It’s taken me 2 full months, but recently I’ve finally been able to make it to two of Ireland’s most visited places: Blarney (home of the famous Blarney Castle and Blarney stone), and Cork, Irelands second largest city. Both of these world-famous locations left me in awe of the beauty of this country, and characterize the juxtaposition of Ireland’s makeup – beautiful and ancient historic countryside, and lively and charming small cities. These recent travels make up the last of my planned travels within Ireland (save for a return trip to Castlegregory for windsurfing this weekend), as well as the last places on my list of in-country must sees, so what’s next for me is a mystery!
I was able to get tickets for the UL International Society’s semesterly trip to historic Blarney, affording me a full morning on the castle grounds followed by an evening in the nearby city of Cork. For those of you not familiar with Ireland or Blarney, Blarney is home to Blarney Castle, one of Ireland’s most well preserved medieval castles, dating back to the 1400s. The castle is home to the famous Blarney stone, which offers all who kiss it “the gift of the gab”, allowing you to speak eloquently and flatteringly to all you meet. The castle grounds keep a wealth of other legends and enchantments waiting to be discovered as well. This includes an impressively large “fairy garden” full of colors, tunnels through trees, and plants and flowers all working together to encapsulate you in the magic of the forest. All of this grows right on top of ancient druid stone circles dating back to the beginning of the millennium, formerly used for enchantments, sacrifices, and offerings.
The Blarney Castle’s most famous draw is the Blarney stone. Legend has it that the builder of the current castle as it stands, Cormac Teige Macarthy, was to be stripped of his land by Queen Elizabeth I. An old woman of the area told him that anyone who kissed a particular stone at Blarney would get the gift of the gab. Macarthy, who considered himself a poor speaker, kissed the stone and went to talk to the queen out of desperation. As the story goes, he was miraculously able to persuade and flatter the queen into changing her mind. The Blarney stone may very well be the least hygienic tourist attraction in the world, seeing as millions upon millions of people from around the world have made the journey to kiss it. Blarney castle estimates that in recent years about 400,000 people have kissed it each year. But kissing it is not as easy of a feat as one might think. After climbing the narrow spiral staircases to the top of the castle, you have to lean upside down off the edge of the castle to reach it. The Blarney stone is built into the parapet (the wall around the top of the castle), between the edge of the floor and over a 37 foot drop to into the castle’s backyard. Fortunately, today’s visitor volume has resulted in iron bars put in for you to hold and prevent you from falling, as well as 2 attendants manning the stone – one to hold you and make sure you don’t fall, and the other to take your picture as you dangle down to land a kiss on the stone.
The castle itself is also impressive, with each room and staircase left rather empty and bleak, but structurally intact. The rest of the castle grounds deserves the bulk of your time at Blarney castle, as they are full of impressive features and breathtaking scenery. There is everything from a deep cave that was tunneled out and used as an escape route for fleeing soldiers, to the druid stones I mentioned above, to a poison garden – growing only plants that can kill or make you violently ill. In addition to gaining the gift of the gab, I also used a tunnel of stone steps to get a free wish from the mythical witch of Blarney castle. Much like the Blarney stone, this power wasn’t to be given without a little risk – as legend has it your wish only comes true if you can walk down the slippery stone steps (under a natural rock spring waterfall) backwards and with your eyes closed.
Cork city was equally impressive, with a lively downtown that happened to be hosting the annual Cork City Jazz Festival (sponsored by Guinness of course) the weekend we were there. No small event, almost every corner as we walked through the city had a new artist playing on the street. The music went beyond jazz as well, as we saw everything from marching bands, funk, bluegrass, and even some calypso music representing themselves at what was the most impressive festival I have seen in my time in Ireland. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay late enough to see headlining bands on the outdoor stage. But we were able to see a couple performances at crowded but lively pubs, and finished the night outside with a large crowd of people dancing to acoustic Ed Sheeran covers.
Cork city is known across Ireland for their music year round, but there are plenty of other reasons to visit Cork as well. Cork’s downtown features wide pedestrian streets, impressively outfitted with Christmas decorations already, and made up of some of Ireland and the world’s biggest brands, with plenty of small independent bakeries, coffee shops, and bars mixed in. One of their central areas is a large indoor open market called the English Market. Full of fresh and handmade food vendors, including bakers, fishmongers, farmers, and even olive makers, this market was one of my favorite parts of the city. I love experiencing new and local food, and although I didn’t make it in time to get my hands on some fresh Irish oysters, I had some fresh smoked muscles with a mustard marinade that was a unique and tasty snack. Known locally as “The People’s Republic of Ireland” and for their people’s rebellious nature Cork natives are proud of their locale, and their city is much to be proud of.
