DESTINATIONS IRELAND ESCORTED TOURS RIGHT:
Bunratty Castle’s
medieval banquet
FAR RIGHT: Japanese
gardens, Irish National Stud
BELOW: Blarney Castle
DON’T MISS
Taylors Irish Cabaret
This two-hour extravaganza in Dublin features a three-course meal followed by dancing, singing and comedy from the likes of Rob
Vickers, who has appeared in Les Misérables in the West End. Cosmos offers it as an add- on to tours, from £71 per person.
by the most famous horse breeder of the time, Colonel William Hall Walker. Since then it’s produced an army of success stories, including King Edward VII’s winning horse in the 1909 Derby, and racehorse Beef or Salmon, which finished fourth in the 2004 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Today, enthusiastic tour guides tell
visitors about its intriguing history and the breeding techniques used, as well as about the colourful Japanese gardens and tiny Falabella horses, which are smaller than Shetland ponies (entry €12.50 for adults, €7 for children, or included in the Cosmos tour).
w TALKING BLARNEY Impressive in a different way was the iconic, 15th-century Blarney Castle, a two-hour drive south in County Cork. Once the seat of a rebellion against
I clambered up the steep staircase and leant back over a seriously high drop to peck the Blarney Stone’s cold, grey face
a seriously high drop to peck its cold, grey face. Where the story comes from is up
for debate. Some believe the stone was brought back to Ireland from the Crusades; others claim it was ‘Jacob’s Pillow’, brought here by the prophet Jeremiah and then used as something of a sorting hat for kings. Whatever its history, it clearly pulls in the punters. But while some come to Blarney
Queen Elizabeth I, the castle is best known for its supposedly magical stone. Legend says those who kiss the rock perched at the top of the tower will be given ‘the gift of the gab’. I can’t say it gave me that, but it
did give me a story to tell the future grandkids as I clambered up the steep, winding staircase and leant back over
purely for this, there’s plenty more to do, including the glorious, hilly grounds that hug the castle, laced with walking trails, waterfalls, lakes and woodland. Here you’ll find unusual creations such as the Poison Garden, dedicated to all things toxic, and Rock Close, a folkloric section home to ‘wishing steps’, a ‘witch’s kitchen’ and the ‘druid’s circle’, nestled among rippling streams and ivy-covered rocks.
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travelweekly.co.uk 13 September 2018
TOURISM IRELAND/GEORGE MUNDAY, BRIAN MORRISON, STEPHEN POWER
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