Daytrip to Blarney

Leaving Dublin

Crips morning air washed over my face as we got off the NX bus that brought us from Navan into Dublin’s inner city.

It is just after 6 in the morning, the dawn is breaking, and the streets and sidewalks are buzzing with activity as people find their way to work, a college classroom, or possibly coming off a shift and are now on their way home.

Tristan and I started walking up O’Connell Street to where the Paddywagon would pick us up.

A tram rang its bell in the distance. The Luas clack-clack, clack-clack overhead as it passes over us on its suspended railway tracks. Taxi cabs sporadically stop to drop off or pick up commuters. Busses, motorcars, motorbikes, bicycles, scooters, and a myriad of pedestrians crisscross vast intersections in the most disciplined manner. Cleanup teams moved with a coordinated and committed effort to tidy sidewalks, bins, bus stops, and every nook and cranny in between.

The pace is fast.

Me and my backpack is somewhat slower. Jaw-dropping admiration for the vibrant and iconic city buildings, monuments and my steadfast photo-taking labels me as a tourist.

We joined a small group of ‘early birds’ at the pick-up point where we met the Tour guide, Rory from the Paddywagon Guided Tours provider, and a short time later the group of tourists grew to its full capacity.

The smiles and energy of the group raised the bar of my own excitement even higher as we started to board the vibrantly branded green tour bus just before 8:00 am and found our seats after Rory ticked our names on the list.

Rory then efficiently gave us the rundown of the itinerary, the do’s and don’ts of the trip, and then slipped into the driver seat and maneuvered the double-decker bus skillfully into the busy traffic.

We found the way out of Dublin city and within 30 minutes we were on the open highway as city buildings, business parks, industry, and factory sites gave way and became farmland where cows feed or lazily rest in green pastures.

We drove through the Golden Vale on our way to our first stop in the town of Cashel at the iconic Rock of Cashel. Then a quick lunch in Cork and a two-hour drive to Blarney Castle and Gardens.

While on the road we passed several round structures dotted along the way. Some of them standing in cemeteries amongst grey gravestones and others close to castle ruins. These prominent features in Ireland have their origin in a dark and difficult time of the country’s history. But more about that later.

Rory’s Irish accent, zesty language, innate storytelling ability, and keen knowledge of Ireland’s history gave an added layer of entertainment as the group of tourists often burst out laughing.

It is clear that most Irish take pride in their beautiful country, have strong opinions about the past and the future and are avid custodians of parks, monuments, and their overall heritage, however harsh and troublesome the latter has been.

The Rock of Cashel near the Town of Cashel

The first stop on our trip with the Paddywagon Tour Group was in the town of Cashel in County Tipperary at the magnificent medieval Rock of Cashel.

Rory warned that it is a somewhat steep hill from the parking area to the entrance of the Castle grounds, and indeed it is, but I was grateful to stretch my legs after the long bus drive from Dublin.

The Gothic Cathedral and Castle ruins stand very proud on a rocky limestone escarpment with rolling farmland stretching far into the distance. It was a magnificent misty and beautiful day as we explored the ruins and the ‘newly’ built cathedral also known as the Cormac’s Chapel. Cormac’s Chapel is said to be one of the most well-preserved examples of Romanesque architecture in the Emerald Isle. 

This site is more than a 1000 years old. Walking the grounds is humbling. It must have been a hugely committed and coordinated community that built this place into existence.

According to old legends, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil’s Bit, a high mountain located about 32 kilometers north of the town of Cashel when St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, banished Satan from a cave. Satan, in a fury, took a bite from that mountain and spat it out at its current location, which is today known as the Rock of Cashel.

We took a few photos and then sat on a stone wall looking over the landscape. Mist started rolling in again and floated through the gravestones. It then rained softly as we headed back to the bus. The clock was ticking and the visit to Rock of Cashel was over too quickly. Rory had a schedule to keep. There was no time to visit the Wool shop. What a pity!

We moved on to have lunch in Cork and it was fabulous.

Our third stop of the day was at Blarney Castle.