Ireland - Waterford & Blarney

We are in Ireland!  This is the third country in our adventure, and the one I've been most excited to see . . .  Here's what we've learned about Ireland so far . . .

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe, is the twentieth largest island on Earth, and is actually divided into two countries, The Republic of Ireland which encompasses 5/6th of the country and is the area we will be traveling through, and Northern Ireland, up in the north-east corner, which is actually a part of the United Kingdom.  The biggest city in Northern Ireland is Belfast.  Steve gave us many details about the history of Ireland, who ruled when, who invaded and conquered when, and I have to admit that I got totally lost.  If only I had paid more attention in Ms. Foush’s 10th grade World History class, I might be able to understand all of this more.  There is so much I don't know . . . but I'm listening as intently as I can as Steve gives us all the facts and figures for each area we are visiting.

What I gleaned from all of this (I think) is that the division in the country was caused by religious differences between the citizens in the north-east area who see themselves as Irish and are predominantly Roman Catholic and those who see themselves as British and are predominantly Protestant, and also by disputes over land ownership between landowners and tenant farmers.  The more British citizens apparently had more numbers and more clout and eventually decided to break away from the rest of Ireland, feeling more allegiance to the King of England and even after living in Ireland for many years, still felt more English than Irish.  There is a lot more to the story of course, but let’s just leave it at that.  

So now about the Republic of Ireland . . .

Most everybody in Ireland speaks English, but many also speak Irish Gaelic, especially in the outlying areas, and all the signs and markings are in both languages.  Gaelic used to be more prevalent, but has slowly fallen away in favor of English.  The country is making a big effort to reestablish the traditional language, and all kids have to take Gaelic in school for five years – everyone soon will be totally bilingual.  

Our first stop for today was the Waterford Crystal Factory in the city of Waterford, Ireland.  On the way, we passed the city's historic Viking Triangle and saw Reginald's Tower - a circular defense tower that dates back to the time of the Vikings in the 1100's.  It was originally built as a place to hide during attacks, and during it's long history it has also been a mint, a prison and a military storehouse.  This particular defense tower is basically intact, but we saw other similar towers throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom in various stages of deterioration.  They are commonly known as "the poor-man's castle" because many were used for residences throughout history.

Reginald's Tower

 We arrived at Waterford Crystal Factory for our tour . . .

Waterford Crystal Factory, Waterford, Ireland

I found the logo to be very intriguing . . . a seahorse with it's tail in the shape of a shamrock to signify Ireland.  Very cute.

I have never been through a crystal factory before and was in awe of the talent and skill of the artisans . . .  They definitely earn their reputation as some of the best in the world, and there is quite a process to get a job here.  First they have to go through five years of study and training, at the end of which they have three attempts to perfectly create an “apprentice bowl”.  If they succeed, they go through three more years of engraving training before they can actually start work.  If they fail to make the bowl correctly, they have to go back to square one and go through the five years again.  So they have to be truly dedicated and determined that this is the career they want.

This is the Apprentice Bowl that must be replicated in three tries or less

 Here are some photos I took as we walked through the factory . . .

Shaping the hot glass

Fitting the hot glass into the mold and blowing it into the proper shape

Some of the molds that are used for various crystal pieces

Once shaped, the piece is cooled, the excess glass is sanded off and it is cut off from the long blowing pipe

Each piece is then fine sanded and smoothed

More sanding and smoothing

The piece is then marked for etching - the machine is precisely set and some marks are done by the machine, others are done by hand

A closer look

Once marked, the piece is hand-held and etched.  These guys have such keen eyes and the steady hands of a surgeon.  Just imagine doing this over and over, day in and day out.  And if the tiniest imperfection occurs, the piece is discarded - there are no "seconds". 

A closer look

Some of the artisans hand carve blocks of glass into absolutely gorgeous pieces of art

The more intricate designs are hand engraved and may take up to four weeks, or even longer, to create just one piece.  No wonder the prices are so high!

There were many many beautiful pieces of crystal on display, but the one that caught my eye and was the most meaningful was this one . . . .

 Tribute to one of the firefighters who lost his life on 9-11.

A closer look

After the tour we walked through the showroom which is stunning and filled with gorgeous pieces . . . John said I could buy something, but I opted to walk out empty handed.  I was too overwhelmed (not to mention blown away by the prices) to even try to choose something!  Oh, I need to mention that there are Waterford Crystal Factories in many countries, but only here in Ireland are the pieces actually crafted by hand.  In the other factories they are mainly machine made.  It was so awesome to see this!

 

Back on the bus, we drove along the coast, passing Dungarvan Harbour and stopping for lunch at a seaside village called Yougal (pronounced youall – not quite you-all, but close, sort of slurred together).  

Dungarvan Harbour

Beautiful Irish countryside surrounds the harbour

Clock Tower (my fascination continues) in the Village of Yougal

You may recognize this place from the movie "Moby Dick" which was filmed here

Signs proudly posted on the restaurant above

 After lunch we drove through the town of Cork and stopped at Blarney Castle, home of the famous "Blarney Stone".  Because of the stone and the legend about kissing it to gain eloquence, Blarney Castle is the best known and most photographed building in Ireland.

Blarney Castle

It's about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the castle, with a climb of some 100 steps up to the top.  If you want to kiss the Blarney stone and gain the gift of eloquence, you have to make the climb.

The pathway to the castle

Blarney Castle is 90 feet tall and sits on an 8-meter cliff of rock (which is approx. 26.3 ft), which formed the quarry for building the castle.  The walls slope gradually inward - people say the "blarney" is even in the architecture.

The Watch Tower

Blarney Castle dates back to 1446AD and once was the most powerful fortress of its time.  Originally it was set in an enclosed area of around eight acres with a perimeter wall and a series of small watch towers.  

The castle from a different angle

Well, if you know me at all, you know that I absolutely had to make the climb up to the top and I absolutely had to kiss that Blarney Stone.  And I also wanted to know where and why this tradition of kissing the stone got started . . . 

One story involves the Irish goddess of love and beauty, Clíodhna.  Cormac MacCarthy, the builder of Blarney Castle, being involved in a lawsuit, appealed to Clíodhna for her assistance. She told MacCarthy to kiss the first stone he found in the morning on his way to court, and he did so, with the result that he pleaded his case with great eloquence and won. Thus the Blarney Stone is said to impart "the ability to deceive without offending." MacCarthy then incorporated it into the parapet of the castle.

Another story that Steve told us suggests that the stone was a gift from Robert the Bruce to MacCarthy in recognition of his support in the Battle of Bannockburn.  This was a huge battle between the Scots and the English.  The Irish came to the aid of the Scottish and as a thank you, Robert Bruce of Scotland presented him with the stone. This legend suggests the stone is actually half of the original stone of Scone on which Scottish kings were traditionally inaugurated, and was installed in its current place by MacCarthy when the castle was built in 1446AD.  

The village of Blarney derived its name from the Irish word Anblarna meaning 'the plain'.  So how did the idea that the word blarney meant a smooth talker come to be?  It started with Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1602.  She had insisted that Dermot McCarthy (I'm guessing he's a descendant of the original builder of the castle) surrender Blarney Castle as proof of his loyalty, but he kept coming up with excuses.  There were so many excuses, in fact, that the Queen once exclaimed in exasperation, “Odds Bodkins, more Blarney talk!”  That’s why the Irish gift of the gab is called “blarney”.


Whatever way the tradition got started, I wanted to kiss that Blarney Stone.  I wasn’t going to come all this way and not do it!  However, I didn’t realize what I had to do to get to that stone!  First you walk up those 100 very small steps in a very narrow and winding staircase – round and round and round, getting narrower and steeper with each section of stairs.  People must have been much smaller back when this castle was built!!! So Ruth and I climbed up the narrow winding steps to the top. Once you get up there, the view of the surrounding grounds is gorgeous . . .

Looking at the castle grounds from the top

Our guys waiting for us on a bench below

Looking down inside the castle.  You walk along the top of the wall and wait in line for your turn to kiss the stone

When it's your turn, you have to lie on your back on the edge of the parapet and holding on to some bars, you lean way over – and I do mean way over – with your head tilting way back to kiss the stone.   It’s quite an experience, but I did it, and now legend says I have been bestowed with the gift of eloquence.  Well, we’ll see about that!!!  There is an assistant there to help you and hold on to you.  Thank goodness the parapet is now fitted with wrought-iron guide rails and protective crossbars.  It wasn't always this way.  The safeguards were installed in 1897, but before that, the kiss was performed with real risk to life and limb, as participants were grasped by the ankles and dangled upside down over the edge.  As much as I like doing this stuff, I definitely would NOT have gone for that!!!

This is me Kissing the Blarney Stone

Notice that you can see all the way down to the ground below the cross bars.  I didn't look down!  Ruth's back wouldn't allow her to get into this position, but I sure appreciate that she climbed all those stairs with me.
 

Here we are safely back on the ground in front of Blarney Castle

Before we climbed back on the bus, we took a quick stroll through the Blarney Woolen Mills store - this is the largest woolen store in Ireland.  Oh to live in a cooler climate where you can actually enjoy wearing gorgeous sweaters like these . . .

Blarney Woolen Mills Store

The store was filled with beautiful, soft sweaters, scarves, caps and other pieces of clothing

And also gorgeous linens of all varieties

Back on the bus we passed through some little villages like this.  The Irish love color and brightly paint their store fronts - they paint their houses this way too.

An old church and graveyard

We are now in Tralee, Ireland, for the night.  And it’s pouring down rain outside – which is why it’s so green here.   More adventures tomorrow . . . .