If today’s post is a bit longer than usual, I apologize as I have (supposedly) been bestowed with the gift of gab thanks to the Blarney Stone! More on that later. First, we started day nine with a trip to the beach—Inch Beach to be specific. As I’ve said more times than I can count on this trip, the view was incredible. Next, we drove up the mountain for a quick stop to enjoy another view. I think a fellow bus passenger described it best when they said it was a superb overlook of the mountains. This stop in Aghadoe, Country Kerry, is overlooking the Killarney Valley.
We were back to our usual tour style of long drives on the bus as we made our way back to Dublin. We did make some stops though, and they didn’t disappoint. One of those was Killarney National Park. Here, we made the short trek to Torc Waterfall. I felt like we were in a movie, not at the national park. It seemed like a forest out of Lord of the Rings or Jurrasic Park, and I would have loved to explore more of the park. It was definitely a great stop, especially being able to get out of the bus for a bit and into the fresh air.
We had an important stop to make on our trip today, the Blarney Castle. This, as you may guess, is the home of the Blarney Stone. After a 30-minute wait and 180+ steps, we made it to the top of the castle. The steps were not for the claustrophobic. They are tiny, in a very narrow passage, and are more like climbing a ladder enclosed in bricks than stairs. Our anxiety peaked, only to get another boost at the stone itself. To kiss the Blarney Stone, we had to lay on our backs, hold on to bars screwed into the wall, then an employee helped lower us backwards into an opening over the side of the castle to kiss the stone. Although this opening is a very long drop to the ground, they have installed bars that will (hopefully) catch someone if they fall. Now, we’ll have to return in seven years to once again get the gift as it’s said to only last that long.
Once you kiss the Stone, you can then tour the castle as you exit. Most of the castles we’ve seen have only been from the outside or have been updated to be more of how you would imagine a modern castle to be. However, Blarney Castle is very much how it would have been originally. It’s unfinished and gave us a good idea of how it would have been back in the day.
To end the day, we made the way to our final destination and accommodation for the trip, the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. Tomorrow will be a more laid-back day, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plans!