Kissing the Blarney Stone

After being in London for just over a year and not getting much chance to travel it was time to take advantage of one of the cheap Ryanair offerings, and off to Ireland I went for a weekend away.  Started out with a night out in Dublin as you do, there are not photos of that, what happens in Dublin stays in Dublin! I then drove south towards Cork, and finally up the west coast to Shannon where along the way I stopped of at the Blarney Castle.

One of the many castles to be found in Ireland. The inside of this one is fantastic. It is set in a little historic village.

One of the more rustic village houses.

An abandoned church I saw on my drive from Dublin to the south. Beautiful

The small seaside town of Youghal on the south coast where I stopped off for the 2nd night.

The view from the Inn I stayed at in Youghal, ahhh the sounds of the ocean.

Blarney Castle!  It needs a bit of fixing up (no interior walls, floors,windows etc.), but that is part of it's charm.

  Looking across to the Blarney Stone.

Kissing the Blarney stone.... what I didn't realize until too late was not only did you have to kiss it upside down but it was across a gap 2 feet wide that is about 7 stories high. Luckily there is a man who is there to hold you steady (he isn't worried about the hight he was blind).