Oh, sweet Ireland – a place where drunk Irishmen dance, limestone is lucky, beer is green, and redheads roam freely. St. Patrick’s Day in the home of the holiday was definitely an experience I’ll never forget!
Dressing for the Occasion:
I caught plenty of attention with my socks, but my “Official Irish Drinking Team” baseball tee, Irish flag bandanna and earrings, and decked-out bum bag had me more than prepared for the holiday. By the end of the day, I had received 23 compliments on my outfit, and yes I kept count.
Blarney:
Most of our festivities took place in Cork, the second biggest city in Ireland, but we stayed in a cute little town called Blarney that was roughly 20 minutes away.
Breakfast:
Early St. Patrick’s Day morning, we made our way to a little coffee shop near Blarney Castle. An adorable Irish woman served us delicious keesh and cupcakes for our St. Patty’s Day breakfast.
Blarney Castle:
Next, we walked just a few minutes more to Blarney Castle. The castle has over 60 acres of sprawling parklands which include gardens (the famous Poison Garden being one of them), caves, avenues, arboretums, and waterways.
Kissing the Blarney Stone:
At the top of Blarney Castle is a lucky Carboniferous limestone that grants you the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery) after just a single kiss.
There is a stone there,
That whoever kisses,
Oh! He never misses
To grow eloquent.
For over 200 years, world statesmen, literary giants, and legends of the silver screen have joined the millions of pilgrims climbing the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone. We were the lucky four American girls to join that statistic.
To watch a video on the Blarney Stone, visit https://www.facebook.com/thisisinsidertravel/videos/1667381296922366/?hc_ref=SEARCH.
Cork:
After the castle, we headed to Cork for the parade! Unfortunately, because of some confusion with the bus schedule, we only caught the last few minutes. However, we still had a blast bar-hopping for hours and exploring the city.
Dublin:
On March 18, we traveled from Cork to Dublin by train where the party continued! The streets were full of green and orange flags, balloons, and confetti from the parade the day before. We didn’t have too long in Dublin, but I still managed to explore the City Centre.
Lunch:
We stopped at a pub for lunch in Dublin, where I ordered a very traditional Irish meal – Beef and Guinness Shepherd’s Pie served with “creamy champ” (mashed potatoes).
Maynooth:
We stayed at Maynooth University overnight. It was an old uni with beautiful architecture looking like “something straight out of Harry Potter” as Isla put it. Unfortunately it was dark when we got there and dark when we left, so I downloaded some photos to include because it was absolutely stunning!
Needless to say, I can now scratch St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland off my bucket list. It was a weekend to remember, and I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity to travel. My birthday is a week away, and I’d love more than anything to see more places in Europe before I return! If you have any extra change to support my travel funds, please donate at https://www.gofundme.com/reagan-martin. It would mean the world to me, and any amount helps. As always, thanks for reading!
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