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Read our
recommendations on the best places to visit in Ireland.
In the previous pages of this section of our Ireland Travel Guide, we covered the scenic highlights
of The Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. Now we turn to some equally well-known spots in the Southwest, such as Blarney Castle, Cork, Kinsale and an interesting Stone
Circle in
the Bantry Region. |
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Blarney Castle is one of the most famous attractions in Ireland. Actually
it's not the Castle that is so popular, but the Blarney stone and the legend that
surrounds it.
There have been fortified structures on the site of Blarney Castle since the 10th century
and the tower that remains today was the "keep" (central tower or fortress) of a
castle built by Cormac McCarthy, King of Munster.
The castle's most famous feature is the Blarney Stone. Legend has it that if you
kiss the Blarney Stone you will be gifted with "blarney" or the "gift of gab",
as it is sometimes called.
There is a claim (one of many) that the Blarney Stone is the other half of the Stone of the
Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny) of Scottish fame.
The legend continues that
the Stone
was given
to Cormac MacCarthy by Robert the Bruce in thanks for the support he provided
Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn. Other
legend
claims that the Stone was originally Jacob's Pillow and carried from the Holy
Lands by a returning Crusader.
Kissing the Blarney Stone requires some assistance, as you need to approach
from a prone position, on your back. The Castle staff will make sure
that you do not fall and they will swab the Stone with alcohol for sanitary
reasons. Apparently the feeling of blood rushing to your head is part of the buzz that
helps fill you with blarney - of course, since you have paid for this privilege,
perhaps somebody has already filled you with blarney.
By the way, one of the stories about kissing the stone and being filled with
blarney, relates back to ... Cormac MacCarthy, who was the Lord of Blarney.
It seems that Queen Elizabeth's retainers, who were interested in collecting
taxes, could never get a straight story when
questioning him about the extent and value his holdings. One day the Queen became quite
frustrated about the Lord's misrepresentations and made an unkind remark
indicating the Lord of Blarney's obfuscations were...well...blarney! Soon
the words somehow began to be used interchangeably and it was a short hop to the
legend of the Blarney Stone. Before you think it, no, you can't skip kissing the Stone. Would you want to return home
and say "Nope, I missed my chance at earning a black belt in blarney"?
Cork is one of the famous names in Ireland and many tourists head here based on
name recognition alone. Today's Cork is an industrial center with limited
attractions of interest to tourists, at least compared with some of its
neighbors. Yes, there are some colorful
buildings and interesting markets, but we think you might enjoy a visit to Kinsale much more.
One Cork attraction that caught our eye, however, was Blackrock Castle on the River
Lee (about 10 minutes from Cork's center). Originally constructed in the
19th century around the remains of a 16th century tower, today's castle
houses an observatory and astronomy center that is very popular with kids.
See the Blackrock Castle Observatory
website for detailed information on visiting.
Midleton, slightly to the east of Cork on N25, is the home of the Old
Jameson Distillery on the banks of the Dungourney River and source of Jameson
Irish Whiskey. The distillery is one of three still operating in Ireland,
although Jameson is now part of Irish Distillers, which is owned by Pernod
Ricard. The tour is open to visitors of all ages, who are willing to
pay the modest fee. See the
Jameson
website for details on visiting and a
brief description of the tour.
Once an
important port, Kinsale (pop. 850) has evolved into a tourist town
appreciated for its colorful houses, scenic harbor, and excellent tourist
facilities. The town is considered by many to be the food capital of
Ireland.
The
pedestrian areas of the Market Square, the Market Place, as well as Main Street are
filled with gaily-colored stores, friendly pubs and quality restaurants that
will meet you needs for food, trinkets and drinks. See this
site
http://www.kinsale.ie/
for photographic panoramas and additional information on the many
attractions in Kinsale. If you are nearby early in October, be sure to
visit the Kinsale Food Festival.
Kinsale
is known
for its
pair of star-shaped forts facing each other across the harbor. Charles Fort (east side of Kinsale Harbour),
and its companion James Fort across the harbor were built in a star shape to
allow Visit the Charles Fort, which is in much better shape than the
James Fort.
The dawning of the Age of Gunpowder doomed castles and other stone
forts, which simply could not stand-up to cannon fire. Instead, the
replacements for these fortifications were lower, had thicker walls and were
built of brick (which did not shatter as did stone). In addition, the
walls joined at unusual angles, such as star shapes, allowing those
defending to fire at the opposition from a variety of locations (rather than
from the inside of a box-like shape).
Kinsale
has had an interesting, but troubled history.
Spain landed troops here in 1601 to assist in the Irish Rebellion, but they were
defeated by the English and the rebellion failed. It was just south of here
at the Old Head of Kinsale that the Lusitania, a cruise ship traveling from
New York to Liverpool, was torpedoed by the German Navy in 1915,
turning public opinion against Germany during World War I. Nearly
1,200 people died in the attack.
The Beara Peninsula starts near the Gougane Barra National Forest Park, a
scenic area that attracts modest crowds. See this
site for more
information on visiting the Gougane Barra area.
The Beara Peninsula s not the equal of the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle
Peninsula in terms of scenery, but it is quite popular with walkers and
those looking for less crowded, but attractive areas.
Not to be outdone by its neighbors, there is a Ring of Beara Drive that
might be of interest to you if you are on your second tour of Ireland's
Southwest. Details and a map are provided at
Beara Tourism.
To the east of the Beara Peninsula, Mizen Head
and
Sheep's Head
Peninsulas offer a number of fine walking trails, but have limited attractions.
To find out more about the entire area, which is known as the Bantry Region,
visit this informative
website.
http://www.westcork.com/bantry-tourism/index.html
If you visit Kinsale and plan to explore the Mizen Head and Sheep's Head
Peninsulas, you might be interested in stopping at the Drombeg Stone Circle, another
of Ireland's mysterious monuments, near Glandore.
Drombeg Stone
Circle has thirteen pillars remaining (one recumbent) from the original
seventeen stones. It is believed that the circle dates back to Bronze Age, but
dateable material from the site reaches back only to the time of Christ or
slightly before. The foundations of two prehistoric stone huts nearby
and of some interest. The site is located with a scenic view of the
coast.
If you need to find
information about another travel destination, try Googling our site or the Web
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Dublin and Vicinity
The Southwest
Cork, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Blarney Castle and more ,
Blarney Castle and more
The West
Galway, Connemara, Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Aran islands and more.
The Southeast
Waterford, Rock of Cashel, Jerpoint Abbey and more.
The North
and Northern Ireland
Donegal, Sligo,
Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Belfast and more.
Introduction to Ireland
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