I just need to know something...

[Guy Fawkes]

(backstory) I just finished reading "The White Plague," and in it, one of the characters mentions pissing on the blarney stone then laughing at tourists.

Do people do this? Seems pretty funny to me...

[JohnKleeb]

1. Dont know, Ive never been to Ireland

but you give me an idea :).

[Maeve]

2. It would be difficult, but possible

Only if you worked there...sounds more like a "don't you just wish you could..." sort of thing. And if you think about the amount of slobber, lipstick, tobacco juice, etc that it's already seen...:scared:

Ah, well, I was there early in the morning before the crowds and long lines.. and it was dry and clean enough

[DaveinMD]

3. we did this

the park is wonderful. Some great caves. The Castle is fun. So we kissed it. I think it made me sick.

By the way, we've been to Ireland twice. If you go, check out Clifden. Its off the beaten tourist path, so its more authentic Ireland. It was absolutely amazing.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

4. Clifden is absolutely beautiful, as is all of Connemara.

Haven't been in the West for awhile, since 1997. I just hope and pray it hasn't changed as so much of Ireland has.

[Maeve]

5. On the road from Galway to Clifden is a touristy sort of place

But one with a beautiful view and a lovely tragic tale...it's the restored home of one Dan O'Hara, who was forced to emigrate in the 1860's. On the way over, his wife and 3 of their 7 children died; the rest were put into foster care and no trace has been found of them. Dan sold matches on the street and died two years later. But his story lives on in a song and the cottage is maintained in the old style (Connemara ponies and cattle are kept, chicken in the tiny yard and turf still cut and used for fuel).

Sometimes we forget that for many, the trip to the New World was a trip to the world beyond; the average lifespan of the Famine Irish was only seven years in America.