Blarney Castle and Cork

 We have been blessed with the two days of sunshine that Ireland has each year. Today to Blarney Castle, the original was built in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy but has been rebuilt over time. I have been here before but still chose to climb the narrow winding staircase to the top but not to kiss the Blarney Stone this time. The gardens surrounding the castle are magical - we walked around the Poison Garden and Rock Close, where legend has it that witches lived. Directly opposite the Castle are the Blarney Woollen Mills (not in production now). The area is now the largest Irish store in the country plus restaurants and bars. Next stop was at Jameson Distillery. Another tour and more whiskey tasting. In Cork that evening we visited a couple of local pubs which had Irish musicians playing.

The view looking down from the top

From Cork we travelled to Kinsale, a former medieval fishing village. We had a guided tour of Charles Fort, built in the 1670’s by the English to protect Kinsale Harbour from foreign naval forces. It is mostly in ruins but slowly undergoing some restoration work. Then we wandered the pretty streets of Kinsale, with the brightly coloured buildings, a very popular tourist spot. This afternoon we had free time in Cork and we strolled the pedestrian malls and bridge over the River Lee.