Cobh, Ireland
Our first port of call in the Emerald Isle was Cobh, the port for the city of Cork. Endeavour was moored immediately in front of the Queenstown Immigration Museum which some of us visited later in the day. But first we boarded the coaches for our morning expedition to the famous town of Blarney with its castle and stone. En route we passed by Cork, Ireland’s second largest city, and we were impressed by the enormous amount of history in this tiny corner of Ireland. Our coach guide could hardly keep up with pointing every new and interesting feature as we drove through the rush-hour traffic to the quiet town of Blarney.
As we approached the little town we could clearly see Blarney Castle ahead of us towering over its neighbouring trees. The coaches dropped us off and we followed our guides across the street and on through the beautifully landscaped grounds of the castle. It soon became obvious that there is much more to see in Blarney Castle than just the famous stone! However it was the stone that caught everyone’s attention first and we slowly spiraled our way up the very narrow staircase which eventually, 80 feet higher, led out onto the ancient battlements of Blarney Castle. On the other side of the square castle top we could see fellow guests lying on their back and carefully easing backwards, with the help of the friendly castle assistant, to quickly kiss the miraculous stone which is said to give the gift of eloquence.
Once we had woven our way back down to ground level we had a chance to enjoy the gardens and, especially, the area known as “Rock Close”. This is said to be an old Druidic grove and it contains many ancient yew trees amongst which are scattered an amazing group of oddly shaped standing stones, dolmen (megalithic monuments) and hobbit-like caves. Whether ancient or not, and whether Druidic or not, it is certainly a part of Blarney Castle worth seeing.
Lunch was back on board ship and the afternoon was free to wander and explore or to use the museum tickets provided by Lindblad. The Immigration Museum graphically portrays the hardships many 18th, 19th and even 20th century Irish suffered as they left Ireland, from the very spot where Endeavour was moored, to start a new life in North America. Outside the museum is a statue of Annie Moore, the fifteen-year-old girl who was the first immigrant to walk through the doors of the newly opened Ellis Island Immigration Station. A complimentary statue now stands outside Ellis Island itself.
All-aboard was at 16:00 which would allow us the necessary time to sail for Dublin and arrive early enough to secure a berth right downtown in Ireland’s capital city. Before dinner Steve gave a presentation describing the ports of call that still lie ahead and pointed out the many links and connections between them. This gave us a better sense of the continuity of our expedition rather than just being on an itinerary with no theme or reason connecting the places we shall visit.
Our first port of call in the Emerald Isle was Cobh, the port for the city of Cork. Endeavour was moored immediately in front of the Queenstown Immigration Museum which some of us visited later in the day. But first we boarded the coaches for our morning expedition to the famous town of Blarney with its castle and stone. En route we passed by Cork, Ireland’s second largest city, and we were impressed by the enormous amount of history in this tiny corner of Ireland. Our coach guide could hardly keep up with pointing every new and interesting feature as we drove through the rush-hour traffic to the quiet town of Blarney.
As we approached the little town we could clearly see Blarney Castle ahead of us towering over its neighbouring trees. The coaches dropped us off and we followed our guides across the street and on through the beautifully landscaped grounds of the castle. It soon became obvious that there is much more to see in Blarney Castle than just the famous stone! However it was the stone that caught everyone’s attention first and we slowly spiraled our way up the very narrow staircase which eventually, 80 feet higher, led out onto the ancient battlements of Blarney Castle. On the other side of the square castle top we could see fellow guests lying on their back and carefully easing backwards, with the help of the friendly castle assistant, to quickly kiss the miraculous stone which is said to give the gift of eloquence.
Once we had woven our way back down to ground level we had a chance to enjoy the gardens and, especially, the area known as “Rock Close”. This is said to be an old Druidic grove and it contains many ancient yew trees amongst which are scattered an amazing group of oddly shaped standing stones, dolmen (megalithic monuments) and hobbit-like caves. Whether ancient or not, and whether Druidic or not, it is certainly a part of Blarney Castle worth seeing.
Lunch was back on board ship and the afternoon was free to wander and explore or to use the museum tickets provided by Lindblad. The Immigration Museum graphically portrays the hardships many 18th, 19th and even 20th century Irish suffered as they left Ireland, from the very spot where Endeavour was moored, to start a new life in North America. Outside the museum is a statue of Annie Moore, the fifteen-year-old girl who was the first immigrant to walk through the doors of the newly opened Ellis Island Immigration Station. A complimentary statue now stands outside Ellis Island itself.
All-aboard was at 16:00 which would allow us the necessary time to sail for Dublin and arrive early enough to secure a berth right downtown in Ireland’s capital city. Before dinner Steve gave a presentation describing the ports of call that still lie ahead and pointed out the many links and connections between them. This gave us a better sense of the continuity of our expedition rather than just being on an itinerary with no theme or reason connecting the places we shall visit.
