For my birthday, Em and I spent a couple days in Cork, Ireland. I had never been to Ireland before, but Em has been all over the island. An hour-long Ryanair flight took us to its southern tip.
A major attraction for the region is Blarney Castle and its famous stone. We bussed over to the little town of Blarney and enjoyed the great weather and the green countryside.
Above on the left you can see Em bending over backwards to kiss the Blarney Stone, which supposedly bestows the gift of eloquence (or gab) on those who pucker up. On the right is Em several stories below the rock. I have yet to see any results from her frightening smooch.
Right outside the castle is the Poison Garden, with several dozen 'dangerous' plants.
The Blarney estate was pretty neat and we welcomed the unexpected sun.
No trip to Ireland is complete without a pint of stout.
After our afternoon in Blarney, we headed for the Curaheen Greyhound Stadium right outside Cork. It was an eye-opening experience with a broad range of people. On the photo on the left you can see a line of youngsters placing bets on dog races - we saw young teens with beers. The dogs appeared to be well-cared for, and finally we decided to place a 3 euro bet (we're high rollers) on a winner in the eighth race of the night...Drive On Special lost by a snout.
The greyhounds were amazingly fast!
The next day Em got to try an Irish coffee, and we took a quick train to Cobh (pronounced "Coove").
Cobh is known as a picturesque harbor near Cork, but rough financial times really hit the small town hard. Most of the high street shops were out of business. We wandered the streets, toured St Colman's Cathedral, got lunch, and left.
Cobh holds an important strategic port for Ireland, and part of its fame comes from its relationship with the doomed Titanic and RMS Lusitania. The Titanic's last port was Cobh before it steamed toward New York, and the sinking of the Lusitania occurred right outside the harbor.
With a few hours before our flight back to England, we made our way to St Finbarr's Cathedral in Cork. It's the major landmark for the city, and it was impressive.
Thanks for following our two quick days in Ireland! Check in frequently for more trips.