Our Trip to Ireland - Chapter 6
Visiting the Blarney Castle was one thing that Greg really wanted to do more than anything on this tour. Now he would finally get his chance. We walked up countless steps inside the castle to get to the top. The owner of the castle, Cormac McCarthy found a witch flailing in the river just outside the castle at night-time. He fished her out then took her to the castle to get her dried out. In return for his aide and hospitality she told him that anyone who touched the stone she gave him as a gift would have the “gift of gab”. Legend also has it that some of the local townsfolk thought McCarthy was someone who couldn’t be trusted to tell the straight truth about things—thus the term, “full of Blarney”! We climbed all the stairs inside to get to the top of the castle. I looked down and knew we were pretty high up there. Greg was thrilled! We waited in “cue” (waiting line) to get our turn to lay down as an elderly man held onto us and shoved us into position to bend our head back and kiss the Blarney Stone. The stone is located in the wall, but the wall has a hole in it directly underneath the stone. When you bend you head backwards you get to see once again just how high up you are. The man called to me that it was my turn then said, “Scoot down, Love”! He noticed what I had done in a hurry to get done with this high up experience and said, “Love, you’ve kissed the wall”! He helped me to get bent back farther, I closed my eyes, and kissed the stone! I got up quick and moved on! We laughed and laughed about it afterwards. Surprisingly, this stone is also called the “Stone of Eloquence”! We walked all over the grounds and got a lot of photographs. It was such a beautiful place. We stopped at yet another gift shoppe called the Blarney Woollen Mills which were within walking distance of the Castle. There were some smaller gift shoppes scattered around in a Mall type setting. We went inside and grabbed a sandwich and Cokes for lunch. Jessica and John shared their table. There was a water-wheel operating inside the restaurant and a stage with heavy curtains closed in back of the stage.
We got back onto the bus and made our way to Cork to the port town of Cobh pronounced “Cove”. Another man met us when we reached this town. We got out of the bus and walked down the road aways across from this dock. Our guide’s name was Mr. Martin. Greg purchased a book afterwards that Mr. Martin had written telling all about the research he had done about this famous launching and receiving port. This was the last port of call for the passengers of the Titanic. Mr. Martin showed us what was left of the dock where the peasants lined up on that fateful day to board the Titanic. The upper-class passengers walked into a much better setting. They walked up a wooden ramp that led to a restaurant all run by the White Star Line. The restaurant is still there on the second floor, but it was closed that day. We couldn’t go in, so we were a bit disappointed. Greg and I had our picture taken on the steps that led to the door the original passengers passed through. It was strange standing there even for a little while knowing that back in l916 other people stood where we stood, boarded a ship, and were never heard from again.
Mr. Martin told us the story about Mary Rice, a Irishwoman who got on the Titanic with her five children. Her husband stayed behind. She had taken a prescription medicine with her the day she left. Her body could only be identified because the medicine bottle was still in her pocket. The workers retrieved her body in Nova Scotia where the ship hit the ice berg. They were able to trace the medicine back to the pharmacy where she went, and her name was on the body. This way she was able to have a tombstone made. Her 5 children were never found!
The Lusitania also went down in this port. Irish rescue workers went out to the ocean to retrieve whatever survivors they could find. Mr. Martin reminded us that this tragic incident was not what brought America into the war as we came into the war a year later. He also said without hesitation that this was an act of terrorism on the part of the Germans. They were responsible for torpedoeing this famous ship. There is a statue erected to honor the rescue workers who worked hard to help the victims to be recovered. Surprisingly, a hotel run by Germans that was located across the street from the dock was the one that provided aide and comfort to the survivors!
There is a Cathedral located in back that towers over the row of buildings. The name of the Cathedral is St. Coleman’s. This Cathedral has a cemetery beside it. There are several victims from the Lusitania sinking that were buried in this cemetery. This cemetery also has a huge pipe organ. The keys of the organ are played using the player’s elbows. Every summer this organ plays all kinds of different music during a festival. One year the organ played, “The Dance of the Cuckoos” in honor of a famous pair of comedians who had come to visit Ireland at that dock! Mr. Martin asked if anyone knew the name of this pair. I said, “Laurel & Hardy”. Mr. Martin said I was right, and everyone smiled at me! I love my movies!
We rode through the coastal towns of Youghal and Dungarven until we got to Waterford to find the B & B where we would be staying the next night! As we made our way towards Waterford "Nick the Click" was standing nearby and got on the bus to join us. He had the pictures of all of us (the group shot) that he had taken earlier. They were in nice cardboard covers now and ready to be purchased! I bought one for Greg and I. After he distributed the pictures, he sat down on the “left” side next to Tony, our driver. As they were driving through town we could hear the two men talking. I laughed from time to time because I think the locals start talking in Gaelic sometimes when they see us coming! Sometimes they just talk quickly, and you can’t understand very well. Other times they talk in Gaelic to each other, and you can’t understand at all! A young boy stepped out in front of the bus. "Nick the Click" was truly surprised and immediately asked Tony if he saw the kid. There was an urgency in his voice as if he was afraid that Tony hadn’t seen the boy and was afraid Tony was going to hit him. I knew what was coming next. Sure enough Tony said, “Jay-sus”. "Nick the Click" said, “Do you see him—the little bast...”, but he didn’t finish it. I laughed and laughed. Tony said, “Nick, you would never make it as a bus driver”!
We got back onto the bus and made our way to Cork to the port town of Cobh pronounced “Cove”. Another man met us when we reached this town. We got out of the bus and walked down the road aways across from this dock. Our guide’s name was Mr. Martin. Greg purchased a book afterwards that Mr. Martin had written telling all about the research he had done about this famous launching and receiving port. This was the last port of call for the passengers of the Titanic. Mr. Martin showed us what was left of the dock where the peasants lined up on that fateful day to board the Titanic. The upper-class passengers walked into a much better setting. They walked up a wooden ramp that led to a restaurant all run by the White Star Line. The restaurant is still there on the second floor, but it was closed that day. We couldn’t go in, so we were a bit disappointed. Greg and I had our picture taken on the steps that led to the door the original passengers passed through. It was strange standing there even for a little while knowing that back in l916 other people stood where we stood, boarded a ship, and were never heard from again.
Mr. Martin told us the story about Mary Rice, a Irishwoman who got on the Titanic with her five children. Her husband stayed behind. She had taken a prescription medicine with her the day she left. Her body could only be identified because the medicine bottle was still in her pocket. The workers retrieved her body in Nova Scotia where the ship hit the ice berg. They were able to trace the medicine back to the pharmacy where she went, and her name was on the body. This way she was able to have a tombstone made. Her 5 children were never found!
The Lusitania also went down in this port. Irish rescue workers went out to the ocean to retrieve whatever survivors they could find. Mr. Martin reminded us that this tragic incident was not what brought America into the war as we came into the war a year later. He also said without hesitation that this was an act of terrorism on the part of the Germans. They were responsible for torpedoeing this famous ship. There is a statue erected to honor the rescue workers who worked hard to help the victims to be recovered. Surprisingly, a hotel run by Germans that was located across the street from the dock was the one that provided aide and comfort to the survivors!
There is a Cathedral located in back that towers over the row of buildings. The name of the Cathedral is St. Coleman’s. This Cathedral has a cemetery beside it. There are several victims from the Lusitania sinking that were buried in this cemetery. This cemetery also has a huge pipe organ. The keys of the organ are played using the player’s elbows. Every summer this organ plays all kinds of different music during a festival. One year the organ played, “The Dance of the Cuckoos” in honor of a famous pair of comedians who had come to visit Ireland at that dock! Mr. Martin asked if anyone knew the name of this pair. I said, “Laurel & Hardy”. Mr. Martin said I was right, and everyone smiled at me! I love my movies!
We rode through the coastal towns of Youghal and Dungarven until we got to Waterford to find the B & B where we would be staying the next night! As we made our way towards Waterford "Nick the Click" was standing nearby and got on the bus to join us. He had the pictures of all of us (the group shot) that he had taken earlier. They were in nice cardboard covers now and ready to be purchased! I bought one for Greg and I. After he distributed the pictures, he sat down on the “left” side next to Tony, our driver. As they were driving through town we could hear the two men talking. I laughed from time to time because I think the locals start talking in Gaelic sometimes when they see us coming! Sometimes they just talk quickly, and you can’t understand very well. Other times they talk in Gaelic to each other, and you can’t understand at all! A young boy stepped out in front of the bus. "Nick the Click" was truly surprised and immediately asked Tony if he saw the kid. There was an urgency in his voice as if he was afraid that Tony hadn’t seen the boy and was afraid Tony was going to hit him. I knew what was coming next. Sure enough Tony said, “Jay-sus”. "Nick the Click" said, “Do you see him—the little bast...”, but he didn’t finish it. I laughed and laughed. Tony said, “Nick, you would never make it as a bus driver”!
posted by The Celtic Contessa at
7:47 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home