Cork, Ireland 4/15/10

Took the bus to the Blarney Castle 8 km away, home of the Blarney Stone renowned for giving the “gift of gab” to those who kiss it. Winston Churchill falls into the list of renowned orators who kissed it. I’d heard beforehand that the locals piss on it so I was tempted to flip and coin, but ended up just kissing it. It’s an odd experience: The stone is on an overhand at the top by the floor, so they hold you, while you grip iron poles, bending over backwards to kiss it over a grated hole. Slightly reassuring that they have Windex or some cleaning agent and wipes on site. Afterwards we toured the grounds which were peaceful. Kinda reminded us of the Village as Val put it: walls and woods bordering. There were green fields as well surrounded by the trees.

Back in Cork we visited the Cork Butter Museum and learned more than we needed to know about how important the butter industry is to Ireland. Kinda a waste but hopefully we get reimbursed (Update: we didn’t). Afterwards we went to the Church of St. Anne Shandon right by our hostel. We got to climb up its clock tower known as “the four-faced liar” on account of all the times being slightly different on its faces. This is due to some of the clock numbers having been made of thicker wood than others so the hands stick, except at the hour when they all come together. The inside reminded me of Back to the Future as I don’t normally see the insides of clocks. We also got to ring the 8 bells (a full octave) and use them in sequences to play songs thanks to the sheet list provided (Amazing Grace, Walzing Mathilda). Great view of Cork from the top; it’s bigger than I expected.

Tried Beamish Irish Stout as it was brewed here before Heineken took over the factory. I’m in love with stouts, it’s official. Murphy’s is apparently less bitter than both Beamish and Guinness. Sweeter as well (so says Wikipedia). The foam is the best. Funny: Murphy’s is mentioned as a distant cousin of the milkshake, which goes along with Eric Anderson’s perception of what Guinness looks like.