Our friend Ross visited this past weekend and, on Friday, while Greg was working (poor Greg), Ross and I visited Blarney Castle. Our expectations were low because we kind of had the impression that it was a cheesy, overrated tourist trap, but we actually both liked it a lot! This was probably helped by the fact that we went on a sunny morning when the place was practically empty, so we didn't have to worry about crowds or standing in line. The castle looked really cool, and we appreciated how they let you just wander around all the different parts of it, including a dungeon, a cave, and lots of little rooms. A lot of attractions seem to have many places roped off or have a staff person watching you, so it was really nice to be able to explore all the nooks and crannies. Kissing the Blarney Stone was a bit of a non-event, but now I can say that I've done it!!
When the guidebooks talk about Blarney Castle, they don't spend nearly enough time talking about the grounds. I'm sure a lot of people go to the castle, kiss the stone, and don't even spare a second glance for the grounds, but they are extensive (60 acres) and amazing. We explored the Rock Close, the site of an ancient druidic settlement, which had a lot of neat little natural and man-made features. These included a number of sites connected with the myth of the "Blarney Witch" - there is even a stone that looks like a witch's face where people lay random "offerings" (of coins, ticket stubs, sticks, snail shells, feathers, etc.) to get in the witch's good graces. In one of the pictures below, you'll see me pretending to snatch some of the coins off the Witch's Stone; it broke my heart to see all that change just lying there! There are also Wishing Steps. Supposedly, if you can walk up and back down these steps with your eyes closed while thinking of one wish the entire time with no other thoughts interrupting, your wish will come true within a year. That is harder to do than it sounds, but I gave it a shot!
We happened to be there on one of only 40 days out of the year that the Blarney House (home to the family of Sir Charles Colthurst, 10th baronet of the Blarney estate) is open for tours. Built in 1874, it has been continuously occupied by the family. The money that they get from admission to Blarney Castle goes to maintain their home and the grounds. We hadn't bought a ticket that included a tour of the house, but we were walking by just as a tour was about to begin, and the very nice tour guide invited us to join the tour as guests, even though we hadn't paid for it. Yay! He was VERY nice, and an excellent guide. It was neat to see the house, and to see how hints of modern living (their TV hidden behind a decorative period screen, cosmetics bottles and toiletries on the stand by the claw-foot tub of the master bedroom, etc.) are integrated into the very traditional home. As a bonus, it started raining during the tour, and stopped raining by the time the tour ended, so we were never caught outside in the rain! :)
After leaving Blarney, we went into the city of Cork and walked around the city, mainly visiting a number of churches, the most notable being St. Anne's of Shandon (famous for its bells, memorialized in the 19th century ballad "The Bells of Shandon) and St. Fin Barre's Cathedral. St. Fin Barre's was definitely the most impressive of the churches, with an ornate exterior and interior, made even better by the fact that an organist was playing, filling the cathedral with stirring music.
I hope you enjoy these pictures of our day out!
No comments:
Post a Comment