Just a little kiss

Witches kitchen at Blarney Castle -
with the tree growing amongst
the rocks.

Beautiful green landscape of
Blarney Castle

 If you notice any difference with the blog today I can assure you that it is purely co-incidental although those with strong Irish ties and a belief in the myth and legends of the Emerald Isle would hold that the Blarney Stone has taken hold. Blarney castle and the associated gardens were quite spectacular and held a certain mystical charm and of course we did venture to the top of the castle to engage in the long standing tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone. Tradition holds that it increases ones eloquence and many famous orators, performers and public figures have embraced its charm in the hope that it would imbue them with the eloquence of angels. While that may be the history associated with this particular piece of stone, I can’t see that in this carries any specific weight in today’s modern world.

Western Red Cedar -
aka Whomping Willow

We did congratulate one of the gardeners as the grounds were just simply magnificent. Indeed in wandering through the grounds containing the poison garden with Wolfblane, Hemlock and assorted other exotic plants; an amazing western red cedar tree which grew in all sorts of directions; and the rock garden with the witches kitchen, druids cave and other magically created areas we thought that J K Rowling must have visited a number of times to gain inspiration for Harry Potter. The Western Red Cedar bore a remarkable resemblance to what I imagine would be the way the Whomping Willow would wield its branches.

Old Head Kinsale with Golf Course -
no getting those wayward drives back!

Being filled with Irish spirit we decided to imbibe some more with a visit to the Jameson Distillery in Midleton.  Coming from our very own distillery town and with a preference for the Bundaberg Spirit we were interested in what these people from the northern hemisphere could offer. It turns out that it was quite an education, now having some glimmer of an understanding of the ‘pot still’, ‘malt’ and the rivalry there is between the Irish and the Scots in terms of whiskey making. Having been indoctrinated with the Irish version of events it will remain to be seen where we stand later in the trip after visiting Scotland. We of course felt duty bound as guests of Jameson’s to sample their wares. Whether straight, with ginger and lime, in fudge or chocolate it is a most pleasing product.

We ventured down to the Old Head of Kinsale to yet another part of the rugged Irish Atlantic coast and what must be one of the most spectacular golf courses in the world. The big gates keeping those uninvited out of the course unfortunately proved a deterrent but we purveyed the accessible parts of the headland. Fortunately the wind funnelling up over the cliffs and through the narrow valley was in an onshore direction as it kept us firmly planted on the land and not sailing off over the cliff. We even managed to spy a penguin colony on the rocks although you have to accept our word for it because in the photo all you can see are little dots floating in the water. We were in need of Meahgan’s ‘stalker lens’ to prove the fact.

Entrance to Golf Course

The black dots are penguins - trust us

Tomorrow we continue to explore the Atlantic coast as we make our way to Killarney and the Ring of Kerry.

Looking back over this post perhaps there is something to that Blarney Stone, or maybe it has more to do with imbibing the Jameson spirit both as a drink and in the chocolate and fudge! 

Love to all

S&E