Cobh, County Cork, Ireland

June 17th, 2026, Day 102 of my "Global Wanderlust" journey, finds us docking in the most colorful city of Cork - which they see fit to spell Cobh. My excursion of choice was none other than a panoramic tour of Cork and a visit to Blarney Castle. Before leaving, I snapped a few shots from my veranda capturing one of Ireland's many wind turbines and a museum for what seems to be one of Ireland's proudest achievements - the building of the Titanic. That ship building firm is held in the highest of esteem to this day. I found myself wondering, do these people not know that ship sunk just a few days into its maiden voyage? Each day, our guides pointed out each and every little thing that was in any way associated with the Titanic and its construction. Thoughts for another day... on to see Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone, which to my knowledge has never killed anyone...

Blessed with blue skies and mild temperatures, we board the bus for our estimated forty-five minute drive to Blarney Castle. County Cork is no less beautiful than the countryside in and around Dublin, truly earning the nickname, "Emerald Island." The castle sits high atop a hill, once upon a time surrounded by a moat, and the obligatory stone walls with a three-story guard tower. Today, it is astonishingly beautiful. I can only imagine how majestic it must have been eleven centuries ago. The story of the stone as told by our guide is that the castle's builder, Cormac McCarthy, saved a drowning witch - who in appreciation of his actions, instructed him to kiss a certain magical stone on his way to court. Such act would grant him the powers of persuasive speech allowing him to win a legal case... Does all this sound like blarney to you? Apparently, Mr. McCarthy bought the story, as he had this large stone mounted in the outer wall at the tip top of his castle in such a way that one must hang upside down a bit over a ledge in order to kiss said stone. Today, if climbing the one hundred and twenty narrow wooden stairs, contorting ones body precariously hundreds of feet in the air while kissing this rock which hasn't been sanitized since no-telling-when doesn't kill you, then "the gift of gab" should surely be granted. I personally made it about a third of the way to the top of the stairs before realizing that at the pace the line was moving, our bus would be back at the pier before I could make it back to the parking lot where it was last seen. Therefore, I took the last opportunity to exit the upward stairs for a somewhat less precarious set headed downward and through the "Murder Hole." My suspicion is that is where traitors, thieves, marauders, debtors, etc to Cormac McCarthy met their end. Sound like Blarney to you? Just think what I could say if I had actually had time to reach and kiss the Stone! The sign posted near Murder Hole stated that it was actually used to drop deadly fire into the entranceway of the castle, should it be breached. How's that for a warm welcoming!?

After a very brief tour of the gift shop, seeing nothing of which I could not live without, passing on the complimentary Genuine Irish Coffee, but armed with a very necessary bottle of water, I once again boarded the bus and with heavy heart left beautiful Cork County behind.

Today is Someday! Live it to the Fullest!