Great Irish Weather Continues!

I am writing from Tralee, in County Kerry after just having completed 18 holes of golf in shirtsleeves in March! We have been told that we have "brought the weather" and people are asking us to stay through the end of September. We really have been lucky.

Yesterday, we made a quick morning visit back in beautiful Kinsale and then headed down to Blarney. Enroute, we met up with my cousin Mike and his mom, Ella for a coffee at the Anglers Rest Pub, just outside Cork City. We had a great visit outside on the patio, catching up.

From there we headed over to Blarney Castle led by my cousin Ella (we would have been able to find it ourselves, but, in true Irish fashion, they wanted us to have no trouble so she led us there). After paying our entrance fee (10 euros apiece), we made the walk to the castle through the lovely grounds. The castle was built nearly 600 years ago and the keep still remains standing. We walked the 100 steps to the top of the castle (it gets a bit tight and narrow towards the top) and made our way to the famous Blarney Stone. Now, to kiss the Stone, you have to lay flat on your back, grab two rails that protrude from the wall, and lean backwards. My wife and I both did it and now will be blessed with the "gift of eloquence", according to the legend. We then walked around the small garden there (the Poison Garden) and the Rock Close, a walking path highlighting an number of natural features on the castle grounds.

After our Castle tour, we enjoyed a nice lunch at the cafe' attached to the Blarney Woolen Mills and then browsed through the store. There are tons of woolen goods for evryone on your shopping list and the prices seemed reasonable enough (later verified by one of my cousins!) We wrapped up things there and headed back for Tralee, driving through the scenic Cork & Kerry mountains. We arrived in Tralee, picked up my cousin and had a fantastic dinner at the Oyster Tavern just outside Tralee in the village of Spa. I had a great dish of linguine with a mixture of locally caught shellfish and whitefish that was fantastic! I have eaten here before and would highly recommend this restaurant.

I will be visiting another cousin and her family tonight for dinner and then tomorrow we plan a trip to Valentia Island on the Rink of Kerry. It looks like the weather will hold through until the end of our trip on Sunday. Let's hope so! Slainte'!