The Wearin' o' the Green...Part I

Seeing as it's Saint Patrick's Day, I thought it a fitting day to share more of my photos from Ireland. The following are all from a trip to Blarney Castle in 2001 - during the two weeks I spent in Ireland for a friend's wedding.This one, of course, is the castle ruins. We've just arrived and are approaching the castle. The grounds are lush and green!Getting closer. Doesn't it look imposing from below? I read that the outside walls are actually sloped inwards to make the castle look taller from the ground. Sneaky, eh? If I'm remembering correctly, this was one of the first things we saw after climbing the very narrow stone stairwell up, up, up... I guess they really did rain down the terror from Murder Holes. This is a floating fireplace that fascinated me, for some reason. Okay, so way back when the castle still had intact floors, it wasn't floating, but it appears to be now. You can see where the floor used to be though. Here we have more of the interior. The room at the bottom there used to be the family room. The room in the middle was the banquet hall. The top most level here was the chapel. You can see where the floors used to be. Now, I'm curious as to what kind of floors they used (I'm assuming wood, that has since rotted out) and what kept them up (I don't see any pillars or posts or anything...) The castle was definitely not wheelchair friendly, so Kerri (who is the one that convinced me to go on this trip in the first place) waited outside the castle walls. Here she's patiently waiting for me to finish my traipsing about. Hi Kerri!
View from the top. Pretty, huh?

Same spot from the ground. I liked the little stone bridge in the distance. Didn't have a chance to explore the grounds too much though - it's hard when you're with a large group and there's a lot to see. We visited the castle in the morning, and then headed over to Blarney Woollen Mills, conveniently located across the road from Blarney Castle.


And for all of you wondering...No, I didn't kiss the stone. First of all, I don't think I need any help in the gift of gab department...Secondly, did you know you have to hang upside down to kiss that thing? I think not!! Thirdly - I hear the locals sneak into the castle and defile the stone (or rather, treat it as a urinal) and though this may not be true, would you really want to take the chance?