Visiting Cork: A Kiss Upon the Stone

“There’s a bizarre secret to the human psyche. An interesting stone can make a person plenty happy.” -Old Sean

A Morning Visiting Cork

After spending a lovely day in Kilkenny listening to traditional Irish music, I wandered west. That very morning, I downed a cup of complimentary hostel coffee, visiting Cork by hopping on a cheap bus, hastily-packed backpack lodged on my lap.

I began visiting Cork by enjoying the city’s colorful little buildings and surprisingly steep streets. The town is rather spacious and cut neatly down the center by a broad inland canal..

I dropped off my backpack at Sheila’s Hostel, cracked my neck, and started walking. My company primarily wanted me to photograph, interview and map out Blarney Castle. But in the event we needed supplemental material, I needed to thoughouly explore Cork’s many corners.

A Long Loop

Cork isn’t a large city, by any means, but it’s still fairly spread out, requiring quite a bit of walking. Many of the attractions are actually on nearby islands, best accessed by bus or taxi. I angled out to the distance first, planning to gradually move inwards.

I visited Fota Wildlife Park and Gardens first, which are beautiful but challenging to visit considering the train-time-table.  The animal-park portion made of exceptionally green Irish fields filled with very not-Irish animals. Zebras, lions, giraffes, kangaroos and other exotic wildlife range through their enclosures.

The gardens are quite nice as well. I spent a full hour rotating slowly through the 19th-century mansion estate and manicured flower areas.

When had my fill of the outdoor park, I started angling back towards Cork’s more urban center.

I took a quick look at the Blackrock Castle Observatory which I have dubbed with the eloquent adjective “meh.” The Castle is a nice science-museum-old-fort combination, but I didn’t find it overtly compelling.

Instead, I made it back into Cork to eat a timely lunch. While traveling, I keep a day bag well-stocked with flatbread, peanut butter, water bottles, honey drizzle and trail mix. But it would be fair to say that I’ve grown painfully tired of my mobile meals after a month and a half on the road.

Regardless, after I was back in Cork, I spent the rest of the day wandering through town. I wandered along the edge of River Lee, ducked into The English Market, passed the Cork National Monument, entered the surprisingly interesting Elizabeth Fort walls, wandered through University College Cork and settled down for ice cream.

As the sun grew low, I enjoyed a stroll past mirror-studded trees and jacked men doing yoga in Fitzgerald’s Park.

Happily wrung out, I returned to my hostel a bit early.

“Mwah” the Stone

The following day, I woke up at the crack of dawn uneasily eyeing grey clouds overhead. As such, I made a point of getting there almost half-hour before opening time. I wanted to get photos of the site without people in the background. And I desperately wanted to avoid lines leading up to the Blarney Stone.

That turned out to be wise. A line started forming soon after I arrived.

As soon as the gates opened, I power walked towards the Castle, stalled by the awesome stone towers with ferns branching free from grey cracks. I crunched along the stone trail, reaching the base of the tower.

While kissing the Blarney Stone is perhaps the most tourist-angled activity in Ireland, it’s not exactly wheelchair accessible. I had to climb a steep, narrow staircase under a cloudy sky to the top of the keep. Then, I had to look around for the Stone.

It’s not placed on a pedestal, but instead worked into the very structure of the castle. I leaned back on the rough-hewn castle roof, laying on my spine. Two men gripped my ankles for stability, to prevent me from falling. I then had to wiggle backwards until my head and shoulders were over an open gap leading back to the ground.

Then, I kissed upwards, pressing my lips to smooch to a smooth section of Carboniferous Limestone, the Blarney Stone itself.

Kissing the Blarney Stone is an old, folklore tradition seeped in mysticism. Supposedly, those who kiss the Stone are bestowed mystical eloquence and grand speaking abilities.

So, what do you think, my dear readers and judges?  Has my good, happy, ramble words become magic talk great sounds? With magic!?

I mean, I know I’m biased, but I’ll go ahead and say yes.

While a friend of mine in the states told me about his weekend of introspective revelations, finding driving purpose in life and undergoing romantic turmoil, I replied that I kissed a rock.

And while I love and admire this friend dearly and celebrate his growth, I believe my weekend triumphs.

The Blarney Castle Grounds

Having neatly avoided crowds and tourist lines, I was able to explore the rest of Blarney Castle at my leisure. The grounds surrounding Blarney Castle are splendid.

Right next to the castle’s base, the Poison Garden is a compelling attraction.

This small garden is filled with skull-and-crossbones warning signs. Other signs describe the less-than-stellar effects of consuming Yew, Deadly Nightshade, European Mandrake and others dangerous plants. Some of these plants were considered so dangerous (and tourists so unpredictable) they’re grown inside metal cages. My favorite remaining signs repeatedly reminded visitors to “Avoid consumption, pretty please.”

An even more interesting feature around Blarney Castle is the Fern Jungle to the east of the main tower. This low patch of moist land is complete with hidden totems, small caves and epic greenery.  Vast, transplanted ferns turn an unassuming valley into a pseudo-tropical verdant hideaway. The dense foliage soaks up sound perfectly, so even the rustling of winds vanished into stillness

There are many other interesting features around the Castle, though they’re slightly more spread out. Trails snake out from around the castle to bypass proud, spindly sculptures, metal creatures nestled into gardens, Druidic Circles and sacrificial altars and slabs of ritual stones.

Rock Close hosts ancient gardens with fairy glades and narrow waterfalls. Old propped stones bear the name of famed witches and druids.

Once my tour of the castle grounds was complete, I ate an abnormal amount of fudge from the Blarney Chocolate Factory, located outside the castle grounds.

Onward to Killarney

With my time visiting Cork and the Blarney Castle now complete, I hopped on my next bus, heading even further West. I was due in the town of Killarney to explore the sizeable Irish town as well as portions of the Ring of Kerry.

For now though, the overcast sky has given way to rays of sun and patches of blue. My bus is puttering along with only four other people aboard.

So onwards to Killarney.

Until then,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written July 11th, 2018

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