14/02/2021
Its a rainy, nasty night, so I'm posting more pictures from Ireland. These will include early morning Dublin, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. From there, you'll enjoy Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone. The castle itself is quite empty, just a shell really. But the Blarney Stone is still the prize at the top, and of course I waited my turn to kiss it! (Not that I needed the gift of gab!!!) I was far more impressed by the beautiful gardens that surrounded the castle. They are an elegant mixture of plants, including a poison garden featuring the bright yellow rain flowers on the arbor. There are azaleas, rhododendron, evergreens accented by tropical palms which thrive in Ireland. Oh, partway through, you'll see a river walk with pedestrians walking one way, and taller, thinner figures going in the opposite direction. These are some of the many statues throughout Ireland memorializing victims of the Great Potato Famine. Even the scraggly dog in the rear is a statue. The tall figure beside the dog is a father with his young son on his back. The story we were told is that the father carried his son for hours before realizing that the boy had already perished. So, Here goes...
