We are leaving Kilkenny early in the morning and heading to ROC, Cahir, and Blarney. Then staying in Kenmare. Basically, I just realized we won't get to Kenmare until maybe 8pm and that doesn't include stopping for dinner anywhere.
Also, we will have a 15 month old baby girl with us.
Which castle should we drop? Is two feasible still?
Thanks
I would drop Cahir. Just a heads up with respect to Blarney Castle, you will need to climb a narrow, twisting staircase to get to the top if you want to kiss the Blarney Stone.
Drop Blarney castle. Tourist trap. The gardens are supposed to be nice though, perhaps just do that.
Cashel will take you about two hours if you want to see the little film and all, but it could be shorter if you just want to look. Cahir is actually on the way (on the same road) to Blarney and is a very small castle. It was our kids' favorite, though. Depending on when you are going, you might want to skip Blarney if the crowds are bad. Otherwise, it's a nice stop, with lots to see on the grounds, as well as the castle. I would suggest doing ROC and Cahir, then make a decision on Blarney when you get there. The gardens are part of the castle ticket (or at least it was when I was last there).
Skip Blarney. It's on Rick Steves top tourist traps of Europe for good cause. The grounds are nice but there are hundreds of prettier better sights to see. Seriously a waste of time. Here's Ricks comments.....
Blarney Stone (Ireland): Busloads line up to kiss a stone on the top of a castle rampart and get “the gift of gab.” The best thing about this lame sight is watching a cranky man lower lemming-like tourists over the edge, belly up and head back, to kiss the stone while an automated camera snaps a photo — which will be available for purchase back at the parking lot. After a day of tour groups mindlessly climbing up here to perform this ritual, the stone is slathered with spit and lipstick."
Enjoy something else that actually connects to real Irish history.
I loved Cahir castle and we enjoyed ROC. Neither was busy when we visited. We skipped Blarney simply because it is a tourist trap.
Thank you all. I wasn't overly excited about Blarney and we weren't going to kiss the stone anyway. Cahir feels stupid to skip since its right there. My husband did want to go to Blarney for other reasons than the kissing of the stone. I will tell him what you guys said. Thanks
