Did you miss me yesterday? I can only imagine that you did. I will start with an apology then. I was pretty bushed last night, and we had an early start today, so I decided to skip a post. Yesterday it was the day of two castles: The Blarney Castle (yes, the one with the Blarney Stone) and the Rock of Cashel (it's basically a Castle). We spent part of the morning doing some shopping in Killarney (including myself, I laid down a mint on a wool sweater for Hayley....she deserves it though, and she looked good in it, so money well spent) and then made the hour drive to Blarney and see the famed castle and its associated stone. The castle itself is actually pretty neat and well preserved, and the grounds are nice as well. But the visit wasn't complete until we queued with the other tourists and kissed the famous stone, searching for the gift of eloquence that it supposedly imparts.
After that, it was a two hour drive to Cashel, in County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel sits on a hill overlooking the town, which looks cool unto itself, as you can see it immediately when you pull into town. The structure is home to a rock that comes from a hill north of the site (the hill is actually visible) where St. Peter supposedly banished Satan from Ireland. The on-site castle also apparently served as the seat of kings for several hundred years. There is a big, cavernous cathedral, and the hill-top the Rock sits on gives great views of the surrounding areas. An abandoned monastery is not too far away down the hill, so we checked that out as well to get a good view of the Rock (and no, when we arrived, Sean Connery wasn't there saying: "Welcome to the Rock").
And that was pretty much that, we ended that day by driving to Wicklow, south of Dublin by about 40 minutes. We had some difficulty finding the place, but eventually made it unscathed. It was strategic placement, as we wanted to spend part of today exploring the Wicklow Mountains, another natural attraction of Ireland's. Hayley had to catch a 1700 flight today, and we wanted her to see the area as well, so that was the reason for our early start. Before entering the Wicklow National Park, we stopped at an area known as Avondale Forest that (according to the guidebook) was home to the confluence of two rivers. The spot, known as the Meeting of the Rivers, is so beautiful it inspired one of Thomas Moore's (an Irish poet) poems. We took one of the marked trails for an hour, but never found the spot. The only thing close was a little stream running into one of the rivers, and, if that was the location the book was talking about, I want my money back. Best guess is, we missed it. Anyway, we made up for the disappointment by stopping in Glendalough, in the National Park, and walking around a set of lakes surrounding by mountains. Much more breathtaking stuff, maybe Moore should have stopped by there.
Soon though, we had to get Hayley on a plane back to the states. After seeing her off, Joe, Kathleen and myself made it (again with some difficulty) to our final hotel, where we are just taking it easy until the journey back tomorrow.
So this is the final full day in Ireland. It has been a fantastic trip, but there is still more to talk about. I should have internet in the airport tomorrow, so I can give a final post before boarding, but if not, I'll see you back in the States.
After that, it was a two hour drive to Cashel, in County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel sits on a hill overlooking the town, which looks cool unto itself, as you can see it immediately when you pull into town. The structure is home to a rock that comes from a hill north of the site (the hill is actually visible) where St. Peter supposedly banished Satan from Ireland. The on-site castle also apparently served as the seat of kings for several hundred years. There is a big, cavernous cathedral, and the hill-top the Rock sits on gives great views of the surrounding areas. An abandoned monastery is not too far away down the hill, so we checked that out as well to get a good view of the Rock (and no, when we arrived, Sean Connery wasn't there saying: "Welcome to the Rock").
And that was pretty much that, we ended that day by driving to Wicklow, south of Dublin by about 40 minutes. We had some difficulty finding the place, but eventually made it unscathed. It was strategic placement, as we wanted to spend part of today exploring the Wicklow Mountains, another natural attraction of Ireland's. Hayley had to catch a 1700 flight today, and we wanted her to see the area as well, so that was the reason for our early start. Before entering the Wicklow National Park, we stopped at an area known as Avondale Forest that (according to the guidebook) was home to the confluence of two rivers. The spot, known as the Meeting of the Rivers, is so beautiful it inspired one of Thomas Moore's (an Irish poet) poems. We took one of the marked trails for an hour, but never found the spot. The only thing close was a little stream running into one of the rivers, and, if that was the location the book was talking about, I want my money back. Best guess is, we missed it. Anyway, we made up for the disappointment by stopping in Glendalough, in the National Park, and walking around a set of lakes surrounding by mountains. Much more breathtaking stuff, maybe Moore should have stopped by there.
Soon though, we had to get Hayley on a plane back to the states. After seeing her off, Joe, Kathleen and myself made it (again with some difficulty) to our final hotel, where we are just taking it easy until the journey back tomorrow.
So this is the final full day in Ireland. It has been a fantastic trip, but there is still more to talk about. I should have internet in the airport tomorrow, so I can give a final post before boarding, but if not, I'll see you back in the States.
Standing in the cathedral at the Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel, as viewed from an abandoned monastery
Final photo of the whole gang (along with a random duck) this time in Wicklow.
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