Saturday

Our B&B host served us some awesome food. Brooke and Jananne were very excited to have some American food. Some super sweet waffles. I had my usual, eggs, bacon, (rashers) sausages, fried (red) tomatoes, and beans.

We drove a mile and a half down the road to the Blarney Castle. After paying our admission, we walked around for a little bit and then crossed over a moat (we didn’t see any alligators)….then the adventure started!

Moat around Blarney Castle

You walk into a large entry room, and follow the signs marked “Entry”. Up and around, up and around, up and around, and up and around a tall turret. I don’t like tight spaces so I was kinda panting by the time we got to the top. The staircase is a tight, steep, spiral that gets narrower and steeper as you go up. The infamous Blarney Stone is out on a kind of veranda on the top of Blarney Castle. So, you exit the tunnel-like staircase and walk out onto an open veranda.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The infamous stone is the bottom stone built into the wall of the veranda. Additionally, there is a 12 inch gap from the end of the floor and the wall on which the stone is built into. One must lie down on their back, and shimmey across the gap, crane their neck down, all while holding onto two poles behind their head to reach waayyy back and kiss the stone. A kind gentleman holds your jacket in case you are skinny enough to fall in the 12 inch crack! No fear of that for any of us! Jananne asked when it was last cleaned, he proudly told us he had just cleaned it that morning. 

Kissing the Stone

After receiving the gift of gab, we exited the castle and headed off for Adare, County Limerick. In my travel book, Adare was cast as a romantic, sleepy little town, sure to seduce those in search of the typical quaint Ireland. We walked around—window shopping—and found another fireplace to sit beside. We all enjoyed Bacon and Cabbage and mashed potatoes.

Cottage in Adare Town

With our bellies full, we decided we wanted a walk. A short, plumb man rapidly rambled off a long litany of rules/directions/info/etc of the estate as we entered through the huge gates of Adare Manor. We just smiled politely and nodded. As we drove away, Jananne asked me if I had any idea what he had just said…nope! :)

Adare Manor

We walked around the enormous estate (almost Castle) grounds. We found lush green lawns, budding roses, and a huge garden designed in the shape of the Celtic cross. We also found an enormous Cedar of Lebanon that was the focal point for many photos.

Off again to Bunratty, County Clare; a castle that was listed on the Top 6 Must See Castles.  The Verdict: Let down. The castle itself was ugly. The inside was very sparse, uninteresting and cold. HOWEVER, there was a music festival going on within all the rooms of the castle. Every spiraling staircase led out into a high-ceilinged room reverberating beautiful voices and instruments. We listened to a group of older men, singing shipping songs, a cappella. They were amazing. One in particular had a large belly, a large white beard, and a soothing deep voice. After their performance, we happened to talk to this man, and he had performed in the States before. Come to find out, he’d performed in Dublin, New Hampshire. (Location of Jananne’s former cottage!)Small world... Two stories down, we listened to a youthful lively group. All the musicians/singers were very talented and thoroughly enjoying their performing. We could tell they were having so much fun!

Then, we set off for my Martyn grandparents. We took a small detour through Moneygal, County Tipperary. (“Home of President Obama’s ancestors…” ) Turns out, it’s in TEENNY TINY town, now sporting American flags, an Obama Café and signs about his visit to the town. He drank a beer in the pub. It was late afternoon on a Saturday evening, and we literally saw no one on the streets and all the restaurants were closed! Moneygal’s claim to fame apparently

We spent Saturday evening with my grandparents, Desmond and Beatrice, and settled in for a nice, long sleep.