Saturday, May 23rd, 2026

Today is our last full day in Ireland. We leave Killarney this morning and head to Kilkenny with stops along the way. It was a gorgeous day!

There was beautiful scenery as we drove East.

Our first stop was at Bailick Park in Midleton.

Here we visited the Kindred Spirits Monument. It is a tribute sculpture to the generosity of the Choctaw Nation and how they helped the Irish People during the Great Famine. In 1847, the worst year of the famine in Ireland, close to a million people were starving. The Choctaw Native Americans raised $170.00 of their own money which would equal thousands of dollars today in aid to supply food for the starving Irish.

The monument stands in the park as a tribute to the tribe’s charity during the famine. It represents a great moment of compassion, strength and unity. The artist was Alex Pentak and it was unveiled in 2015. The monument consists of nine 20-foot stainless steel feathers, shaped into an empty bow. Not two feathers are identical.

We made a stop at the Jameson Irish Whiskey distillery in Midleton.

Since closing the distillery in Dublin, Ireland all of Jameson Irish Whiskey is produced in Midleton. It is a 15 acre site. We didn’t take a tour but we had time to look around the entrance and shop in the store!

We made a stop in Cork. It is the second largest city in Ireland. It is located at the head of Cork Harbour on the River Lee in southwest Ireland.

Cork’s city center is flat but as soon as you leave the central hub it is very hilly.

We visited the English Market that opened in 1788 and it is one of the oldest municipal markets around today.

In 1980 it had a fire and nothing was left except the exterior red brick walls and a decorated fountain.

This huge indoor market sells a large variety of fresh meats, fish, dairy, produce, flowers and more. Famous people have visited including the late Queen Elizabeth II!

Across from the Market was the Bishop Lucey Park or the “People’s Park”. The main gates at the park were moved from Cork’s corn market to this location.

Berwick Fountain was erected in 1860 by Walter Berwick who was well an important figure in the Cork judiciary system.

The National Monument is located on the Grand Parade in Cork. It was built to honor the memory of the men and women who took part in the rebellions against the Crown in 1798, 1803, 1848, and 1867. It was unveiled in 1906.

The four statues on the monument portray Wolfe Tone who was the Leader of the 1798 Rebellion, Michael Dwyer who was part of the 1798 Rebellion, Thomas Davis who was part of the Young Ireland movement and Peter O’Neill Crowley who was part of the Fenian Rising. The fifth statue is the Maid of Erin.

On the rails around the monument are plaques. They are the Cork Coat of Arms, the Shield Hail Columbia with the Eagle & Flag of the USA, and the four provinces of Ireland; Munster, Leinster, Connaught, & Ulster.

Below is a picture of the historic Singer Sewing Center on what is called Singer’s Corner. It has been a fixture since the 1870s. It is a landmark spot with its distinctive gold and black facade.

The black and gold motif was used to reflect the design of the black wooden Singer sewing machines which are kept in the windows below. The Singer store has closed and another business will be going in the space.

The street lights along Grand Parade are architecturally distinct. They were designed by Spanish architect Beth Gali. She designed the lights to be reminiscent of ships’ masts and she wanted to incorporate Cork’s maritime and harbor history.

Michael Collins statue was unveiled in 2023 on Grand Parade. He was an important Irish Revolutionary leader. Kevin Holland was the sculptor.

This near life-size statue was on Grand Parade in Cork. He is with his bicycle because he cycled all around Dublin. This site was chosen because on March 12, 1922, the “Big Fella” which was his nickname attended a rally here. He delivered a passionate speech to a reported crowd of 50,000.

A march was happening along Grand Parade as we were walking along. It included flags and dress from many African countries.

After our time in Cork, we are on our way to Cashel.

When we arrived in Cashel we had lunch at a local family-run restaurant.

Some of us finished lunch quickly and walked up the path to enter the Rock of Cashel. The pathway was beautifully lined with trees and plants.

The Rock of Cashel sits on a limestone outcrop.

It is a group of medieval buildings that looms over the town of Cashel and the surrounding area.

There is a cluster of medieval buildings (12th & 13th centuries) that includes a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a 15th century Tower House.

When we finished at the Rock of Cashel we traveled on to Kilkenny. On the drive we saw the Clomantagh Castle. We could see its 15th century tower house.

The River Nore flows directly through the heart of Kilkenny. The river separates the medieval area from the newer developments.

Kilkenny Castle was our next stop. It was built in the 12th century. The castle is famous for its 800-year history as a strategic Norman stronghold and the former seat of the powerful Butler family.

The castle sits on fifty acres of rolling parkland. It includes a formal terraced rose garden and a man-made lake that was added in the 19th century. It was a gorgeous day so many people were enjoying the parkland.

We did a self-guided tour of Kilkenny Castle. Check out the slideshow below to see a few photos from inside.

After our tour of the Kilkenny Castle we checked into our hotel. Martin stopped a man with his hurling equipment and he was gracious enough to explain in simple terms the essence of the game.

After dropping off our luggage we went out to explore the city and find a place for dinner.

The Kilkenny hurling statue is a 14-foot limestone and bronze monument at Canal Square that celebrates Ireland’s national sport. It was crafted by Barry Wrafter and was unveiled in 2016.

Grace’s Old Castle is now the courthouse. The building became a courthouse in 1792 and much of the building has been replaced.

Butter Slip was built in 1616 and was once flanked with the stalls of butter vendors on market day. It has an arched entry and stone steps that connects High Street with St. Kieran’s Street.

Since it was a Saturday evening it wasn’t easy to find a restaurant with available seating. We found an Italian restaurant that was established in 1990. It is family run by the Cardillo family. Carlo Cardillo who originally came from Cervaro, Frosinone in southern Italy relocated to Ireland in 1974. We had a delicious meal.

Tonight we packed our things for traveling home tomorrow.

Sunday, May 24th, 2026

This morning we left our luggage in the hotel lobby and then went into the restaurant for breakfast.

When we arrived at the Dublin Airport we said goodbye to our excellent driver/tour guide Martin! We took a group picture before saying goodbye. What a fabulous adventure we had in Ireland!

Our first flight took us from Dublin, Ireland to New York. What was really nice is that we went through Customs in Ireland. Because we completed it in Ireland we didn’t have to recheck our luggage at JFK airport and go through security screening a second time.

We had a layover in New York before our flight to Columbus! We arrived home close to 12:30 AM. It was close to a 24 hour day! We didn’t mind because our trip was fantastic!

We can’t wait until our next adventure!