Today we took a famous (infamous?) Paddywagon Tour! We got up bright and early and ventured to the pick up location where we enjoyed some donuts we picked up last night for breakfast. Then all aboard the wagon and off we drove -- towards the Rock of Cashel. (Note: if you ask CJ what we saw along the way, he will tell you about green pastures and herds of sheep. I slept ... but I was well rested when we arrived!!)
According to mythology, the Rock of Cashel (sometimes calledSt. Patrick's Rock) is said to have originated from "the Devil's Bit", a cave in a nearby mountain from where St. Patrick banished the devil, causing the rock to land on the hilltop in Cashel where it is today. Legend says that it was there that St. Patrick converted the king of Munster in the fifth century. For hundreds of years, the Rock of Cashel was the seat of the kings of Munster until I'm 1101 the current king donated the site to the Catholic Church -- though it didn't stay in the church's position for too long; though while in the hands of the church, a cathedral was added to the site as well as a tall round tower. Today, the castle and cathedral are in ruins; but the view from the top is expansive, even on a dreary rainy day like today!
Next we went to Cork, a city along the Lee River second only to Dublin in size. We were really only there to get lunch, so we stopped at a burger place called "Sun of a Bun" and had what our tour guide promised would be the best burger we would ever eat (it was definitely up there in my top three burgers).
And finally we arrived at the main event: the Blarney Castle!! Would it have been better if most of the grounds weren't under construction and thus blocked from visitors? Yes. Would it have been better if the downpour had stopped for just a moment while we explored the roofless castle? Sure. But did we channel our inner ducks, have fun despite the rain, and enjoy our hot chocolate that much more? Why yes we did!! As told to us by our tour guide, the Blarney castle has been rebuilt three times: once from wood in the tenth century, again in the 1200's from stone that crumbled, and a last time in the 1400's resulting in the structure we see today (sounds a little "three little pigs" ish to me ...) Skip forward in time a bit and the castle now belonged to Cormac MacCarthy, a lord in the region. During an uprising, he allowed the rebels to use his land and even supplies them with armor, guns, and horses; this did not set well with the queen whose armies were killed by the rebels, and so she planned to take away all from Cormac that he valued: his land, his title, his money, his possessions, and lastly, his head. (Yikes. Don't anger the queen ...) But first Cormac had to appear before the court to have his case heard. No lawyer would defend him because it would offend the queen (which we have already established is a deadly mistake), so it was up to Cormac to plead his own case. The problem? Cormac couldn't speak in public. As his court date drew near, he prayed and prayed for a solution to his problem; a Celtic goddess appeared to Cormac and told him on his way to court to find the flattest, widest stone he could find and kiss it before he arrived. A little apprehensive, he did what she said. Long story short, he spoke so eloquently about his innocence that he was forgiven of his crime and left with no charges. He dug up the stone and placed it within the wall of his castle where today thousands of visitors bend over backwards (literally) to kiss the stone and obtain the gift of gab.
After venturing through the castle and walking through the soggy grounds, we made our way to a coffee shop to have hot chocolate and a sweet snack before getting back on the bus and heading back to Dublin.
In Dublin, we grabbed a quick Donor Kabab for dinner and returned to the hotel to warm up and plan for tomorrow. Here are a few pictures from today:
And now we are warm and dry and settled in for the night. More fun to come tomorrow!!
Pics and smiles tell me all is good with more adventures tomorrow... Enjoy !!!
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