21st September
This morning we were up showered, dressed, car packed and on the road by 8.30am, I was very impressed at us! Our final destination Blarney, we had many stops programmed to stop at along the way!
First stop 2 hrs in, was Kilkenny. Here we wandered the town centre and visited the Castle. Built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways, Kilkenny Castle was a symbol of Norman occupation. In its original thirteenth-century condition it would have formed an important element of the defences of the town with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade. The property was transferred to the people of Kilkenny in 1967 for £50 and the castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works. The Castle went through major renovations and restorations to restore it to its former glory post 1967 before opening to the public, as majority of the wooden floors and roof had rotted away and the stone work was crumbling underfoot.
Next up, and the main stop for the day was Waterford. Home to the House of Waterford Crystal, we embarked on a fully guided tour which took us through the home of Waterford Crystal’s manufacturing facility. During the factory tour we heard and saw exactly how the stunning crystal is made. The Master craftsman demonstrated the traditional methods that are still used to this day as they went about their normal work day.
After the tour we embarked on a browse through the Waterford Crystal shop. Too scared to touch much and a bit too pricey for our budgets we headed out to browse the town shopping, before hopping back into the car and making the 2 hour drive to Blarney.
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