Ireland Day 03: Dublin to Killarney

posted in: Co. Kerry, Co. Laois, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, Travels

Ireland Day 03

DUBLIN to KILLARNEY

The last thing you want to due while traveling is haul a suitcasehalfway across town while on a deadline. We avoided that by hiring a taxi to take us to the drop off point for our bus tour of Ireland. One thing I did notice is that, completely by accident, we landed in a hotel that was practically next door to the rival bus company. The start to the trip was uneventful but we loaded our bags onto the bus and found a seat in the far back that allowed us a great view of the road.

I think that the beauty of traveling cross country by coach (bus) is that it allows you to absorb the scenery along the roadside. The things we came across, whether it be on back roads of highways, were amazing. The amount of ruins, castles and churches that were visible from the roadway was mind boggling to me as we passed through Ireland.

Dublin to Abbeyleix

Since we were traveling by coach we made quite a few stops each day in villages all over Ireland. I believe this is one of my favorite aspects of traveling by coach. You can tell a lot about a country by visiting it’s smaller villages rather than relying on the big cities to set the atmosphere and attitude for a country. This is particularly true for Ireland. We stopped in Abbeyleix for the purpose of purchasing a lunch to eat while on route to our next stop but I still found the town to be quaint and really beautiful.

Abbeyleix to the  Rock of Cashel

Our second stop for the day was to the Rock of Cashel; which was the historical home of the kings of Munster. This was a brief stop for us but it was worth it to see a castle this close up (and getting a chance to stretch our legs never hurts either).  It was this stop that gave me the moment of awe and recognition that I was in Ireland and there would only be more castles and awe inspiring sites during the 7 days of our traveling cross country.

Rock of Cashel to Mitchelstown Caves

We had the brilliant experience to next visit the Mitchelstown Caves. These are limestone caves deep within the ground of County Tipperary. Unfortunately photography was not allowed so I only was able to appreciate the view around and near the caves.

The caves themselves were unlike anything I’d experienced. Geologically they were mind blowing but the experience itself was pretty surreal. The temperature was cool compared to the warm fall temperature outside the caves. Then there were the sites of the drip pillars and the various formations that had been created over a remarkable length of time.

Blarney Castle

Next we made our way further south to visit Blarney Castle, home of the famous (or infamous) Blarney Stone. My traveling companion, Chris, had been here once before and prepared me for what to expect when I arrived at the Castle for I was determined to kiss the Blarney Stone. I figured it was a once in a life time experience (or ordeal). I psyched myself out going up to kiss the stone but it was something of an ordeal. You have to lay down on your back, inch out over an opening in the castle’s wall, lean backwards and kiss the stone upside down. The experience was worth having but I will not be doing that again.

Quite frankly it was a terrifying but rewarding experience.

As always I fell in love with the castle itself and the architecture that had been achieved back in the 15th century.

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