All they talk is Blarney

Finished off cards to James, Jon, Al and Penny for posting from Carrigtwohill. Another great full Irish breakfast, this time with two types of pudding - black and brown. Excellent tea served in a bowl, still no luck with wifi.

Cork has the worst road and traffic problems I have yet encountered, and Madame GPS didn't help by continually referring to a Glasheen Street that failed to materialize. Eventually we found the road to Limerick and from there to Blarney Castle. Beautiful grounds and gardens surround the castle and the other Blarney features. An ever decreasing stairway led us to the top where we were held by the legs until we were able to perform the deed. Immediately my writers block disappeared and I finished off 3 works by Shakespeare and 2 by Tolstoy.

As Dingle was our destination and Blarney is only 8km out of Cork, we had better get a move on. We motored along a succession of minor and major roads before stopping near Mallow for lunch. My first seafood chowder and soda bread - Yum! An urbane Irish sixty-something and his child bride offered us advice that we found very useful and we were soon headed in the direction of Conor Pass - what a trip.

Coastal views gave way to a narrow stone road that took us up into the clouds past lakes and waterfalls until we descended through the mist into a view of Dingle on the Atlantic. Fantastic!. We drove down into town and parked at the port just as a trawler from Skibereen headed out to sea - the fresh smell of the sea was overpowering.

Seeking oysters, we were disappointed to see the fish shops did not open until 6pm and we had to drive back to Cork. Hugging the coast road we stopped at Inch Beach, a favoured surfing spot where hardy surfers had parked their vans. The sun had just begun to set over the wet western horizon.

Travelling back to Cork we passed through a umber of picturesque locations including the beautiful town of Macroon just over the Kerry/Cork border. A somewhat disappointing dinner was followed by drinks in The Imperial's lounge - a Jamiesons over ice went down well.