Cork

Tahlia - After finishing up in Kilkenny, we headed off to the city of Cork. Cork is the second largest city in Ireland, but we headed there to explore it's surrounding areas. The below photo is the view of the city at night. It's a struggle to stay up until dark here, with night setting in anywhere past 11pm.

Our first deviation out of Cork led us to the town of Blarney, famous for Blarney Castle which houses the Blarney Stone. 

The tradition is to kiss the Blarney stone, and it will give you the gift of eloquence. Many famous people have been said to kiss the Blarney Stone, including Winston Churchill. I thought I would give it a go. 

This is the view from the top of the castle, overlooking park of the massive surrounding gardens. 

Matt was far too excited to find a bog in our travels in the garden! 

The following day we took a trip to the nearby fishing town of Kinsale. 

We hired bikes for the day and cycled to Charles Fort, which was built in 1678 and used up until 1922. 

The view on our cycling trip en route to the fort. 

In the distance you can see Kinsale, as well as the fort to the right. 

Next stop- Killarney!