Blarney Castle
The first thing that usually comes to mind when ever Blarney Castle is mentioned is kissing the Blarney Stone to receive the gift of gab. But there is much more to see and do here in addition, such as exploring the castle, stroll through the gardens (don’t miss the poison garden), see the Dungeon, the Court and Badger’s Cave or check out the Wishing Steps and the Witch’s Kitchen.
Castle trivia: Back in the middle ages, indoor plumbing was unheard of. Latrines or garderobes would be built into the castle walls, usually over water or the gardens below. Some had seats made out of wood, but many were simply stone, which could be quite uncomfortable, especially in colder weather.
“Garderobes would be placed near bedchambers and other parts of the castle, some partitioned with screens for privacy, but many were rather exposed. Chamber pots were popular throughout the Middle Ages and straw was used as Medieval toilet paper. Larger castles had dedicated latrine towers, and the person with the unsavory job of emptying the latrine was called a gong farmer.” ~ medieval-castles.net
If you are interested in seeing the post and more pictures of this area, from when we visited Blarney Castle last year, you can click here.
Gratitude Moment: Today I am grateful for a high wind pushing cirrus clouds through the sky. I am able to look out the windows above my head, watch shapes shift, curl and explode into ever-changing patterns. How wonderful it is to allow imagination and whimsy to take over, even if only for a few minutes.
A Note From Abroad 
Glad you are spreading the word about the historical attractions of my home county – Cork!
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Kevin, what’s not to love about Ireland! Lush green landscape, historical monuments, castles, rugged coastline that takes your breath away, and hardy, fun loving, welcoming people. One can not help but enjoy themselves in Ireland. And I should mention that Cork was especially welcoming!
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That’s great to hear, especially about Cork! Though a few things that could be better are certainly the weather, and expensive cost of living! But overall we cannot complain.
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Despite having lived in Cork for four years I only visited Blarney once. And we didn’t kiss the stone due to the huge queue!
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We too had quite a long wait before finally making it to the top for our 10 second “kiss”. I’m still glad I had the opportunity to experience this classic, yet touristy event.
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What a great quote from Mark Twain! It seems you are certainly taking that advice to heart. What a delightful post.
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I think we are getting the explore, dream, discover part covered! Thanks for your comment and welcome to our site!
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