I can’t think of much worse than kissing a rock that millions of others have kissed before. Yuck! I am not germophobic; however, I didn’t see the charm in this tradition. And since I have been told that I already possess the gift o’ gab {your apparent reward for leaning over backwards and puckering up for the bacteria-ridden stone}, there really was no point. So, we skipped Blarney and went to Kilkenny and Cashel.
Kilkenny has held the hurling championship title for four years in a row. Hurling, you ask? Yes, it’s a sport in Ireland (and I am not talking about what happens after too many pints o’ Guinness.) The Irish are passionate about their Gaelic games, hurling being one of them. {Click the link for more on hurling.} The Kilkenny Cats were going for an unprecedented five-peat this year- in fact they played the final match against Co. Tipperary the day we left their isle. {I’ll tell you the outcome at the end o’ me post.} Kilkenny’s entire town was decked in their county’s colors. Look for the seemingly out-of-place blow-up cat in one of the photos below.
Did you see the cat? How can you miss it?
Kilkenny at night
Kilkenny in the morn
Cashel is an amazing monastic ruin {dating as far back at the 9th century} perched on a lovely rock. The ruins are well-preserved and larger than all the others we were to see in Ireland. We, unfortunately, had to suffer scaffolding erected for on-going preservation efforts. {I shot around it.} But, we were left with the truly spectacular view from atop the rock. Check it out for yourself.
Hurling results, as promised: Alas, it was not in the cards for Kilkenny to win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final and break the four-win record. Tipperary edged them out with a 4-17 to 1-18 score. Yes, the scoring is a little weird, too.
