Cork, Ireland

            On Saturday, 15 Aug 2015 - We awoke at 10:30 AM.  In the Horizon Court, Jesse finally broke down and asked one of the staff how to go about ordering the Princess made-to-order omelets, so we shared an omelet made with ham, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and spinach.  He also asked about waffles, but we managed to resist ordering them this time.


. 1st Immigrants through Ellis Island

Our ship was docked at Cohb, Ireland (pronounced Cove), near the southern edge of Ireland.  At 12:30 PM, we proceeded to our excursion meet-up location on shore and boarded our bus at 1:05 PM.  After our tour guide, Pat, introduced himself and our driver, Richard, we headed out through the gorgeous countryside that features colorfully-painted houses en route to Blarney Village.  Pat also explained the spelling “Cohb.”  In Irish, they have only 18 (?) letters – and no “v” – but the “hb” sounds like “v.” 

Someone asked if Gaelic is their language.  Pat said that “Gaelica” is Scottish.  In Ireland, they learn “Irish” in school but mostly they speak English.  He went to Somewhere (?) in Scotland, and found that he could read most of their language, with pronunciation being the main difference.

During the drive, Pat gave a brief history of Ireland and Blarney Castle.  He said that when the U.K. was planning to enter the European Union, they considered changing their driving to the right side of the road to match the other European countries; in the end, they decided the change would be too disruptive to implement.  He said that it was suggested that everyone drive down the center of the road as an interim to facilitate the change!  (Just a joke, of course!)

 Blarney Castle, a true romantic ruin dating back to 1446, is set in wonderful parkland - many weddings, picnics and big events are held there. The castle was once a stronghold of the McCarthy clan, and in some places the stone walls are over 18 feet thick, offering an impenetrable defense against invaders.  Some visitors to the castle stand in line for up to two hours to climb to the top of the castle to enjoy the views and to kiss the famous Blarney Stone.  It is said that those who do so are said to be endowed with the gift of eloquence – or the gift of “gab.”   Pat described the whimsical history of the Blarney Stone.  There are many versions of how the stone came to be placed in the castle; the most likely one is that it is half of the stone of Scone (which currently resides in Westminster Abbey in London), and was brought back from the crusades.  It is said to have been given to the King of Munster by Robert the Bruce in gratitude for sending troops to assist him in the battle of Bannockburn.

Sally Kissing Blarney Stone

 After arriving at the castle, we both stood in line and navigated the 102 steps to the top to kiss the famous Blarney Stone.  The steps go up in the curved tower, with the outside of the steps being wide and the inside being very narrow.  (Because of the complete stop at the top, people moved slowly so that Sally was able to climb up step-by-step using only her right leg; this saved her left leg, which hurts from mild sciatica when climbing stairs.)  At the top, one man held the person who leaned out over space to kiss the stone, while another man took a photo.  (We managed to take our own photos, which are good enough.)  By the way, Jesse is still waiting for his “gift of gab,” but Pat said that it might be a few days before noticing any difference.  Since it took us only 30 minutes to reach the stone, for the next two hours, we strolled about the park until it was time to return to the bus.  While waiting, a bee found its way into Jesse’s jacket sleeve and stung him several times before he managed to get rid of it.  Jesse said it was very painful and whined consistently for the rest of the day.  We were back on board the ship by 6:00 PM.

Jesse Kissing Blarney Stone

We danced in the Piazza for 15 minutes to the Janus Quartet before dinner.  There, we joined a couple from near London and two women from Little Rock, Arkansas.  Then we were joined by a couple, Terri and Diane, from Janesville, Wisconsin.  Terri shared a few amusing stories concerning his name.  Since we were sitting at an oval table, it was difficult to converse with the other people at the table.  After dinner, we returned to the Piazza and danced to the Janus Quartet for another 40 minutes before returning to our cabin.

Before retiring, Sally reviewed our schedule for the remainder of the cruise.  She had become more than a little worn out and hoped to shorten our days away from the ship.  Instead, she suggested that we cancel our excursions in Belfast, Ireland, and Glasgow, Scotland and find our own transportation – new for us!