In the beginning of our trip we headed out to the Ring of Kerry. We stopped to see Lismore Castle. It was built in 1185 by King John; and owned in turn by Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle, before passing to the Fourth Duke of Devonshire in 1753. Designed in Gothic style and the gardens are over eight acres within the 17th century outer walls; which are believed to be the oldest in Ireland. Recently the castle has been restored and partially turned into an art gallery and even a partial hotel. It was absolutely beautiful and I would have loved to have stayed in it for the weekend. We also were directed to the Lismore Heritage center where we had a presentation from "Robert Boyle" where he demonstrated his Gas law findings, and background of his life, it was very entertaining :D
On our second stop of the Ring of Kerry we visited the home of Daniel O'Connell, also known as "The Liberator". He was a politician who achieved Catholic Emancipation which would be the first step in achieving "Home Rule". The house and grounds with it have been preserved and are open to the public. It was opened as a museum by the Irish State in 1967. It is furnished with family portraits, writings and many writings related to Daniel O'Connell. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking! The beach was probably the best of it all! We had lunch on the lawn and relaxed in the sun after taking a beautiful tour of O'connell's house.
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| Muah!!! Kissy Kissy ;) |
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| Badger's Cave |
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| Badger's Cave |
KISS KISS KISS The Blarney Stone!
The first building in the 10th century was a wooden structure. Around 1210 A.D. it was replaced by a stone structure which had an entrance 20 feet above the ground on the north face. This building was demolished for foundations and in 1446 the 3rd castle was build by Dermot McCarthy; King of Munster and this is the building that still remains standing today. It was occupied at one time by Cormac McCarthy; King of Munster who is said to have supplied 4,000 men from Munster to supplement the forces of Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The legend is that the king gave half of the stone of Scone to McCarthy in gratitude. It is now known as the Blarney Stone where it can now be kissed to prove courage, perseverance, and good luck. This is the ONE thing that i had to do when coming to Ireland, I practically ran to the castle and Meghan and I were literally the first ones to get there :D It was so much fun and i kissed the Blarney Stone! WOOOOO!
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