Ireland
Page Two of Nine
June 13-28, 2008
Castle remains near Galway Bay
Inside Blarney Castle, a 15th century castle which is now
an empty hulk. The Blarney Stone's origin is uncertain -
either brought back from the Holy Land by crusaders or perhaps
was part of Scotland's royal Stone of Scone. The Kissing of the Blarney
Stone
tradition goes back to the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I
wanted the Irish clan chiefs to recognize the crown. The Lord of Blarney Castle
avoided acquiescing to the Queen's demands with never
ending, lengthy excuses
filled with flattery. In frustration, the Queen declared his endless
words nothing but "blarney."
Pat kissing the Blarney Stone, exposing herself to germs from around the world, but allegedly gaining
the gift of eloquence. The metal bars have been added so you only need to flirt with eternity.
Margaret having a beer at Lord Kingsale Pub in Kinsale. See picture of this pub on next page. We sampled
a number of the Irish beers (not to mention the Jameson Irish Whiskey). While I am not a big fan of beer,
Guinness mixed with Blackcurrent was tasty, apparently the way a lot of Irish women drink it.
Guinness straight was too strong for me.
Monument to Irish emigrants in Cobh. If you have Irish ancestry,
there's a good chance that this was the last Irish soil your ancestors touched.
Cobh (pronounced Cove) was the major port of Irish emigration in the 19th century.
The ill-fated Titanic made its final stop here before heading out on its maiden and only voyage.
The dock from which it left is near this monument.
The Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance re 9/11 was initiated by Kathleen Murphy, a nurse in New York City.
She was born in Ringfinnan, Kinsale and her family continues to reside here. Her family created a memorial garden
to the fallen firemen with a tree planted for each one with their names and fire company attached to the tree,
some with pictures.The first tree planting ceremony
took place in November 2001, and this was followed by
an official dedication of the garden in March 2002
by the Minister for Agriculture & Food.
The dedication
ceremony was attended by Irish relatives of the deceased New York fire fighters. Many of the 343 fire fighters
who died were of Irish descent, and the garden has been visited on a regular basis by United States visitors.
The stone monument,
but not the young, individual trees are shown in this picture.
Charles Fort overlooking Kinsale, a British star-shaped fort that the British occupied until Irish independence
in 1922. A 17th century fort.
View of Kinsale from Charles Fort. Kinsale has a naturally sheltered bay and harbor, which is its reason
for being. Today it is a wealthy resort of 2200 people and is a major tourist location.
From 500 BC to AD 500, it was a rich trading
center. In the 16th to 18th centuries, it was a gateway
to both Spain and France, potentially providing a base for either of these countries to cut off English
shipping. Two pivotal battles were fought here in the 17th century, one with Spain and one with France.
Link to Page 3
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