because it all happened so fast, and the way you were laying didn't really allow you to see down to the ground below. After the castle and the kiss (which by the way, you can purchase a picture of for just 10 Euros...or $15 - what a rip!) we explored the grounds a bit to an area called 'Rock Close'. This was very interesting, the remains of an old Druidic settlement and there was a story that narrated us through the various waterfalls, paths and structures.
After Blarney, we headed to Gene's village - Glengarriff, south on the Beara Peninsula. The reason for this was quite interesting and I feel warrants an explanation. Almost from the time we met Gene, he started mentioning that on Sunday was a huge Gaelic football match between Cork and Kerry (rivals) and it was being played in Killarney, which was where we were to spend Sunday and Monday nights. There really wasn't much way to know ahead of time, but Gene knew that because of this match the roads to Killarney would be quite crowded before and after the game. So he suggested we wait until 7 PM to arrive in Killarney, thus missing the match traffic and in the meantime, taking a visit to his village. I honestly think he wanted to go home for a bit - but once we saw and experienced Glengarriff and Garinish Island, I think we would all agree that no one minded his ulterior motive.
Before I get to Glengarriff though, I would be remiss not to mention Gougan Barra, a little village on the drive between Blarney and Glengarriff. This was where we saw Ireland's Top Toilet and visited St. Fin Barre's Chapel. The lake and surrounding mountains were so beautiful and peaceful. It was a welcome stop on our travels.
We arrived in Glengarriff around lunchtime, and were brought into Gene's office (which is next to his wife's shop - where Quinn purchased a cute little wicker turtle souvenir) and met Gene's wife. We were also immediately given glasses of wine and a sample of Irish moonshine (which Papa received in a bottle to take back to the States - shhh, don't tell anyone!). Gene then dropped us at a cafe for lunch - which is where I had my best brown bread of the trip - and then we headed to the Blue Pool Ferry which would take us to Garinish Island on a short boat trip. I should mention that Quinn had complained that he never had been on a boat in his short 9 years, but on this trip he got on two (the River Liffey Cruise and this ferry ride). Garinish Island has a long history, mostly because it was owned by an Italian family who lived there and created beautiful gardens. In Gaelic, the name means Ilnacullen (Island of the Holly). This island and the views of the water and mountains surrounding it reminded me a lot of St. Lucia, and a little also of Lake Tahoe. On the ferry ride out, we also got to see the resident seals sunning and swimming in the sea. That proved to be a bit of a bonus for all of us :) We all enjoyed the ferry, and the time on the island and I can imagine it would be beautiful in all seasons as various things come into bloom.
After our trip to Glengarriff, we traveled on to Killarney via Molls Gap. This drive was curvy and on narrow roads. The scenery was gorgeous, and we saw many cute towns along the way. We stopped in a chocolate shop while still on the County Cork side of the drive, just because we were passing. Our purchases gave us all a nice little snack on the 2 hour drive :) The drive led us through lots of little towns, all deserted because they were at the aforementioned Gaelic football game. We drove through the village of Kenmare and into Killarney National Park, actually driving a portion of the famed 'Ring of Kerry'. We saw the Ladies View Hotel, so named because when the Queen came to visit the country that was her first view of Lough Leane (Lower Lake) and Killarney in the distance. This drive was also made more interesting because of the sheep throughout the countryside, labeled by various colors of spray paint on their backs so the farmers can identify their herd.
Finally, we reached Killarney. What we found when we arrived was much like a college town after a football game, or a tailgate. Or more simply, lots of drunk people on the streets celebrating (or commiserating) the result of the game that afternoon. We checked into our hotel, the Killarney Royal and then walked around the town a bit. We smartly decided to stay out of the pubs that night (a lot of them had already closed because they ran out of food!) and experienced 'Italian in Ireland' for dinner. It was lovely, and a nice change from the typical Irish pub choices.
For the next day, we made plans to visit Muckross House and Traditional Farms, and Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park.
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