Day 3 - Cork, Blarney, Kinsale

Today we started off driving towards Blarney village.  Blarney is about 20 miles north of our hotel.  The village is so cute!  We stopped off for "brekky" at Mackey's Cafe, where we enjoyed the traditional Irish breakfast of baked beans, eggs, potatoes, bacon (ham) and sausage.  We washed it down with an Americano and Cappacino before heading over to Blarney castle, which was a short walk form the cafe.  It was magnificent to see from the road.   

The grounds are meticulously landscaped with roses, hydrangeas, and several other varieties of flowers.  The grounds which are over a thousand acres are equipped with a lake, the castle, the Blarney house, stables, several different types of gardens, and a 2 mile wooded walking trail.  We first explored the castle, which is very cool....we were able to see the old rooms, kitchen, living room, and dining room before heading up to kiss the famous blarney stone. 

Tradition holds that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will be endowed with the gift of eloquence - "the gift of the gab", as the locals call it.  After a quick kiss we ventured down the spiral stone staircase to the "murder room".  This is located directly above the lobby.  When the royals would have unwelcome guests they would poor hot oil or scalding water ..... now we know why the kitchen was located in the upper levels of the castle!

Once we left the castle we toured through the Blarney House.  The family still lives here and opens it up to the public to view for 5 euro.  The original home burnt down, but equipped with underground tunnels the family survived.  The tunnels went all the way to a pond, where legend has it a military ghost visits during the full moon!  (scary)  The home is full of antiques, the oldest being a hutch from the early 1700's.

After leaving the house, we visited the gardens and stables....I think any horse would feel like a king in these stables.  They were all equipped with their own sink and nice, concrete floors. 

We decided to leave Blarney and head towards Kinsale. This is one of Irelands most historic and attractive locations.  You can see hundreds of fishing boats in the harbor, along with mackerel and herring skimming the water for some treats. The town is surrounded by a wall built in the 12th century.  Today Kinsale is best known for it's food....our kind of town.  So we decided to grab a Guinness at Armada pub before venturing to the next for some good Irish pub food!!

Tonight we plan on visiting An Spailpin Fanach, which has live Irish music every night.  We will give you all the details tomorrow and post pics...also, apologizies for any spelling errors (I'm typing fast, Jeff and Jean are ready to go)!


Cheers,
J&J