The day started off with a sumptuous breakfast (see previous photo).
After breakfast we met our guide for the morning. She gave us a brief intro into the history of Cork and then we boarded our bus for a tour of the city. We stopped at St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral (Anglican) where she talked about the history of this significant building
All the stonework was magnificent. Check out these gargoyles.
Out back they had a labyrinth.
Our next stop was University College, Cork. Again, she filled us in on history of the is historic Irish university. High points of the tour included a display of Obam stones. The marks on the stone are an ancient alphabet. They provided a key and some translations.
A Doibe – this type of mud hut was used during the famine to house people who had been displaced from their land.
Interesting ads on the Student Union promoting their “Smart Card”
And possibly the most significant – a bust of George Boole
Boole taught Mathematics at the university and is the father of Boolean algebra – the logic at the core of every computer.
Following out tour of the university we boarded the bus and hied us hence to Blarney and Blarney castle.
The castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone dates to the 15th century and is one of the best surviving examples of a Norman tower house.
Being ever the adventurous ones Cheryl, Billie and I left Steve down below and joined the throngs claiming the narrow circular stairs to the top – where people were kissing the stone.
Billie and I kept our head about us while…
[Insert video of Cheryl kissing the Blarney Stone.]
Following the frivolity (and haven given Cheryl enough time to recover her balance after being man-handled we descended from the heights and repaired to the nearby cafe for lunch, shopping in the massive woolen goods store, and riding the bus back to the hotel.
We rested.
At 5:30 we met a few others from the tour and walked across the river to a dinner/show of Celtic music and dance.
The music was great. The dancing was outstanding (Who knew that Irish step dancing could be done on pointe?) and the dinner was good Irish fare. Fun times.
Following the show we made our way back across the river Lee to our hotel.
To pack (We leave tomorrow for Dublin), catch up on the Blog, and sleep.
Till tomorrow…
Che: Here are some Irish expressions our tour leader uses – you go to a gym to “pump the guns” – “lollipop lady” (the lady who walks out into the street holding a stop sign so the school kids can walk across safely) – statue of Molly Malone is also known as “the tart with a cart” – the Millennium spire that rises up out up the middle of the Main Street (to mark the new millennium) is also called “the rod to God – the word “Craig” means a fun (is this where we get the expression “a cracking good time”?).
Che: the guide also said all education (including college) was free (except for a hefty “registration/graduation” fee) to the Irish people (they make their money off the students from overseas). – Ogham stones were used to mark the burial places of important people or where something important happened. – A favorite sport here is “hurling” which looks a lot like LaCross. – St. Patrick’s day is now celebrated for four days (and they’re trying to stretch that to seven)!
Che: – It was a hot and sunny summer this year so people didn’t go away for their usual vacations to Spain! However, considering the Romans named Ireland “Hibernian”(endless winter) for a reason, even now in August people are wearing light jackets.
– On the drive today the guide pointed out a memorial monument on our left called “Kindred Spirits”; it was of 9 huge aluminum feathers arching up 10 feet tall to almost meet in a ball – it was erected to memorialize the famine relief money the Choctaw Indians in Oklahoma sent to the starving Irish during their famine years (and this was only 6 years after the Choctaw’s had their own “trail of tears” deaths by starvation).
I’ve read about the “Kindred Spirits”. Amazing friendship they have formed.