Blarney Castle and Cork County Ireland

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We arrived in Cobh, Ireland this morning. They pronounce it Cove. We decided not to take a cruise tour because they did not seem interesting. I booked a tour with eCoach.ie - Blarney, Kinsale Tour a few months ago online. The bus was waiting for us when we got off the ship. We visited Blarney Castle, the bus lets you out and they tell you to return in two hours. We enjoyed this a lot, we do not like following a tour guide and it gave us the chance to go where we wanted. The Blarney Stone is in the castle and if you kiss the stone you will receive the gift of gab, well I passed on that, I talk enough without any additional gifts of gab. The castle has large grounds with different gardens and waterfalls. I liked walking around the beautiful grounds. The tour also stopped at Charlesfort. It is an old fort overlooking the spot where the Lustania sank. We next visited the port city Kinsale. We were let loose for another two hours. The town has a harbor and lots of cute shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at a pub, fish and chips what else along with a pint of Murphys beer. Our driver told us all about the potato famine which destroyed the potato crops and caused the mass emigration of the Irish. On the way back to the ship we stopped at St Colman's Catholic Cathedral in Cobh. It is a beautiful church. Our tour lasted eight hours and we were very happy with the tour. One thing we liked about the tour was when the tour guide said meet back in two hours when the two hours were up he pulled away. When everyone saw he was not waiting for stragglers everyone was sure to be back at the bus on time. We hate waiting for people who make a whole bus wait while they shop or whatever so we liked the way this tour was punctual.

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