Blarney Castle

The only thing I have seen about going there is that most feel it is a waste of time. Others will chip with methods.

I definitely don't feel that it is a waste of time - the grounds are beautiful, the town is charming, and there is great shopping right across the street. However, I have always driven. You might want to look at www.bus.eireann.ie to see about bus schedules.

If you are only going to be in Dublin and making just 1 other side trip outside of Dublin, a rail pass would be wasting money. Check the bus schedule mentioned above. Grounds are pretty, and while not a complete waste of time, I would say the castle is underwhelming. Prettier castles with prettier grounds elsewhere in Ireland (albeit, they don't have a famous stone to kiss).

Thanks for the help everyone. I will be taking a trip to other place in europe at the same time, but I'm sure the bus will be easiest. I don't think it's a waste of time because it is something that my soon to be husband really wants to do on our honeymoon. megan

I would go with a bus. They cover the country better than rail, don't cost a lot and generally don't require reservations (buy your ticket at the station a day or two in advance). I liked Blarney. True, kissing the rock is a pretty touristy thing but the castle ruin itself is interesting as well as the cave, grounds and mansion. It was actually a lot better than I expected. We were there early May and there were plenty of people. The crowds may get unbearable in high season.

Hi Megan, I think your best bet would be for you to do a day trip from Dublin with a tour company like Viator or Paddywagon. It's about the same price as a train ticket to Cork and the tour companies get you there stress free and include entrance fees. If you decide to do it on your own via train from Dublin you need to look at train timetables on Irish Rail. You would want to start from Dublin Heuston Station to Cork then transfer to bus or train to Blarney. You would purchase a point to point ticket round trip. A rail pass would be too much unless you plan to travel to other destinations in Ireland during your stay. Hope this helps you and I know if you go and kiss the stone you'll have good luck. :) Andrea

Go. Even if you already have the promised gift of gab. We went on our honeymoon ('91) to the British Isles. Better now with digital cameras, but to save money we took our own pix.
I have a wonderful pix of him; he took a great pix of my elbow. Just remember this probably won't be your only trip to Ireland. We are going this fall, but once at Blarney is enough. Betz