Kiss Me, I’m Irish!

Waterfalls in Blarney, Ireland

Alright, so the title may be super cliché, but considering I spent my St. Patrick’s day in Ireland, I figured it was only appropriate! After much confusion and frustration booking my flights (I wouldn’t recommend using the booking company Opodo in the future) I FINALLY made it Cork to spend a weekend and St. Patrick’s day with my lovely roommate and best friend from school in San Diego. I flew into Dublin on Wednesday afternoon and took a three hour bus ride to Cork. The bus ride wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected, and I didn’t even end up watching the movie I had downloaded because the scenery was too beautiful to miss! Once in Cork, I proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend drinking, eating, seeing Ireland, and drinking some more. When in Ireland, do as the Irish do, right? 😉

Cathedral in Cork

So one of my favorite sites that we went to was the Blarney estates. This included the Blarney Castle, the Blarney House, the poison gardens, and the waterfalls pictured above, plus some great trails to walk around and experience the vast green expanse that is Ireland. Fortunately, when I was there the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL, which apparently never happens. I was told by almost every person I met that this was not typical Irish weather, so I’m glad I came when I did! While at the Blarney Castle I kissed the Blarney stone for good luck and spent the afternoon walking around and enjoying the sunshine. My friend and I also visited the Blarney Woolen Mills, where I may or may not have bought some unnecessary (but at the same time very necessary) woolen items.

The Blarney Castle! And the beautiful weather that went along with it!

About to kiss the Blarney stone!

It was a bluebird day on top of the castle!

I was also fortunate enough to consume lots (and I mean LOTS) of Irish food and drink while on this trip. I sampled all the local brews, including Murphy’s, which is apparently Cork’s version of Guinness. We also went to a craft beer bar called Franciscan’s well, where I had some of the best amber ale of my entire life. I’m addicted. My friend treated me to a traditional Irish breakfast, which was composed of baked beans, toast, a fried egg, sausages, tea, and “irish pudding” which is essentially a meat patty with blood in it. Though it may sound a little questionable, it was DELICIOUS.

Love this girl!

Since it was St. Patrick’s day weekend, there were lots of cool events going on during my time there. The entire town was buzzing with festivities and I was fortunate enough to be able to experience most of them! On Thursday night, we went to a concert for The Rubberbandits, who are Ireland’s version of the Lonely Island. They were absolutely hilarious and I’m so so happy we went. We also went to a street festival that was set up on the main street of Cork. It included stands to eat traditional Irish foods, street performers, and a stage that hosted Irish musicians all day and into the night. It was truly the perfect weekend to be in Cork.

Ready to go out for St. Patrick’s day!

Street performer playing the horns while riding a giant unicycle

So my trip to Ireland was a huge success and I’m so incredibly happy that I was able to go! I can’t wait to continue the study abroad adventures!

Happy traveling to all, and to all a good night!