Blarney Castle And Our Transfer to Dromoland!

Another amazing day!  We got up this morning and got ready and packed our bags to head for County Clare/Dromoland Castle for our next destination/hotel.  (Killarney is in County Kerry.)  We had a yummy breakfast just ate the hotel and then boarded the busses.  We enjoyed more beautiful Irish countryside along the way!!  On our way to our destination, we stopped at the Blarney Castle.  We got in the line to go up to the top of the castle to kiss the Blarney stone so we can receive the gift of eloquence-- haha!  The line was long, but took about 45 minutes, so not too crazy.  We got to the castle and went through a bunch of rooms and then headed up a winding, very narrow staircase all the way to the very top of the castle.  It wasn't until I was all the way up there that I realized how high up we were.  We all got to kiss the Blarney stone by lying down and leaning over on our backs to kiss it.  (Incidentally, I got a really bad cold sore a few days later, and wondered if I'd gotten it from kissing the stone...eloquence shmelloquence!)  After, we walked around the grounds for a bit and decided to head for lunch.  (I would've liked to have had more time there to see all of the interesting things and learn more about the history, etc.)  We had sandwiches for lunch cafeteria style and did some shopping in the Blarney Woolen Mills .  I bought my typical kitchen towel and magnet.  (I already bought a 4 leaf clover for my charm bracelet in Killarney the first day we were there.)  We boarded the busses and headed for Dromoland Castle.  I couldn't believe it when we drove up to it!  It had a huge gated entry and we entered onto a road that passed through a huge golf course for about a mile or more.  Then our bus was met by a man playing the bagpipes as we followed him around the drive.  We got off the bus only to be met by several (6-7) people from the hotel staff on hand to welcome us to the hotel!  It felt like the movies!  (Or like we were royalty being greeted by the servants!)  As we entered the Castle, we were given juice and h'orsdeurves.  They had afternoon tea later, but me and the girls missed that as we were unpacking and getting ready for our dinner invitation.  Bill, of course, didn't miss it and texted us pictures of all the food which he sampled a little of everything.  (He just can't resist!) 

We were invited by the host from New York Life to dinner at The Townhall Restaurant in Ennis-- a town close by our hotel.  The food was really good and very gourmet!  I had a fried brie salad, Halibut and a fruit compote/sorbet for dessert.  After, we walked around, but all the shops were closed for the evening.  (Things close early in Ireland.)  It was getting cold quickly, so we went to the bus stop to wait for our shuttle (coach) back to the hotel.  What a dreamy day!!!!!