I’ve long talked about visiting Ireland, since out of all the nationalities that make up the background of my family, the Irish is the strongest one. While I don’t have any current family that lives there (that I know of), it is still the place where, for much of my family, life originated. So it made sense that I was traveling with family – my mother, my brother and his girlfriend, and John. I actually didn’t know much about Ireland, its history or geography, its language or customs. I’m a bit more informed now, but I’m also incredibly captivated. It is hands down one of the most beautiful, and haunting, places I have ever been.
We spent the first night in Kilkenny, south of Dublin. It was a sweet city, and the weather was perfect.
We drove to Cork the following day, and spotted this little seal enjoying the sunshine along the way:
City of Cork
On our way out of Cork, we stopped in Blarney.
I actually can’t believe this castle isn’t older than it is – this current building was built around 1460, but to me looks like it came straight out of the Dark Ages. Still…it’s old as ***. It’s also gorgeous and creepy and with the right window treatments and a proper mattress, I’d move right in.
View from the top of the Blarney Castle, looking towards the Blarney Manor
Of course, at the top of the castle sits the infamous Blarney Stone. While the rest of us just kept on walking, my own mother actually let someone hang her upside down so she could pucker up to it – I was mildly shocked, but like she said, YOLO.
We spent some time walking around the gorgeous grounds
And contemplated using items from the Poison Garden on each other
Next, we hit the road to Killarney, which was collectively our favorite part of the trip – more to come!
