Agent blog: Anna musters her courage to kiss Blarney Stone
Our roaming travel agent Anna Carter, from Bath Travel in Dorset, continues her Insight Vacations fam tour of Ireland and hopes to get the gift of the gab.
We left Dublin bright and early at 8am to make our way to the Rock of Cashel after a great breakfast to set us up for the day – a huge choice of items, great hot food and good service at the Burlington.
I loved listening to our tour director Shona tell folk tales and historic stories of Ireland as we drove – it really brought it all to life. Knowing a bit more about the history of Ireland – how the divide between north and south started back with King Henry VIII and his subsequent marriages and Catholic and Protestant beliefs. Her knowledge is superb.
We had a quick rest stop and carried on to Cashel – the roads were quiet, journey smooth and scenery nice and green!
The Rock of Cashel, a mound of rock 60 meters high upon which sits a medieval castle, was once the seat of the High Kings of Munster before the Norman invasions in the 12th century. The most holy spot in Ireland, it is where conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick supposedly took place in the 5th century. What an amazing history lesson on Cashel! So many tourists visit Ireland and just experience Dublin, missing all this amazing history and culture. Another great tour guide brought the site to life.
By now, we were feeling the full force of the Irish weather – rain and wind! We headed to Blarney for lunch, where I enjoyed my first experience of an Irish pub which was cosy, with hearty food – lots of potatoes and huge portions. We had time for shopping after lunch at the famous Blarney Woollen Mill and then went on to kiss the Blarney stone in the rain!
(a nervous Helen Tate gets ready to kiss the Blarney Stone)
Blarney Castle is set in beautiful gardens by the river. We took a tiny spiral staircase up and up to the top, to the old ruins of the castle. It took all my courage to lean back and kiss the stone – it’s a long way down – but was worth a try for the promise of the "gift of the gab!" It was an amazing experience – a shame about the misty rain so we weren’t really able to enjoy the view. But it was fun imagining the ruins as a working castle 500 years ago – the history in this country really is amazing.
What a great and busy day – now we have a 90-minute drive to Killarney and dinner at the Killarney Towers Hotel.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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