Cobh Cathedral

Today was my sister's birthday, and the reason for our visit to Ireland.  She has always wanted to kiss the Blarney stone and decided that her birthday was the perfect day for it.

We therefore spent the day on a guided tour to Blarney where she and the others with us kissed the stone.  I had always said that I wasn't going to, and that I would just take the photos, which is exactly what happened.

It was actually amazing enough that I even got up there to take them!  I freak out in enclosed spaces and that incredibly narrow winding staircase (barely shoulder room), hemmed in on both sides by solid rock walls, and above and below by the hundreds of people in the queue, made it terrifying.  I think the business of leaning out backwards over a long drop would have been pretty anti-climatic after that climb!  

We go back there on the tour we're joining in a couple of days so maybe I'll have a go at it then.

The day tour also included a trip to Cobh Cathedral and to the Titanic Museum.  The Cathedral was really interesting, and I've chosen this blip of the detail above the door because every figure is different - and entirely hand carved.

I have to admit that the Titanic exhibits weren't of great interest to me, but it was still good to have seen them.