Sun, 22 Jun 2003

author Tim	location Glenross Caravan & Camping Park, Glenbeigh, Kerry, Ireland
posted 09:28 BST 24/06/2003	section Europe2002/Europe/Ireland/Ireland 1 ( all photos )

Blarney Castle, Cork City ( 35 photos )
Sunday our luck changed and we actually managed to see things. First thing was first - back to the Blarney Castle, where we were some of the first in, dodging the huge crowds arriving as we left. The place is extremely picturesque, and you get the feeling that if the story of the stone (kissing it gives you the "gift of the gab", or "the ability to tell lies for seven years" as Elizabeth I said) wasn't around, it would be a lovely little un-spoilt place. Going straight up the precariously-winding staircase which somehow managed to cope with the heavy tourist traffic, we emerged on the top, and took in the great views of the surrounding area. It's about six stories high, straight up like a needle, and the kissing part happens at the top. You lie on your back, hold some handles, and get pushed off the edge backwards to where the well-worn stone is. Not for those with vertigo, we both braved it and now talk much more. I think.
Pushing our luck, we took a third swipe at getting into Cork city. This time, we found that Sunday is a day where the place is almost completely deserted in the morning, presumably because of the vast quantity of church-goers performing their weekly tasks. As such, parking was not too hard to find on the side of the road, and we grabbed the Lonely Planet for a walk around town. First we found a net cafe, where I uploaded the last update. The guy only let me plug my laptop in because it is an Apple - he had one as well and was quite pleased to have someone to blather on to about them.
Taking off on a wander around the city, we saw plenty of interesting old buildings, but found that in general the hype people had built up about how it was a great place to see was somehow not lived up to. Sure, there were nice bridges over the rivers through town, but they weren't half as nice as in Amsterdam. The massive ugly roadworks didn't help things much either, and in the end we jumped back in the van to continue onwards.
We were hoping that recommendations of the town of Kinsale, a little while south of Cork city were closer to the mark, and we were not disappointed. The description of "picture postcard prettiness blighted by traffic in summer" is spot-on, as it its reputation as the gourmet captial of Ireland.
First on the agenda was some lunch, this was our big spend for the week. We stopped at a fish and chips restaurant (they don't really exist in Oz, think of a nice restaurant which just happens to serve seafood, including fish and chips, not a greasy corner shop), before wandering around the quaint little town, dodging cars but still enjoying the old buildings.
Pushing further along the south coast, we stopped in just-as-beautiful but not nearly as popular towns with names such as Timoleague, Courtmacsherry (where we had a little picnic beside the road), and Clonakilty.
Our aim for the night was The Hideaway Camping and Caravan Park, Skibbereen. Not far out of town, we parked and set up before wandering back in to spend the evening soaking up the friendly small-town atmosphere.

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