The City of Cork & Blarney Castle

21 September 2011


Bright & early on the morning of 21 September 2011 we visited the city of Cork.  We actually only a small section of the city.  I was intrigued by the shop depicted here.  I thought it looks like Jepetto's workshop from the Disney classic Pinocchio.

 Talk about oxymorons, Irish Cuisine at the Spanish Arch...  OK, wonder what that is like.  Maybe they have fish & chips or Corned Beef and cabbage with salsa???

 This street is typical of streets all over Ireland.  Shops are at the street level, the owners live above, and frequently let out a flat on the top level.

 The city of Cork is on the river Cork which empties into the Firth of Cork.  In centuries past, it was a fortified city.  

 On the way back from the port we walked up this street.  

 When we got to the corner & looked back, we saw a sign that read "Latin Quarter."

 For years we have heard that people have the "gift of the Blarney" and automatically assumed that it meant telling tall tales.  Well, there really is a Blarney stone and a town called Blarney.

Day 5 of our whirl wind tour of Ireland & Scotland found us touring Blarney Castle

 The approach to the castle is absolutely beautiful.  Because it rains every day, for 10 or 15 minutes, the grass and trees are the greenest I have ever seen.  No wonder Ireland is called the Emerald Isle.

 We entered the castle by crossing a bridge over the moat.  When the castle was occupied, the bridge was a draw bridge.  Now it is just a bridge.  To the right of the bridge, beneath the castle are some caves that were once used for storage.

From the moat, we turned to the left following a path.  As the castle is approached, it seems much larger than it did from a distance.

 This was under the castle, as we went around by the path to the entrance.  The sign indicated it was "The Dungeon."  The bars on the right it the picture are part of a gate.  At the top of the steps was another gate. We were told that the 3 or 4 steps beyond that gate led to a hole.  At the bottom of the hole, 16 or 18 feet below, was a room.  Prisoners were thrown down the hole, if they survived the fall, they might have a chance to get released later.  It all depended upon the whim of the Lord of the castle.

On the top floor is the Blarney stone.  To approach the stone, people have to climb the spiral stairs to the top of the tower.  In order to kiss the Blarney stone, one has to lean over backwards.  The stone is all slimy looking & we chose not to kiss it.  I don't think it was very sanitary.

 As a side note, Everyone on our  tour that did kiss the Blarney stone, got sick with a head & chest cold.  Some even were not able to see the sights but remained on the bus, or if we were staying in a city for two nights, staying in bed all day.

This sign tells visitors that everything in the garden is poisonous.  There were plants like fox glove that I knew about and many more that I had never heard of.  We looked, took pictures, but did not touch anything.