Thursday 3.21 Blarney Castle

Thursday morning, we walked to city centre and caught the bus to Blarney in time to be there when the castle and grounds opened at 9:30.

Right away we went up in the castle to get to the top and kiss the Blarney Stone. 

Once we got to the top, Noah decided he was NOT going to lie down on his back, bend backwards over an opening at the top of a castle, and kiss a stone. 

Do you see the Blarney stone? It's the dark gray stone above the opening.
(Also pictured: the antibacterial cleaner to make the tourists feel better.)

I did it, though, for good measure. One can never have too much “gab”! 

We walked down and then explored the Poison Garden. 

Covering his ears because of the mandrakes (Harry Potter joke)

After a refreshment in the cafe, we hiked around the grounds a bit, awed by the ancient yew trees, impressed by the druid stone circle, and taking advantage of the open space to throw Noah’s new rugby ball a little. 

We ate a late lunch at Muskerry Arms, an inn and pub in Blarney town, then waited FOREVER for the bus back to Cork. We were pretty tired so we relaxed at the hotel until Chris got back, then walked to Spitjack for a big dinner. 

Noah LOVED Blarney Castle and grounds!