Ireland: Blarney/Cork/Cobh

On Wednesday we got up early and had a delicious homemade breakfast at Loch Lein House. We knew this was going to be the longest day since we planned on stopping in Blarney, Cork, Cobh, and our final destination, Dublin.

As we were leaving Killarney we came upon Kennedy's Pet Farm, a farm where you can stop and pet all of the different animals. Naturally we had to pull over, and were lucky to be the first ones there. As soon as we got out of our car a little lamb ran right over to us, it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. We played with puppies (my personal favorite), lambs, baby goats, deer, and little rabbits. We spent about two hours there, but I could have easily spent the whole day playing with the animals. 

After our detour we got back on the road and continued our trip to Blarney. I was so excited to go because I heard the castle and grounds were beautiful, and they absolutely were. Connor and I lined up to go inside the castle, not knowing what to expect. The stairwell was so narrow and steep I kept worrying I would miss a step and fall all the way down. I had no idea how high up the Blarney Stone was, and actually got super nervous once we got to the top - my fear of heights was in full swing. 

I look happy in the picture of me kissing the stone, but was actually terrified. It took me a few minutes to get myself in the right position, I feel bad for the guy who was trying to hold me. Naturally, Connor had no problem leaning over the edge about 90 feet above the ground. He was down and back so fast I didn't even have time to snap a picture. After we kissed the stone we headed back down the stairs, popping into various different rooms of the castle as we descended. Once we got to the bottom we spent some time exploring the gardens, We walked through pretty, leafy archways, past waterfalls, and through huge ferns. 

 

My brother then wanted to head to Cork. He studied at University College Cork last summer and fell in love with the city. We made our way there, then spent some talk walking around the university and the city center. Connor showed me where he took classes, and we walked along the River Lee and into town. We were going to get lunch in Cork, but realized most restaurants are closed between lunch and dinner. In Ireland they usually eat dinner a little later, around 8-9, and we couldn't find anywhere to go. We decided to head to our next destination, Cobh, in hopes of finding somewhere good for dinner. 

Cobh (pronounced "cove") is a small town on the south coast of Cork. The town is on a very steep hill with a large cathedral looming over. You could see the cathedral from just about anywhere in the city, it is actually the second largest church in Ireland (only behind St John's Cathedral in Limerick by 8 feet). The city is filled with rows of different colored buildings and lots of colorful flowers. Connor and I spent some time walking by the water until we realized we were starving. We stopped into Trade Winds, one of the only open restaurants for an early dinner, and scarfed down orders of beef stroganoff and seafood for Connor. 

We didn't spend too long in Cobh because we still had a three hour drive to Dublin ahead of us. We stocked up on chocolate Digestives (omg, so good) before heading out, then split up the drive into Dublin before finally arriving that night.