This morning we headed directly to Blarney Castle to beat the crowds. Apparently, every tourist who comes to Ireland has to kiss the Blarney Stone. It wasn't exactly on my bucket list, but we did it anyway after climbing high up into the castle via the steep spiral staircase. The gardens and grounds were very nice and we also saw Blarney House where the current owners still live.

Next it was on to the town of Cork. We were given a quick tour around the town on the coach before half our group were let off to explore Cork further. We stayed on for an optional excursion to the nearby port of Cobh (Cove), which was the Titanic's last port of call. It was also the port from which thousands of Irish emigrants departed for the US, Australia, etc and we toured an exhibition about the port's past. There was a massive cruise ship Ruby Princess in port while we were there. Back in town, we watch a large seal frolicking in the River Lee.

On the way to Killarney, it started raining for a while, which was quite pleasant as it has been unusually hot since we have been in Ireland. We had a walk around the town, found somewhere to eat and went back to the hotel to watch some of the Commonwealth Games.

Later, we went to a music and dancing show called Celtic Steps which most people seemed to enjoy.