The Gift of Gab

This morning, after we reconvened on the bus from our respective Bed and Breakfasts, we started up the road to Blarney Castle.

What separates Blarney Castle from every other castle in Ireland in is the Blarney Stone. The legend of the Blarney stone is quite simple. An Irish lord of sorts went and prayed to a goddess for good luck and eloquence, for a court case he was facing, and the goddess responded by telling him to kiss the first stone he saw. The lord was so overjoyed by the luck said stone brought (he won the case) that he built the stone into to the foundation of his castle. The Blarney stone is said to give the gift of Gab.

When we arrived to the township of Blarney, it was raining quite heavily, so we stopped and shopped in the Blarney Woolen Mills, which had a nice assortment of woolen sweaters and Guinness T-shirts. After an hour spent shopping, half of us (Anne, Courtney, Julia, and Ian) headed up to Blarney Castle, while Kiera and Cassidy stayed behind to finish shopping and grab lunch for the group. At the castle we proceeded to climb the castle tower up the quickly narrowing spiral staircase (much to Ian and Courtney’s dismay), to the very top. To kiss the Blarney stone, one has to lean backwards over the precipice of the tower floor, while being held up by an assistant to prevent falling (pictures will explain it all). After watching Ian almost reluctantly kiss the stone as he leaned over the edge, we had to traipse back down another narrow staircase and race back to the bus before departure.

On the bus we single-handedly ate an entire packet of Cadbury Digestive cookies (which are awesome, despite the name) and chocolate flakes.

Our first farm visit was to the O’Leary’s, which keep a herd with a mixture of purebred Friesians and Jersey crosses. We increased our knowledge of Irish Milk Co-ops, the crops of Ireland (primarily grass), and the breeding goals of Irish cattle men. Before we departed our hosts shared with us a lovely table of scones, jam, and tea, which was appreciated by all members of the group.

Our next farm stop was at John Murphy’s, who breeds purebred Friesians on his grass-feeding base farm, with his wife and three daughters. Unfortunately, because of the rain and wet ground, we did not get a complete tour of his facilities, but we did learn more about breeding goals of cattle, specifically for purebreds, and the laws that regulate the farmland in Ireland.

Our day concluded, and headed back to a hotel in the city of Cork, where we all enjoyed our dinner, except for Ian, who, because of scattered seating, ended up eating alone (oops).

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Do you hear that?”

 (Cows chewing grass quietly in the background)

 “That’s the sound of money.”

--Tim O’Leary