It's not so easy to kiss the Blarney Stone as you think as you have to climb up to the top battlement of Blarney Castle and lie on your back with your head and shoulders arching backwards over a drop of 100 feet or so! They do have an "official" photographer, but you can take your own shot. The exposed staircases on the way up are also interesting, worth the effort as you've paid for entry into the Castle and Garden anyway. Apart from the Castle itself. don't miss the "Medieval Garden of … [Read more...]
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Adare Village: Trip Notes
"Bunratty Folk Park" sounds awful, but is actually quite worthwhile, especially from the photographic aspect. It consists of the Castle and a variety of buildings that have been relocated from different parts of Ireland and rebuilt, including a church! There are shops, bars, workshops, farm buildings, a grand house, cottages - you get the picture. They even have actors playing the parts of "inhabitants" of a few locations, they're both interesting and photogenic. Start with the castle, but … [Read more...]
Londonderry or Derry, Donegal and Yeats at Drumcliff: Trip Notes
Londonderry or Derry was the scene of a lot of internecine strife during "The Troubles" between the Loyalists and the IRA.The only more signs of it now are the painted (actually, repainted) wall posters - the size of houses - in the Bogside district and some bullet and bomb blast scars on a few buildings. You'll also see some security fences that date back to that time. One of the best ways to shoot these huge wall posters is to walk around the city walls (on the battlements) and use a long … [Read more...]
