My Irish Adventure: Ruins, Sinking Ships, and Gaining the Gift of Gab!

The next morning the tour left Dublin to go to the countryside of Wicklow, specifically to Glendalough, in order to see the ruins of St. Kevin’s monastery. Kevin left his wealth to seek a life devoted to God, and lived as a hermit before founding the monastery.  Many disciples were drawn to him since he was able to live in the wild, away from the material world. This was a period in history before Rome absorbed the monasteries…they were independent Irish churches. The ruins give us a glimpse of this world.

The area is beautiful, and it’s amazing to see such old structures still standing. The Round Tower can be seen from the distance and is surrounded by a cemetery. There are still ruins from the Cathedral, the Priest’s House, and St. Kevin’s Church that you can go through. You can take a hike to the lake and look at the enjoy the landscape. Ireland has some amazing monastic sites so I enjoyed being able to spend some time at one.

A sad part of Irish history are the famine ships, since so many Irish died on the journey to the “New World.” During 1845 to 1852, a million Irish died from disease and famine, while a million emigrated to escape horrible conditions. Our guide’s perspective was that there was enough food in Ireland, but it was not distributed to those that needed it, so the poor farmers were starved out by landowners. The famine completely changed Ireland, and became a rally for independence from the British.

The town of New Ross has a replica of the 19^th century Dunbrody famine ship. Conditions on the ships were so atrocious that many died on the journey. The ships were nicknamed “coffin ships.” The museum takes you through this period in Irish history, and has actors reenacting characters on the ship. The actors explained the different conditions a first class and third class passenger experienced…Lets just say you’d never want to have to endure a month long journey as a third class passenger. Another interesting tidbit about the town is that there is also a statue of John F. Kennedy in front of the museum, since the ancestral home of the Kennedy family is near New Ross.

After New Ross, we visited Waterford, which is the oldest city in Ireland. I’m not a fan of Waterford Crystal so I didn’t need to see the glass blowing demonstration…I have seen it demonstrated in Venice. Some people on the tour were fans and enjoyed seeing it, and the showroom. We did take a nice walking tour through the town with a local guide. The street art in the town was really good!

Viking raiders first established a settlement in Waterford in 853, and periodically fought with the native Irish for control. One of the most notable features of the city is from the when the Vikings were there, Reginald’s Tower. There is also a replica of a Viking ship to commemorate the town’s history. On the walking tour, we also saw the oldest church in Ireland.

 

The next day we stopped in Cobh, which is a beautiful small town on the coast of Cork. The town used to be called Queenstown, but was changed when the republic was formed. I love the colored buildings with St. Colman’s Cathedral rising in the background. This town was the final port for the Titanic, and we had a walking tour that talked about the town’s links to the famous ship. I’m not a fan of the movie, and I don’t know why this tour focused so much on the Titanic’s history. In Belfast, we even went to the Titanic Museum.

Many Irish left for the US from the port in Cobh so there is a statue of Annie Moore, the first emigrant to be admitted at Ellis Island. The emigration history of the town was much more interesting than the Titanic stopping there. I would have preferred a walking tour focused more on the history of the town, but our next destination more  than made up for the disappointing tour in Cobh…

The next place, Blarney Castle was the best part of the tour so far! The castle is beautiful! It is a ruin that you can go through, and explore the different nooks and crannies.  I even got to kiss the stone, which is scary since you have to lean back over a ledge while a man is holding you…Since I went during off season it wasn’t a crazy wait; I heard it takes a couple hours during the summer. Whoever kisses the stone receives receives the gift of eloquence, which I believe we can all use. The word “Blarney” means flattering or being able to sweet talk someone. Hopefully, I can put this new gift to great use…

The sun came out that day and it was lovely outside. A heat wave the Irish called it, since it reached 60 degrees. The castle’s origins go back to the 13^th century, specifically to 1446. There is a mansion built by the castle, Blarney House, where the current owners live, and I believe is open to the public. I was too busy exploring the castle grounds and taking advantage of the great weather to go to the mansion.

The gardens of the castle are beautiful, extensive, and worth walking through. There is a poison garden, with poisonous plants along with a couple waterfalls, and rock formations. The map they give you comes in handy since you have to decide what you really want to see. If you go on your own you have more time, and can spend the day there. You need time to explore the beautiful grounds since there are different paths you can hike or take a stroll through.

Blarney has a store called the woolen Mills where you can pick up souvenirs, and a good cafe you can eat lunch. The sandwiches were really good! Afterwards, we headed to the amazing town of Killarney, which I’ll leave for my next post. It gives you something to look forward to. You can like my  page Facebook page for post updates, and follow me on Instagram as well (I’m Wayfaringgal). Thanks for reading!