Epic British Vacay: Blarney Castle

June 28, 2024 (Day 9): Cork, Ireland, Blarney Castle, and more

Spoiler alert: Another day at sea did not, in fact, stop our apparent colds from forming. In fact, last night, I was so exhausted I ended up skipping dinner and slept for like 12 hours and still awoke feeling less than well, and Daniel is still coughing. It isn’t too bad, though, and hopefully will remain so. Still, we both took some cold meds so we could fully enjoy our first step into Ireland! One of the best parts is that our tour included taking a train to pick up the bus from Cork! We had just time to hurry to a local coffee shop for–you guessed it—coffee before getting back to the train and thence to a bus. I will say, the train became less special when it became apparent that everyone had to take a train to Cork, not just us, and it was kind of like a shuttle train – but it was a train nonetheless and the countryside was just beautiful! The pictures one sees of Ireland online definitely do not undersell it.

An hour or so later, we arrived via bus at Blarney Castle – apparently along with everyone else because it turns out the line to kiss the Blarney Stone – which I had been assuring Daniel was top priority whether he wanted to or not – was two hours long…and we had only three hours before we had to get to the bus, which means if there was any delay going up and depending on how long it was to get down, we would get to do nothing except wait in line. So, sadly, kissing the Blarney Stone went to the wayside and instead we snapped a picture of the stone from below, got some tea for our throats (their cafe was in the stable and they had tables set up in the stalls!!) and went exploring.

I would like you to know that I was mistaken. I thought kissing the Blarney Stone was top priority but now I know it is actually seeing the grounds. I’m pretty sure it was those magical little corners that inspired belief in fairies and if I ever have the chance, I’d like to go to Ireland, buy a multi-day pass to Blarney (is that a thing? I feel like it should be a thing) and meander. The greenery, the flowers, the random stone buildings and ruins scattered throughout. . .and not a spider or snake in sight. We didn’t have nearly long enough.

We of course also got a picture on the curtain wall with the castle and grounds behind us, as well as examining the famous poison garden! It was fascinating to see the everyday plants there and read about how or why they are poisonous – and I was delighted to see rhubarb there since, as you all know, that is one of my favorite things to bake with (what? You didn’t know the leaves are poisonous? There’s a reason I always pull the leaves off outside before bringing the stalks in to cook). And we couldn’t miss out on the traditional photo with the castle in the background.

Afterwards, we walked down to what our tour guide assured us was the largest Irish souvenir store in Ireland and obtained a hat for Daniel and the most exquisite earrings for me. I tried to find some that were a little less expensive, but the moment I saw them I fell in love and that was that. From there we went to an Irish pub next door so Daniel could try a Guinness in Ireland, but the bartender assured us (in typical, grumpy bartender fashion – just like in the movies) that he wanted to wait until he reached Northern Ireland for a Guinness and what he wanted instead was a Beamish. So he got that, and I tried some local Irish whiskey (shouldn’t that have burned away my cold?) and we both got soup and brown bread which, not going to lie, may be the best food we’ve had so far on our trip.

The bus took its time on the way back to the ship so we got to admire lots of passing countryside and pretty buildings, and then actually stopped by the graveyard where some of the Lusitania victims are buried, and then to St. Colman’s Cathedral, an absolutely gorgeous church.

I already know that I would 100% come back to Ireland given the chance. Plus it would be really nice to explore without a head cold.

Step count: 14,034