The next adventure for our family after leaving Dublin city in that “Damn S.O.B.” automobile was a pleasant ride through the countryside of County Cork. We were headed south to Blarney Castle. It was going to be a quick stop on our itinerary. We hadn’t booked any accommodations for the night, so where we stayed was up to the travel Gods. The original plan was to stay in Waterford.

A Must-See Landmark Castle

I had already kissed the Blarney stone years before as a Pan Am Stewardess & was excited for my family to have this same adventure. According to legend, kissing this iconic limestone rock that sits high atop the castle walls, bestows on a person the gift of gab. My daughter already has a great sense of humor, so now she would have the power of “beguiling talk.”

Alas, I took longer than planned at Trinity College. The 3-hour drive put us into Cork County near the castles’ closing time. However, as Irish luck would have it, we discovered that Blarney Castle had a nearby hotel. A short 2-minute walk from the stone was the “Blarney Castle Hotel.” Fortunately for us, they had plenty of rooms for the night. Cold and hungry we headed to the restaurant for a lovely meal. Their menu was extensive with the food being locally sourced. It was a delicious warm satisfying dinner after a full day of traveling. A decadent dessert finished off the meal perfectly. I then indulged in a wonderful Irish Coffee for a night cap. See their website: www.blarneycastlehotel.com for excellent accommodations.

The Blarney Stone

Refreshed and ready to go the next morning, we had an amazing breakfast, packed up the car, then walked across the road to the castle. The surrounding area is full of overgrown trees and green grass as far as the eye can see. It was a pleasant day, so we didn’t need sweaters. It was cooler inside the castle than I remembered. After ascending a rather lengthy staircase up to the apex of the castle, we stood in line to kiss the stone.

My mother, at 70 years old, went first. She laid down on her back on a soft pad, then dropped over backwards to kiss the stone. She was assisted back up standing by a very lovely gentleman. My father went next to be followed by my daughter. However, my daughter, being afraid of heights, opted out of the kiss. She decided to watch me go instead.

#Travel Tip 1

Remove any objects that might fall off your body

I forgot to remove my sunglasses from my pocket, so you guessed it, they tumbled down the castle wall to the ground below. I often wondered if you kiss the blarney stone twice, do the kisses cancel each other out? It was still a lot of fun to do again. An adventure not to be missed. There is a 360-degree view from the top of the castle & I was able to spot my sunglasses on the grass below. We descended the tower to find that I needed to buy a new pair of sunglasses as my wayfarer lenses were smashed to pieces.

After touring the gardens, we went into Cork City to learn about its Viking history. While there I spotted a dress shop with my father’s last name Collins. We were in the land of my ancestors. How thrilling! It was lunch time, so we selected a local pub & had a quick bite to eat. Next stop would be Waterford in the province of Munster which was another 2-hours of driving southeast along the copper coast of Ireland.

#Travel Tip 2

There are 3 different routes to take from Dublin to Blarney Castle. The easiest and quickest drive is via M7/M8 with toll roads. It is 161 miles which takes about 3 hours to drive if you don’t stop along the way. The two other routes will take you through the scenic cities of Cork County, but your driving time will increase to about 4 hours, if you don’t encounter any sheep or cows crossing the road.