The Ireland countryside is slightly rolling hills with farmland stretching for miles in either direction. A landscape of green and brown, dotted with puffs of white sheep. It is familiar; it could be any stretch of farmland in western Washington. Unlike Sweden and Germany, the small towns that crop up are, surprisingly, not dominated by towering church spires. They are a hodgepodge. A mishmash. New buildings mixed with meandering old rock walls. Stone ruins appear out of nowhere; a bit of history seamlessly integrated with modern life.

Towns line the road from Dublin to Cork; pubs entice the weary traveler. Cork is a breath of fresh air. Bright colors jump out, cheering the sunlight and the merry rolling river and the enthusiastic hordes of shoppers. Rowhomes flash pink and blue and green along narrow curving streets (see photo).

The Gift of Gab

Just north of Cork is Blarney Castle. I searched the hilltops for signs of a ruined stronghold, while my quarry hid itself away in a valley. I thought castles were supposed to guard the higher ground? Apparently not. The picturesque stone ruin sits in a lovely park of cherry blossoms and a burbling brook. When you visit take time to explore the gardens. Perhaps bring a book and a picnic lunch. Ryan took some video of the grounds, which I’ll post when we get better internet. The site is a mecca for tourists, but we were lucky to have few compatriots in our quest for the stone. The site is extremely well signed with interesting tidbits of history and cartoons.

Queen Victoria is said to have first coined the term “to talk Blarney” when Lord Blarney was able to talk for hours without agreeing to a thing. Legends abound about the origins of the Blarney Stone, but one thing is for sure: launching a writing career would not be complete without a pilgrimage to kiss this magic icon, thereby obtaining the Gift of Eloquence. To do so, the aspirant must climb to the top of the tower, up a very narrow circular staircase, then lie back over the edge of the precipice and pucker up. An attendant is there to whisk you through, preventing over much contemplation of the stone itself. I’ll put the video of my homage up at the end of the week, as well as photos.

From Blarney we continued on to Killarney in County Kerry, where we will spend the rest of the week. Killarney hosts the tallest mountains in Ireland and a host of historic sites, as well as the magical Ring of Kerry.