We drove south in heavy rains, only briefly stopping to take pictures at the remains of Ferns Castle.
Our first major destination was the Tintern Abbey. Not only did we get to see the inside, but there was a walled garden just a few minutes' walk away. The garden wasn't in full bloom, which would have shown colors in the diamond dirt patches, but it was still pleasant to walk through.
Just 15 minutes away, we pulled into the visitor center of the Dunbrody Abbey. They too had a garden, but it was closed. They had a garden maze, as well as a 9 hole miniature golf course. We might have partaken in both had it not been for the rain. We opted to get lunch at their cafe with outdoor seating. Then we paid a fee and received a key to the abbey in exchange. Walking across the street brought us to a long path between two cow pastures, leading to the abbey. At first, the key did not work when I tried it, so we walked around the entire exterior, looking for another door. Back at the door, Miles gave it a try and was able to open it.
Another fifteen minutes and we were in New Ross, at our bed and breakfast. It was our first room not to have a desk, but we made do. When I emptied my pockets, I realized that I had accidentally kept the abbey key! I went on google maps and used the chat feature to send the abbey a message, and also sent them an email. I told them that I could either drive it back or leave it with the bed and breakfast or with someone else in town if they'd like. They thanked me, explaining that they lose a ton of keys each year, and appreciated that I put in the effort to return it. He had me hand it to the bed and breakfast owner.
We walked around town towards the supermarket, and I noticed a statue of what looked like JFK, and then noticed that there was a Kennedy Hotel. I did a search, and apparently the Kennedy family left from the New Ross port in 1848 and JFK returned in 1963. I also had a pleasant encounter with a local Irishman about the neighborhood cat, which was following me around. And the Lidl supermarket chain is probably the cheapest supermarket I have been to in Europe.
The next morning we began the journey westward towards Blarney, stopping only at Mallow to visit the castle ruins and white deer park. Neither were particularly interesting.
Once in Blarney, we ate lunch and checked into our hotel. Just across the street was the Blarney Castle grounds. We were given a cleverly folded grounds map at the entrance. I do not know who they hired to draw this map, but it was very, very out of scale. Places that were drawn as right next to each other were far away, while others were right where they said it would be.
I knew that this spot would be very touristy and that there would be a long line to see the Blarney Stone. Having no interest in the stone, I had hoped to avoid it and just visit the castle. Apparently, the only way into the castle is via the long and slowly moving line toward the top, where the stone resided. We were behind a family with comparatively elderly parents with 2 small children. One was open mouthed coughing repeatedly, while the inept parents did nothing. After fifteen minutes and barely having moved, I said, "Miles, do you want to get off this line?" He, of course, said yes, and so we exited.
Instead, I had us visit some of the gardens on the map. The garden just next to the castle didn't have too much, but Miles' keen eye spotted what he accurately identified as a shrew. I just so happened to have the appropriate lens already attached! I spent fifteen minutes on the ground, until I forced myself to walk away because I knew Miles would be running out of patience.
We spent a good while walking around the grounds, trying desperately to make heads or tails of where we were with the useless map. Honestly, there wasn't much worthwhile to see, but there was certainly a lot of walking.
We ended up back near the castle and I had us stop at the cafe for coffee and ice cream. My internal plan involved the knowledge that they stopped admitting suckers into the place at 5:00, but would not close the gates til 6:00. At 5:30, I had us try the castle again. It was completely devoid of people. We walked straight up to the top, which meant navigating one of the narrowest and endlessly upward spiralling staircase I have ever been on. If I were trapped in that narrow space while on line, I would have panicked and fled. There is no doubt about that. The top was also empty. The men asked if either of us wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone, which involved suspending ourselves over a metal bar with a see through 85 foot drop below it. We both declined.
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