This morning we set off at 8.30am from the lovely Kingsley Hotel on the outskirts of Cork. We were very impressed with this hotel. Three ladies had decided they did not want to do the optional tours, so we dropped them in the city. It was a quick bus tour of Cork city, to get them to a suitable drop off point. The River Lee splits Cork city in two, creating an island on which the city of Cork has been built. The Lee river is a very marshy river. Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and a lot of the city was destroyed in the War of Independence.
 




 We did the optional Jameson Whisky tour in the town of Midleton. One never knows with these tours, but if you don't do them, you are sure to miss out on something! The whiskey tour was actually very good. The company was started by John Jameson and four John Jameson's followed in each of their fathers footsteps. It is not so today.

Jameson Whisky operated in the original buildings for 150 years. By 1887 John Jameson was producing 1 million litres of spirits a year. They did go through a recession which is referred to as 'Murphy's Law'. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. But the tour guide did say to us that "Country life has been good to the business". Meaning that they are able to purchase the barley for the whiskey from the local farmers.

In 1975 a new distillery was built and the old building converted to a Visitor Centre. This opened in 1992. The old distillery in the heritage building is the biggest in the world and when it was used, it held 32,000 gallons. To get the final whisky product it is distilled three times. The first process is to malt the barley. It is then mashed which produces a drink not much darker than beer with an alcohol content of approximately 10 percent. The actual distilling process then starts, and after it has been distilled three times the alcohol content could be as high as 94 percent. It is then put in oak casks which are imported from America and Spain. The oak casks are burnt to char the inside for a better taste. The ones from America have a Bourbon taste and from Spain, the casks have been filled with sherry for two years. It is law that Irish whisky stays in the oak barrel for three years.

Finally we walked through the warehouse that houses 1,000 barrels. I'm sure the guide said they have 46 warehouses. That is a lot of whiskey barrels being stored! Then it was a visit to the bar for our free drink. Pete had his, as Johnny B would have had it,.... 'on the rocks' and I had a 'whisky cocktail' which was nice. Ginger ale and lime with the whisky.

Then it was to the 'Emigration and Industry' Museum in Cobh. To get to the town of Cobh, we crossed both Great Island and Fota Island. Great Island is the largest of several islands in Cork Harbour, near the city of Cork. It is situated between the two channels of the River Lee, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway and rail line. Cobh is the cruise port and is 23 kms from Cork. The harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world. Sydney has the largest. 

 We really didn't have enough time at this Museum, but we did race around and take in as much as we could in the time. The story was told of the many people who have emigrated from Ireland through the port of Cobh. Stories of the Famine in Ireland, how Cobh was the last port the Titanic called to, before setting sail for New York, but unfortunately hitting an iceberg and sinking. Lots of stories of the convicts that were imprisoned on Spike Island, before being sent to Australia. It was a quick lunch before we left at 1.00pm to pick up the three ladies in Cork. 

Then it was a visit to the ruined Blarney Castle. The grounds and gardens of the castle were really lovely and the sun shone for us.  YES we did climb the steps to the top of the castle, and YES we did hang upside down from the ramparts, and YES we did kiss the stone, to ensure a lifetime of eloquence.

As we travelled from Blarney Castle to Killarney, the landscape definitely changed. It is much rockier and wetter on the west coast. We have been really lucky with the weather so far though. Patrick reckons someone is praying for us! Although we have had a few spits of rain today and it has been chilly out of the bus, we have had quite a bit of sunshine.

We arrived at the Plaza Hotel in the middle of the town of Killarney in just enough time to freshen up, but not change, before going out to dinner at 6.00pm. We had a choice of three restaurants to choose from. All within a five minute walk of the hotel. We dined with two ladies from Canada, at an Italian restaurant. Then it was back to the hotel by 7.50pm to board the bus and travel out to a large building at the racecourse. This was the venue for the 'Celtic Steps' show. What an evening of entertainment! The musicians were fantastic, as were the River dancers. It did cost us 36 euros each to go, but worth every euro.

I did say it had been a BIG day. Thank goodness we are in Killarney for two nights!