St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh

Cobh (pronounced 'cove') is a town about 30-45 minutes away from us. A more touristy place in Cobh is the Queenstown Story, a museum about the Famine, Irish emigration, the Lusitania, and the Titanic (Cobh was its last port of call), but we've also found this beautiful church to be well worth a visit.

St. Colman's Cathedral is the seat of the bishopric, so it's especially grand with a gorgeous front.

(I like gargoyles!)

The interior is just as beautiful, with gorgeous stained glass, ornate woodwork, and a HUGE gorgeous altar in front. It's also known for its large (49-bell) carillon, the largest in Ireland and Britian.

Wikipedia's entry on it is quite thorough and has some nice pictures, so I'll include that link here in case you want to find out more.

So if you're in Cobh, make sure to climb the hill and check it out. It's free, but there's a spot for donations for the upkeep and restoration of the cathedral

Ballybeg Priory Ruins

Here are some photos from a ruined monastery that lies just off the road between Blarney and Limerick. It's not on any maps that I've seen, but if you go by the historical society's sign there, it's the Ballybeg Priory. According to Wikipedia, Ballybeg is a very generic name (literally 'small town,' so it's rather hard to search for more information on it that way. However, Ballybeg Priory has its own very thorough (and historically detailed) entry.

Ballybeg Priory at dusk

But as to my thoughts, well, this is one of those sites you'd never find in a tourism book. It's just these ruins, sitting out in a cow pasture, slightly off a main road. But wandering around it makes you really understand that old (founded in 1229 in this case), formerly significant ruins are just everywhere in Ireland, surrounded by cows, horses, or sheep (and their... leavings... so step accordingly). It's like seeing old silos or farm sites in the Midwest; they're just there, scattered about, no big deal.

The dovecote, or columbarium, interior

One feature about the Ballybeg Priory, which is kind of significant, is that it had a very large columbarium, or dovecote, where they kept pigeons, for food and fertilizer. This picture doesn't do it justice, because the flash washes out the shadows that show where all the pigeon holes are, but with no flash you get nothing. The dovecote is in great shape and has a cool corbelled ceiling. (Well, I think that's the term, but I can't find it online just now, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm wrong.)

The dovecoat, as seen through an archway

So if you're ever on the big N20 road between Blarney and Limerick, watch on the east side near Buttevant (which happens to be where the steeplechase originated) for these ruins. They're definitely worth pulling over to the side of the road and having a stroll.

The Donkey Sanctuary

We'd seen a brochure ages ago about the Donkey Sanctuary, so one fine summer day, we went. There are a lot of donkeys there. A LOT! And they come in more colors than I expected. One even had stripes on the bottom half of his legs rather like a zebra's!

Located outside Liscarroll in Co. Cork, this sanctuary cares for abandoned, mistreated, and donated donkeys. There are several huge pastures along with stables and vet facilities and a small giftshop. They've done a great job making it welcoming and informative for visitors. There are some friendly donkeys that are kept near the parking lot and main area. Signs are posted telling you about those particular donkeys and their stories, as well as what the sanctuary does. After that, there's a nice, long, well-cared for trail that leads between two other pasture areas, complete with many benches and additional signs about the small donkey herds in these areas.

This is a very family-friendly place. We saw lots of kids there with their families, and even what looked like a small group of early teens with a tour group. You can bring carrots or apples or other treats for the donkeys, but they ask that you leave them in a box in the gift shop. That way the staff makes sure all the donkeys get some of the treats (not just those friendly ones in the front.)

Old Midleton Distillery

The Old Midleton Distillery is, as its name implies, located in the nearby town of Midleton. This is one of the three whiskey tours in Ireland. (Should you be surprised my husband and I have been to all three?) It's mostly a walk through the old buildings and machinery, with an explanation of the whiskey making process. (And a little propaganda on how Irish whiskey is better than Scotch since the Irish don't let the smoke in to affect the flavor.) You start off with an audio-visual about whiskey - and Jameson, in particular - through the ages. You also get to learn that the word "whiskey" or "whisky" is derived from the Irish word "uisce," meaning water. (See, Wikipedia says so, too.)

The most important thing to remember is that they ask for tasting volunteers at the end, so have that hand ready to shoot up in the air, folks!!! (Ok, so don't feel too bad if you don't get chosen. You won't get a certificate as an Official Irish Whiskey Taster... or some really bad Scotch and Bourbon for comparison's sake... but you will still get a shot of Jameson.)

The Cork Tourist has these nice pictures of it.

The Guinness Storehouse

Could I talk about Ireland without mentioning drink? Especially without mentioning its most popular stout - the infamous Guinness? Shame upon you for even considering it!

Dublin is home to the Guinness Storehouse. This is far from your everyday brewery tour - it's a multimedia experience, complete with mega-giftshop, interactive exhibits about the various stages of brewing, an enthralling section of ads past and present, and a complimentary pint in the Gravity Bar with its 360-degree view of the city to end your tour. Really, it's astounding.

The website offers a virtual tour that looks cool, but I wouldn't try it with a dial-up connection.

(However, I had to admit our toddler, and my jet-lagged parents, wanted to move through it faster than we did. I'm guessing our extra interest in beer as homebrewers was a factor!)

Cahir Castle

Cahir Castle in County Tipperary is one of our favorite castles. Prounounced "care," it's well-preserved, but lightly attended, so you don't have to worry about fighting the crowds. It makes a great day trip when combined with the Rock of Cashel as it's probably less than a half-hour from one to the other... and Cahir's right on the way.

Cahir Castle is a great one for having lots of little buildings and rooms to poke around in. And you can climb up some maybe 10" wide steps that stick completely unprotected out of the wall to get to the top of part of it! There are scary dark steps down to a dungeon-y area and a tower top that looks right over the main road. In addition, there's a room that has the coolest little model of the Siege of Cahir Castle.

(Also, according to the guides, the sound of the portculis here was used in Braveheart.)


Heritage of Ireland's link to Cahir Castle
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it (with a couple of nice photos).
The town of Cahir even has its own website, which includes the castle.
Travel Directories Ireland says this, which also has photos from angles not usually seen.

Blarney Castle

Since this is the inaugural post of this blog, I thought I should start close to home... so here's a link to the official Blarney Castle website.

And here's Wikipedia's take on it.

And since this would be rather boring if it was nothing but links, here's my take on the Blarney Castle experience.

If you come to visit us, you should see it and, unless terrified by heights or some such, kiss the Blarney Stone. Why?

1. It's maybe 10 or 15 minutes walking distance from our house.
2. It makes a great first-day-but-we're-jet-lagged-but-hey-look-we're-in-Ireland-and-visiting-a-castle moment.
3. Probably any other American who has ever visited Ireland has been to the Blarney Castle. It's a big tour bus stop.
4. While not in great shape, it IS a castle. Depending on your interest in castles, we can see a lot, some, or no more of them, but if you're coming to Ireland, you should definitely see at LEAST one.
5. The grounds are very large, with some neat rocks and stuff, including the Wishing Steps (which you have to go up backwards with your eyes closed), and lots of meandering trails.