As mentioned in my previous post I woke to a very calm Midleton, although it was pretty cold, but when I looked out the window it was a lovely sunny day. I got out and went on a proper hunt for the water and found it. I opened my Easter gift from mum, a top and some cream eggs, and had one with my porridge.
I have no real plan for Ireland, as also mentioned previously, but I need to come up with something soon. When I was volunteering at Pandy Farm, one of the women there was from Ireland and she has offered me some fantastic tips on where to go and what to see, so I will definitely be using that as my inspiration. The only real place I had heard of in Ireland was the Blarney stone, so I looked it up and found the castle and gardens not far from Cork.
I reached Blarney Castle and Gardens by around 11am, had already been shocked by its price when researching it – 24 Euros – but wanted to check it out anyway. To say it was worth the 24 Euros might be overdoing it, but it was definitely a recommended attraction. I’d say it’s in the same league as National Trust sites, and they are normally around £12 ish.
The grounds are lovely and varied and with the trees in blossom at the moment it is very pretty. Again, this is a very well received attraction by lots of nationalities. The grounds consist of lots of woodland tracks going in and out of the different planted areas. Thers a poisonous garden, fern garden, rock close and water garden, Himalayan valley, as well as a lime kiln, icehouse and the lake.
In regards the buildings, there is the main Castle (tower house) and Blarney house. The castle in its current form dates back to 15th century when Henry VI encouraged people to build tower castles to protect the Pale, a region around Dublin that was English governed, to keep the native Irish out. He provided a £10 subsidy to each person who built one. The house is surprisingly in the Scottish baronial style and was built in 1874 to welcome the family back after a 54 absence.
Oh and I kissed the blarney stone!
I have been very lucky in that I have had another day of sunshine. Theres been a bitter wind at some points, but I also enjoyed a glorious sit in a sun trap in the fern garden (my favourite plant) while having my lunch.
I found another britstop pub an hour along my route. Fortunately they have WiFi, but did not sell food, as thought id treat myself to a roast or some other hot meal. What I did experience was watching a spot of hurling, quite intriguing. Not sure what league it was, but thought it interesting to see all the fans on the pitch while the captain of the winning team did a fair old speech. I wasn’t watching intently so may have missed something. And I wasn’t quite sure if the locals were speaking Irish or just speaking really fast! Need to brush up on my listening skills.