Republic of Ireland - Pt 3

After Killarney we headed to Cork. Just outside the city of Cork is the 15th century Blarney Castle. We climbed the 120 steps to the top, but decided against kissing the famous Blarney Stone, which is said to bestow on the kisser the gift of eloquent speech. Gail was too scared to lie on her back hanging out of a hole in the castle wall and Don thought he did not need to as he has an abundance (if not excess) of eloquence. George Bernard Shaw had a similarly inflated view of himself, but he was Irish. We photographed someone else kissing it. An American girl refused to participate because she thought they would suspend her by the heels over the outer wall of the castle.

We walked around the lively city of Cork, which is built on both sides of the River Lee. It is Ireland's second largest city and is full of shops, restaurants and bars. We visited the English Market there, with stalls selling local produce and delicacies. It looks like a smaller version of the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. The pics below show the river and market.

We had an overnight stop in Cobh (pronounced Cove), a lovely little 19th century town on Cork's harbour, which they say is the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney! Cobh has a huge Catholic Cathedral (St Colman's) which towers over the town.

From the cathedral you get great views over the harbour and town.

Near the cathedral is the steepest street in Ireland, called Westview. On it is a row of 23 Victorian houses built in 1850, known locally as the Deck of Cards.

Irish convicts who were transported to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries left from Cobh, as did Irish emigrants who were leaving for a hopefully better life in America. The pic shows Gail and the Annie Moore statue. She was the first Irish emigrant to be processed at Ellis Island, New York.

Cobh was also the last port of call for the Titanic before her fateful destiny with disaster. Cobh is still a stopover port for luxury cruise ships today. The pics show the Titanic Memorial and the original old wharf where the passengers embarked and a few lucky ones disembarked.

Fortunately we had beautiful warm sunny weather while we were in Cobh (rare in Ireland). The following pic is the usual postcard view of the town with the cathedral high above it.

More of Ireland in the next post.