Cork & Cobh, Ireland

 
Our ship will dock in Cobh, the jumping off point for Cobh, Blarney Castle, Woolen Mills, and more! First things first: Cobh is pronounced "Cove"! I was very politely corrected when I was asking a British friend what we should see & do in "Cobb". "Your Window on Cobh and Cork" click for good information. Cobh became the country's main immigration port following the Great Famine of 1846 - 1848 & was the last port of call for the Titanic on it's maiden voyage in 1912.

Here's a photo of Cobh's waterfront... beautiful!

On my last visit to Cobh, I booked an independent tour with E-Coach/Butler Buses, highly recommended based on internet reviews. This was an all day tour & is priced considerably less than the cruise line option; We visited Cobh, Cork, Blarney Castle (with a Blarney Stone kiss) & we had free time in Kinsale for shopping and lunch!  I plan to book this one again! Click here for tour highlights and booking information.

Kinsale is a lovely quaint seaside town and is great for shopping and dining.

For lunch, or a substantial snack, try 'Fishy,Fishy'. For the best fish & chips in Kinsale, try Dino's; eating a bag of chips from Dino's (takeaway - NEVER eat in!)on the wall overlooking the harbour is compulsory in Kinsale!  We, however, decided to try a more local pub, The Lord Kinsale where I had wonderful fish and chips!

Blarney Castle and Blarney Stone - OK, I admit that I was not aware that you have to lean backwards to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone! But once kissing it, you are bestowed with the gift of eloquence! You will have the gift of gab & never again be at a loss for words!! This may be on my to do list again, for I never want to be without words! Here's a photo of the sign at Blarney Castle describing "all blarney"!  After seeing the castle, we explored the beautiful grounds.  Following our visit to the castle, we had a stop at the Blarney Woolen Mills, where I found some beautiful Irish tea towels and scarves... and a beautiful Irish emerald shamrock pendant!  It was a great day with E-Coach and Butler Buses!