Showing posts with label Family Friendly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Friendly. Show all posts

Thursday, September 21, 2006

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.)

Sunday, September 10, 2006

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.