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Ireland 2023 - Day Two

 

Day two began with a wonderful breakfast after which the group departed from the Kingsley Hotel and continued our journey to the quaint town of Blarney. Central to our trip to Blarney was a visit to the

John Lynch '77 
Blarney Castle and Gardens.  

A medieval stronghold, the Blarney Castle dates back to 1446.  At the top of the Castle lies the famous Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. There are several versions of the origin story of the Stone but kissing it is said to give one the gift of eloquence.  While many of us climbed to the top of the Blarney Castle, only a few of us braved the elements to hang upside down and kiss the Stone. 



We rounded out our stop with a visit to the Blarney Woolen Mills.  Dubbed as the "largest Irish gift shop in the world", the three-story market is housed in one of Ireland's oldest and most authentic woollen mills. After wrapping up our morning visit to Blarney, we traveled into Killarney and set off on a horse-drawn jaunting carriage ride through the grounds of the Killarney National Park, which ended at the beautiful Muckross House and Traditional Gardens.


After leaving the park, we checked into our home base for the next two days, the Brehon Hotel. 

We had a brief reprieve from the rain and were treated to a beautiful rainbow.  The day wrapped with some free time.  Our driver, Sean, graciously offered to drop us off downtown to explore the charming downtown area of Killarney for dinner.  Full of wonderful dining options and lively pubs, Killarney did not disappoint.  One group was even able to catch the Patriots game.  

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Anonymous said…
Looks like you are all having a “grand” time. fran
September 25, 2023 at 7:27 AM
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