This is one of the busiest and most touristy days we had! When we told our hostess at the Pine Forest Bed & Breakfast our plans for the day and the miles we intended to travel she thought we were mad. It was a long day, but very fun, beginning at the Blarney Castle in Cork.
We were second in line that morning, as we had been warned it gets busy. This adventure of kissing the Blarney stone is a bit more harrowing than I first imagined! Everyone in the family performed admirably.
This guy was first and I wasn't quick enough with the camera, so he got a picture on the lovely Blarney bench.
The modern use for this ancient storage cubby.
The castle is famous for the stone, but the true wonder at Blarney Castle are the gardens. Acres of gorgeous grounds with meandering trails.
We also took a tour of Blarney House, a part time residence for the private citizens that own Blarney Castle estates. They share their home for a couple hours each day, several months out of the year, and get the rest to enjoy privately, while we pay to maintain it. Not a bad gig!
Next stop of the day: Cahir Castle.
View from the Castle of the surrounding village.
Before entering the kids amused themselves with the local ducks and then I captured a moment of pure family bliss. (Not too bad for six days in each others constant presence.)
After locating the entrance we wondered around the castle grounds before the tour. Castle are full of fun things to play on and around!
The wonder of Ireland is the history all around you. At any moment while driving along you can spot buildings in various states of ruin. To see cows grazing amid Irish towers and ancient rock settlements is an everyday occurrence.
Our final castle of the day (not the trip) was the Rock of Cashel. This collection of buildings includes and Irish tower, the remains of a very large cathedral, and several other well preserved structures.
Throughout most of our trip to this point the weather was great. A light "Irish mist" here and there, but mainly sunshine. Our timing was spot on time after time taking a tour during clear sky's and raining during our drives, until here...The sky let loose with drops the size of quarters as we ran down the hill to the car park. By the time we got inside we were all soaked through.
After five days touring the south on our own we headed north to Belfast.
Now to the reason behind this trip, a visit to the missionary grandparents! We found them safe and sound in a nice little apartment in Belfast. One of our children communicates quite frequently by email and had indicated she dyed her hair blue, hence the last picture of the day!
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