I visited Ireland recently, for several reasons. I had heard good things about the place for some time, but had never visited. Considering some of the more remote places I have visited it seemed a bit silly that I had never visited a country that actually shares a border with the UK.
When I arrived I met up with my friend Ciara, whom I had first met whilst travelling in Jordan. She took me to see the Irish Wakeboarding Championships (photos below) as some of her friends were competing in it, and went onto win.
The ruins of Blarney castle (photos 1 & 2) are a particularly popular tourist attraction, as people go there to kiss the Blarney Stone which is supposed to give the person who kisses it the gift of the gab. The people were queuing up to kiss the stone (photo 3). Traditionally the kisser has to lie down on their back and bend over backwards to kiss the stone. There is quite a drop visible down the overhang as the person bends over (photo 4), which is why there is someone there keeping an on the people (photo 5).
In Waterford I visited the famous crystal factory and saw the glass being blown (photo 1), sculpted (photo 2), cut (photos 3 & 4) and engraved (photo 5).
When I was in the Cork I visited Fastnet Lighthouse which is an odd looking thing, built of granite on the jagged Fastnet rock. The steps that have been carved into one side make it look like an Escher drawing with flights going in all directions and overlapping.
The monument in the town of Recess quite clearly states that "On this site in 1897, nothing happened". Ireland is probably the only place where they are proud of when nothing happens (photo below).
There is not much to say about this picture except to make sure if ever getting on a boat in Ireland to make sure it doesn't look anything like this one.
The sites in Ireland can be broadly split into two categories, historical buildings and landscapes, often these are combined, with nice old buildings in an attractive setting like the examples below.
Some of the scenery in Ireland is beautiful, but it is often weather dependant, to bring out the colour. Only when the sun is shining (which was not too frequent during my visit) does the Emerald Isle show why it got the name. The pictures below show examples of the attractive coastline which is quite varied, sometimes it looks almost like a Caribbean beach, although a dip in the water would soon bring you to your senses.
