Looking for Leprechauns Day 6

DAY SIX

We bid farewell to lovely Scotland at 6:30 AM and flew to Ireland to finish off our trip. 

We picked up our new rental car, a Renault van that had nothing on Mons Meg, and drove to the Rock of Cashel.  On the way Layla turned to me and said,"I know this is silly but I feel sad leaving Scotland. I think I left a piece of my heart there!"  I didn't think that was silly at all because that was exactly how I felt!  My heart hurt to say goodbye to such a wild, moody, alluring place.

The Rock of Cashel was under extensive restoration to remove mold under the ceiling in the chapel.  In addition to the ceiling being worked on, the chapel itself has to be closed periodically and filled with light to kill the mold growing on the walls. The round tower dates back to 1100 with the other buildings being built around it in following years.

Legend has it if you can wrap your arms all the way around St. Patrick's cross and touch your fingers together, you will never have a toothache again. My arms were too short.  Thank goodness for modern dentistry!

Our next stop was Cahir Castle, one of the largest castles in Ireland.  It was built in the 12th century and privately owned by the Lord of Cahir until 1961 when it reverted to the Irish state.  Cahir Castle was deemed the safest castle in Ireland because of its location, the crenellations, machicolations, low doors and narrow passages, the portcullis, and many other defenses.  The castle has been featured in Excalibur and The Tudors, and the portcullis has been used in many films, including Braveheart, because it is one of the only remaining working portcullis in the world!

As we were marveling at all the swans in the river next to the castle, I noticed this mother swan with her two cygnets on her back. Her presence added to the fairy tale like atmosphere. 

Our last stop on the way to our hotel was Blarney Castle.  There was so much to see on the castle grounds, we easily could have spent all day there.  While exploring all I could think about was how fun it would be to have my girls there with me.  You could feel the magic in the air and we all wanted to dance around like leprechauns!

We wandered around the Poison Garden until we began to feel ill.

Then we visited the Witch's Stone and the Witch's Kitchen.

We kissed the Blarney Stone and all escaped with out getting any diseases due to the millions of germs left there by everyone who had kissed the stone before us.

Next we walked backwards up and down the Wishing Steps with our eyes closed.

And then we frolicked about the Fairy Garden until we were the last folks left in the park.

Though we were all tired, our night was far from over.  We checked into The River Lee Hotel in Cork and then went to dinner at The Gallegher where we were delighted to see side salads on the menu.  Up until now the only vegetables we had been able to find were peas and a few carrots.  We tried to contain our disappointment when the salads came out consisting of nothing but a few leaves of lettuce and some carrot sticks!

After dinner Shavon, Renee, Layla, and I went out for a night on the town while the others went back to the hotel to rest their feet.  The sounds of live Irish music pulled us in to a pub. It was standing room only so we huddled together on the stairs.  We had originally planned to stay only a few minutes. That plan went out the window when Layla saw the drummer.  So there we stood, four American women giggling and gawking at an Irish drummer, until the guitarist got up, walked over to us, and asked if we could sing.  Shavon, Layla, and Renee looked at me and I shook my head No. It was too late though.  He had already seen all the looks.  When he asked me what songs I knew I immediately got hot and sweaty and mentally cursed my companions. "The Star Spangled Banner," I replied. He laughed and said, "Why would I know that song?" So I escaped with out having to sing.  He came over and talked to us repeatedly throughout the night.  He was very excited when he found out we came from the Wild West. "Do you live in the country then?"  he inquired. Renee said,"I guess you could say that."  "That's what I thought. You look well fed." " Wait. Did you just call us fat?" I asked. "It was a compliment," he yelled through the crowd as he walked away. "Maybe. Just a little one."  We laughed, we danced, and then we sneaked away.

Once outside the pub Layla pulled out her Selfie Stick and despite protestations from the rest of us, she snapped a photo to commemorate the night.  There was a group of Middle Eastern men on the sidewalk outside the pub next door.  They watched us and laughed, speaking to one another in their native language.  We couldn't understand everything they were saying but occasionally we heard the word "Selfie" in their conversation. They got a kick out of us and we got a kick out of them.

After that we wandered through the streets of Cork doing things silly girls do when they are together.  We passed other groups of girls, Irish girls, on their way out to do mischief.  Irish music floated through the air. Police sirens wailed. We witnessed the arrest of a man whose bare bottom we saw as he was pushed to the ground and handcuffed.  We stood and watched the River Lee slide silently by.  When we finally made it back to the hotel, a very grumpy Sam came down to meet us in the lobby. Wearing nothing but a scowl and a bath towel, she shoved our room key at us, turned on her heel, and disappeared in to the elevator.  We giggled some more, called our loved ones, and then fell fast asleep.