Cork and Blarney-Day 1

Blarney Castle and Me

I had the most magical weekend in Cork and Blarney and I can’t wait to write it all down. Let’s start at the very beginning, after all, it’s a very good place to start. Day 1:
This vacation, although planned, was kind of fly by the seat of your pants (so not me). We left campus without bus tickets or a place to stay, just the dream of kissing the Blarney Stone. Brittany, Stacy, Jen, Mariel (a new friend), and I embarked from UCD at about 9 am to catch the 10 o’clock bus out of Dublin to Cork. Why Cork? Because, like every other tourist, I needed to make the pilgrimage to the Blarney Stone. The bus ride lasted about 4.5 hours, but the countryside was just stunning. I took plenty of pictures but keep in mind the landscape is about two hundred times more beautiful in person.

Rock of Cashel. I need to make it there before I finish my stay.

Cork, which we ended up not spending a lot of time in

We arrived in Cork about 3:00 and got something to eat at a bagel place. Afterwards we successfully found a bus to Blarney, home of Blarney Castle, about 5 miles outside Cork. We got there around 4 and entered the grounds of the Blarney Castle. It was the perfect weather to go and the perfect time of day. We were some of the only people there and we could almost see the sunset from the top of the castle.

Grounds at Blarney Castle

Here’s the deal with the castle. It is a castle that is in ruins because it is about 500 years old. You enter and walk up 127 spiraling steps (easier said than done) to reach to top. At the top there is a certain stone, the Blarney Stone, that when kissed is supposed to give you “the gift of the gab.” The term Blarney was introduced when Queen Elizabeth said “Blarney! It’s all blarney!” to the lord of the castle after he made too many unfulfilled, eloquent promises. Kissing the Blarney Stone is another thing easier said than done. One must lay on their back and bend backwards to kiss the bottom stone about 120 feet in the air. It was really fun and touristy and I loved it!

The Blarney Stone is where the opening at the very top is

Receiving the gift of the gab. I tipped the guy holding me beforehand.

It has been voted the most unhygenic tourist attraction, but our friend at the top showed us that he cleans it every 30 minutes to an hour.

Stacy, Jen, Brittany, me, Mariel

What an amazing view from the top

Going down the stairs

After we took in all the sights of the surrounding land we headed down and walked around the grounds. Brittany wanted to find the wishing stairs because who couldn’t use a wish? The problem was we were unclear on what we had to do to get the wish and ended up walking up and down the stairs...multiple times...backwards...with our eyes closed. I’m not kidding.

After only an hour on the grounds we began to get anxious about having accommodations so we began our search. We had decided to stay in Blarney rather than heading back to Cork because it was a quaint little town and real Ireland. First we hit up a hotel and they were offering rooms and breakfast for 50 euro a person. It was a little steep but they said that was the going rate around Blarney. Because student is synonymous with poor we searched for another room in Blarney and came across a bed and breakfast. We went up to the door and knocked. Owen, the bed and breakfast owners’ son, came to the door and Jen asked in the cutest little voice “Is this somewhere to stay?” He said yes, the rate was 35 euros, but he had to call his mother first. He was gone for a long while, which we took as a bad sign (the five of us look like troublemakers.) He came back and said that he had a deal for us and if all of us stayed there it would be thirty euro a piece. And we get a full Irish breakfast! Sign me up!

The Meadowbank was the cutest bed and breakfast and a sight for sore eyes. Carol was the owner and the sweetest Irish woman I have met. She gave us the lowdown on where to eat and where to listen to music in Blarney (one pub is better for food, while the other has better entertainment.) She also made sure we knew all the places to visit and just wanted to chat.

Dinner was hearty and Irish and perfect for weary travelers. Mariel had fish and chips, Stacy had bangers and mash, I had rib eye, and Brittany and Jen had the soup. For a while we were the only females in the bar because it was all guys watching the soccer game and just a slice of Irish life. We sat there for about two hours just talking about our lives, the ups and downs, and laughing at our jokes (Special Guy 29, Paul Sr, and singing Total Eclipse of the Heart.)

Johnny's Pub

Up next was the other bar which was supposed to have good music. The good music might not have been true (there was a guy who Stacy insisted looked like Justin Bobby from The Hills playing American songs) but it was still a good time. We sat there, laughing and drinking cider (I had a coke) until about 11. At this point Stacy and Mariel decided to stay while Brittany, Jen and I walked the block back to the Meadowbank. We had planned on reading and relaxing from the day, but it turned into another conversation about life and love. It was like a slumber party.

Just an ideal day! The weather was amazing, the bed and breakfast was a dream come true, and the town of Blarney was charming. I know you are looking forward to my entry for Day 2 .