Day 5 - Killarney to Dromoland Castle (in County Clare)
We headed east this morning towards Blarney Castle. As a true castle that is designed for defense, it’s tall and narrow and around 5-6 stories tall. Everyone got their photos in front of the castle and from there we were given the option to go up to the top of the castle to see and/or kiss the Blarney Stone or you can walk around the extensive gardens. They also have a ridiculously large souvenir shop. It’s seriously advertised as the largest Irish store in the world.
We chose to smooch the stone. You walk up a long spiral staircase. Note that it’s a little dark and the walls are narrow. Once you get to the top, you are in a line that makes its way to the stone. The line seemed to move fast. Many people don’t want to kiss the stone. They just pass right by to see it. For those that do want to kiss it, you lay down on this mat. There’s a gentleman there to guide your hands to two handlebars. With the gentleman’s help, you ease backwards toward the wall. There’s actually about a foot or two of space between the floor and the wall. So you have to slide out to the wall. Then bending over backwards you find the lowest part of the wall is a polished stone. That’s the one. Kiss it and they pull you back. It wasn’t too difficult, but if you have any issues with mobility or certainly leaning backwards, you may want to watch others do it first. Kate and I were laughing though, because it’s really quick. Before you know it, it’s over, and some of us were wondering if we kissed the right stone. Haha!
We drove up to the small town of Adare for lunch. it was a cute little town with a collection of pubs and small shops. There’s a few thatched roof houses lining the main street. It was a nice stop along the way.
On we went until we reached Dromoland Castle. It’s a beautiful manor set in idealic landscape with green fields, a nearby forrest and lake. It’s a gorgeous resort. When we arrived, many of the staff including the manager of Dromoland were lined up waiting for us in front of the entrance. It was a seen straight out of Downtown Abbey. We went into a lounge to be welcomed before heading over to reception to gather our keys to our room. Dinner was in a couple of hours at the Fig Tree restaurant. Kate and I had made other plans, so I let Kelley know we wouldn’t be joining them for dinner.
I forget who on this forum mentioned the idea of eating at the Earl of Thomond. Thanks! We emailed the concierge of Dromoland a couple of weeks before our trip to make reservations. Both tonight and tomorrow night had dinners with ABD, so it was a difficult choice which night to skip and go to the Earl of Thomond. We chose this night as tomorrow had an entertainment component and was away from Dromoland. We dressed up a bit for dinner and walked around the castle as our reservations were still half an hour or more. Dinner itself was wonderful. It was absolutely straight out of Downton Abbey. I’m pretty sure Mr. Carson was overseeing our service. The many servers, wine sommelier and manager were all so very nice and welcoming. They had a harpist playing. The food was excellent. They have tasting menus and a la carte menus. We kind of created our own tasting menu by splitting a few appetizers (asparagus, scallops, foie gras). For our mains, Kate had the duck; I had the lamb. For dessert we had the orange soufflé. It was awesome! After dinner we immediately transitioned next door to the lounge where they had more live music. Great meal. I’d highly recommend a dinner there, but unfortunately that does mean you have to sacrifice one of the ABD dinners.
I’ve alluded to this earlier, but Dromoland is absolutely incredible. It’s so beautiful. The people that work there are so hardworking and friendly. Sorry for the cheesy cliche again, but if you want to be magically transported into Downton Abbey, this is it. Certainly my favorite place we visited while in Ireland. There are a few places in the world where I’ve gone and ever since all I can think about is just how to get back… Dromoland is now on that list. This became even more solidified tomorrow.
I guess I'll have to wait! 
