Happy Friday the thirteenth

The usual breakfast and headed East to Waterford. The land gets better for planting the more East we get and Cork is a large food producing area for that reason. It gets enough water but not as much as Kerry. I do miss the stone fences though. Here the areas are divided by hedges.

But, before we get to Waterford we stop at Blarney. You know, the place where you can kiss a stone and receive the gift of eloquence. When I was here previously, those who were with me decided that the last thing I needed was anything that could create an increased capability of speech. So I could't kiss the stone. One of those people was with me this time and the activity was, again, vetoed.

We opted for walking more of the grounds instead of going into the castle. A very good choice. Besides, this castle has only been around since 1446 so it is relatively new and will be here long enough to see at a future time.
The grounds are dotted beautifully with all sorts of colorful vegetation.







Then it was off to to the town of Waterford and it's crystal factory. We had been told that the company was sold, that an American firm now owned the name and production moved to Eastern Europe but they did have a showroom here. We were very pleasantly surprised to receive a tour of their very active production facility.


We were able to talk with the workers and we saw some incredible crystal pieces. Like a one of a kind piece cut with a Copper wheel using a special process that took over a month to produce a finished product. It is a bit expensive, about 20,000 euro. But it is absolutely one of a kind.


Tonight we had an excursion to the town of Dunmore East where we met a wonderful entertainer who gave us a tour of his beautiful town with thatched roofed cottages 350 years old one of which is a pub in which he entertained us with stories and song.


He gave us a real pub experience with Irish songs and sing-a-longs.

It was a late dinner (oh the heartburn but worth it) and will be an early departure tomorrow AM. I realized for the first time today that our stay is almost over. I'm sad about that.

Shaun and Joan McMahon

Location:Waterford