Cork, Castles, Cliffs and Karst

Saturday

            First thing we did Saturday was go to the Blarney stone; it was about a 10 minute ride from Cork and was still early in the morning. Seeing the castle was an amazing sight, first we went into a cave that was only about 100ft long. Inside the castle, the spiral staircases were really narrow and were original to the castle, so at times a little bit scary. When we got to the top of the castle, where the Blarney Stone is, we needed to lie down backwards and be held by the guide to kiss the stone. Another beautiful part of the Blarney Castle was the Meadow that was next to it, which you could see very well at the top of the castle. In the meadow there were cows and sheep, and the air was fresh and smelt like a farm. This was a great start to an amazing day.

     

       Next on the agenda were the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular sight with an astonishing view. Not only did it give you a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape, but it filled you with excitement to know that you were so close to the edge and that the only thing that stood between you and the fall to your impending doom was a 2x4 picket fence. The Cliffs are known locally for their high winds and hidden beauties; but it is also known internationally because its caves and crags were featured as a dramatic setting in the film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. All in all, the Cliffs of Moher is a great location to stretch  your legs after spending several hours on a bus, and is a literal breath of fresh air compared to the stale air found in major cities.

            Before the day came to a close, we went to the Burren Limestone pastures. These sedimentary rocks are more than a million years old and are made up of dead fish and cemented sand. It was nice to have the free time and ability to go and climb these rock faces. Tom Doyle explained how Ireland, millions of years ago, was underwater and located next to Brazil. You could still find hundreds of ancient fossils in these rocks because the stone is so rough and able to keep its shape. There were also many other types of rocks such as granite and other sediments that were called Iradics.

      We finished the day in Galway City, the chief city of the western province of Connacht.  We walked around the town down to the Corrib River and talked to some of the locals about salmon fishing.  We stayed the night in a busy hostel after a good dinner at An Pouchan restaurant.