Last night I stayed at the Yotel in the Heathrow airport to try to get some sleep before my early flight to Dublin. The Yotel is basically like tiny cabins in the small section of the airport that you can rent for a period of time to sleep in a bed and to take a shower. I had my alarm set for 4:15 am and made it without any problem, as our flight was delayed for over an hour! Luckily when we (Jenny and I) arrived in Dublin the rest of the choir was right there at baggage claim so it worked out well.

We loaded on our tour bus with the rest of SMC choir provided by Gateway tours and headed on the road right away. Our first stop was at the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel was built in the 1100's and was the original seat of the kings of Munster until the Norman invasion. After that it was donated to the Church, and most of the remains left are from the 12-13th century.

We had a tour of the church, the choir house, museum and the remains of the chapel. There is also a cemetery, but in order to be buried there you have to have your name on a registry proving that your ancestors are buried there. There are only 5 remaining people who are left on that list.

After leaving the Rock of Cashel, we headed to the Jameson Distillery. They make all Jameson whisky there and take the water from the local river to soak the grains with. We had a tour with a peppy guide who told us about the history of the whisky and how it is made. We saw the original storage houses and rooms where the whisky was distilled, and then given examples of how it needs to process in the white oak barrels for 5-6 years before it is ready. By law, Ireland makes all whisky be aged at least 3 years. During the process, some whisky is lost to the soaking of the barrels, which they call the "angels share".

We were given samples of the whisky and a Big Ginger at the end of the tour. I'm not normally a huge whisky drinker, but I do like big gingers with a slice of lime :)

That evening we stayed in Cork and had a white fish dinner with potatoes and a Baileys cheesecake for dessert. Tomorrow we have our first performance in Kinsale, so I headed to bed right after dinner to catch up on my zzz's.