IE-97575 Blarney in County Cork

Blarney (Irish: an Bhlarna  "the little field") is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It lies 8 km (5.0 mi) north-west of Cork.

Blarney town is a major tourist attraction. Mostly people come to see Blarney Castle, kiss the stone, and to shop at the Blarney Woolen Mills.

It is claimed that by kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, one would receive the "Gift of the Gab" (eloquence, or skill at flattery or persuasion).

Another attraction in Blarney are the Woolen Mills which were built in 1823., Blarney Woollen Mills was originally known as Mahony's Mills. It was a water powered mill, producing mainly tweeds and woollens. After closing in the early 1970s, the mills was re-invented by local entrepreneur Christy Kelleher as a gift store servicing tourists visiting the village.

In the centre of the village is another attraction - The Square – this is a grass field where Blarney locals and townspeople sometimes congregate during the summer. Several attempts to develop the square over the years have always been met with stiff objection from the locals. Previously the square was used for markets.

This postcard came from Claudia (4 August 2015) Postcrossing.

IE-96550 Kilkenny Castle, Ireland

Kilkenny Castle stands dramatically on a strategic height that commands a crossing on the River Nore and dominates the 'High Town' of Kilkenny City. Over the eight centuries of its existence, many additions and alterations have been made to the fabric of the building, making Kilkenny Castle today a complex structure of various architectural styles.

The original Anglo-Norman stone castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) during the first decade of the  thirteenth century. Kilkenny Castle later became the principal Irish residence of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years. The Butler ownership began when James (c.1360-1405), 3rd Earl of Ormond, purchased the castle in c.1391, and lasted until 1967 when Arthur, 6th Marquess of Ormonde (1893-1971), presented it to the people of Kilkenny in return for a token payment of £50.

The buildings have been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1969.

This postcard came from Brian (Fisherman) (21 July 2015) Postcrossing.

SW W-036 Kilkenny Castle, Ireland

Kilkenny Castle (Irish: Caisleán Chill Chainnigh) is a castle in Kilkenny built in 1195 by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. It was a symbol of Norman occupation and in its original thirteenth-century condition it would have formed an important element of the defences of the town of Kilkenny with its four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today.

Kilkenny Castle stands dramatically on a strategic height that commands a crossing on the River Nore and dominates the 'High Town' of Kilkenny City. Over the eight centuries of its existence, many additions and alterations have been made to the fabric of the building, making Kilkenny Castle today a complex structure of various architectural styles.

The original Anglo-Norman stone castle was built for William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) during the first decade of the  thirteenth century.  Kilkenny Castle later became the principal Irish residence of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years.The Butler ownership lasted until 1967 when Arthur, 6th Marquess of Ormonde (1893-1971), presented it to the people of Kilkenny in return for a token payment of £50.

The buildings have been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1969, and many important programmes of archaeological excavation, conservation, and restoration have been carried out there.

There are ornamental gardens on the city side of the castle, and extensive land and gardens to the front. It has become one of the most visited tourist sites in Ireland.

This postcard came from Aistė Dimskytė (aistia) of Lithuania (16 April 2014) Swap-bot.

Errigal Mountain - the most iconic mountain of Ireland

Errigal Mountain is a 751-metre (2,464 ft) mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland.  It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains, the tallest peak in County Donegal, and the 76th tallest peak in Ireland. Errigal is also the most southern, steepest and highest of the mountain chain, called the "Seven Sisters" by locals.

Errigal is well known for the pinkish glow of its quartzite in the setting sun. Another noted quality is the ever-changing shape of the mountain depending on what direction you view it from. Errigal was voted 'Ireland's Most Iconic Mountain' in 2009.

The mountain is most often climbed from the carpark off the R251 road. The route initially crosses heavily eroded and boggy land towards a visible track through the shiny scree from where the ascent proper starts. After reaching the summit, people usually walk the short but exposed walk along ‘One Man’s Pass’ which leads across to the second and lower of the twin summits. No special equipment is needed to climb Errigal Mountain.

This postcard does not actually show Errigal in clear details but rather it shows the dominant shape of the mountain in the background.  Nicole Minnock (Direct Swap, Postcrossing) sent me this striking postcard (11 April 2014).

The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway (known as Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach in Irish) is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. The formation of the Giant’s Causeway was due to intense volcanic activity. Lava welling up through fissures in the chalk bed formed a "lava plateau". Three periods of volcanic activity gave rise to the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts, and it's the Middle Basalt rock which forms the famous amphitheatres of hexagonal columns in the Causeway.

It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about 4.8 km northeast of the town of Bushmills. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres high and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places.

I always like legends.  According to a legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool) was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. In another, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn could not follow.  Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa, and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.

I am grateful to Nicole (20 March 2014) for sending me this wonderful postcard.  (Postcrossing Direct Swap)