More and More Weddings!

Needless to say, this was a busy wedding year for us. Congratulations to all the newlyweds!


MaryLynn & Joe - August 26, 2011












Noelle & John - September 16, 2011












Janine & Paul - October 29, 2011














Chris & Kim - November 5, 2011

Ireland Map

Map of Our August 2011 Ireland Trip



The Numbers Game for Our Ireland Trip

616.....miles driven
13.....pubs
9.....times we ate chips (aka french fries)
8.....castles explored
8.....different Irish beers tried
7.....nights spent in Ireland
5.....nights spent in a different town
3.....times it rained
1.....bad scratch on the side of the car
1.....camera casualty
0.....speeding tickets

Kinsale, Cashel, and KilKenny

KINSALE: a small, fishing village on the southern coast

We ate at Fishy Fishy Cafe for dinner. The fish on the menu were all caught that morning in the nearby bay. It was so local that the handful of fishermen that provided fish to the restaurant had their pictures on the wall (see above) and their name on the menu next to their catch

These were the biggest oysters I've ever seen...and the freshest!




"Maurice Fitz's Pan Fried Hake" on sauteed courgettes, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, crispy prosciutto and rocket oil.



Murphy's Irish Stout is a local dry stout brewed in County Cork



CASHEL: a town in South Tipperary which houses the historic site, the Rock of Cashel.



The Rock of Cashel


The oldest and tallest of the buildings is the Round Tower dating back to 1100.











KILKENNY: a town that loves their beer and their sports



Smithwick's Brewery (pronounced "Smith-ick's") was an important stop on our route. The brewery is situated on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks brewed ale since the 14th century.



Beautiful KilKenny Castle with the reflection in the water.



The grounds had amazing gardens and fountains





The sport of hurling is the national game of Ireland. It is VERY popular in KilKenny, as they often dominate the championship. It appears hurling in Kilkenny is like baseball in NY (at least if you're a Yankees fan)...



Bangers and Mash



Deep fried brie - one of my new favorite dishes

Kiss the Blarney Stone

Though it wasn't a planned destination, Jay and I decided to stop by the famous Blarney Castle since we were in the area. This medieval castle, located in Blarney, Ireland dates back to 1446.







This room served as a dining room that hosted huge parties back in the day.





Climbing the stairs to the top was very narrow.





View from the top of the castle.



Waiting in line to kiss the Blarney stone, also known as the Stone of Eloquence. It was built into the top of the castle and according to legend kissing it endows you with "the Gift of the Gab"- great eloquence and flattery.




The act of kissing the stone is not casually achieved: you must climb many steps that are both extremely steep and narrow to get to the top, then hang upside-down on the outer perimeter of the castle wall in order to reach it.

Prior to the installation of safeguards, the kiss was performed with real risk to life and limb, as participants were grasped by the ankles and dangled over a ledge. Luckily now one can grab onto iron rungs while an old man holds onto your legs - much safer. See video below.









A view of the Blarney Stone from below



Surrounding the castle were extensive gardens, pathways, and natural rock formations given fanciful names such as Witch's Cave and Wishing Steps.