We moved on to Cork yesterday and were excited to see County Cork as it was home to our O'Brien family. The countryside through County Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork was simply stunning.

After arriving at our lovely Avondale B&B, we were encouraged to visit Blarney for the afternoon as it is only 30 minutes away. It was such a lovely surprise, as Blarney is so lovely and quaint and the castle and it's grounds were just beautiful. We were very excited to kiss the Blarney Stone in this 1400s castle, visited by so many dignitaries and celebrities over the past 200 years. It is said to give you the gift of eloquence and the lines and supposed to be quite big - thankfully arriving in the late afternoon was perfect and it was not to busy at all. The grounds were the real bonus, with a little area called Rock Close which is located on an old Druid settlement. It is an amazing place with a Fairy garden, wishing steps and there really is a magical feel to the forest, rocks, rivers and waterfalls.

We stayed in town to have dinner in a nice little pub which is clearly a local favourite and came back and had a lovely chat with the B&B.

This morning after Tom got his fill of a much awaited cooked breakfast, we went on a tour of the Ring of Kerry. It was a great chance to see part of the west coast of Ireland and of course more of County Cork on the way to County Kerry. Luckily it didn't rain through it was overcast and quite misty - thankfully it actually made the stunning country, cliff top and ocean scenery that bit more mysterious and eerily beautiful. We stopped for lunch in Waterville, a cute little seaside village that Charlie Chaplin loved and indeed where his daughter still lives! We didn't miss our chance to get a photo with the man himself either - well his statue anyway. We also passed the home of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania in the USA.

The land was very much one of contrasts. County Cork and the entire east of Ireland in general is lush and fertile, with "forty shades of green" being very appropriate description. However the further west we traveled, the more rugged and rocky the landscape became. You can imagine what a hard life it would have been hundreds of years ago.

We had a final dinner with Elan who was also in Cork and tomorrow we've got a long bus ride up to Dublin before flying to Cardiff!

We've had a wonderful time in Ireland, learning of the troubled history of the north and south, the great and long history of the O'Brien family in Ireland, soaking up the history and atmosphere of very different cities and making new friends.