The Tri-Fecta

Traveling is a blast.

Ireland is a groovy place, and there are a lot of little things that, legend has it, will give you certain skills or blessings.

Three such places are the cross at Rock of Cashel, Blarney Stone, and the hole in the Gallarus Oratory

The first challenge is at the Rock of Cashel.  Legend has it that if you hug the cross of St. Patrick and you are able to reach all the way around and touch your hands on the other side, then you will never have a tooth ache again.

Here is a picture of someone else doing it, no one managed to snap a picture of me.

This was an easy test for me as I have quite the wing span.

The second challenge is kissing the Blarney Stone.  By doing so, you are given “the gift of gab” that is to say you find a way with words.

Once again I did not get pictures of me doing this but there are witnesses.

Seems pretty simple doesn't it?

Well here is where the plot thickens!  Apparently the stone that everyone kisses may not be the real Blarney Stone.  So with this knowledge, my buddy Seamus and I decided to not risk it.  We instituted a no stone left un-kissed policy.  So, while hiking the many stairs we insured our gift of gab by kissing many a rock in the wall of the blarney castle.

The third challenge consisted of climbing through a small window (about 18 cm by 12 cm) in the Gallarus Oratory (an ancient stone church.)  Climbing through said window is said to cleanse the soul.

Would you like a play by play?

I knew you would.

At this point I was thinking to myself that I may have gotten in a little over my head, but at least backing out was a possibility.

Now I was thinking hey I can do this all I have left are my hips.

But I pulled through, and found myself with a cleansed soul on the other side, and in doing so I completed what we have deemed the Tri-Fecta

To be honest I do not believe in these old tails of fortune, but for me that is not the point.

When I travel I do things because I can and because they make for a good time, and seeing as my lips have not fallen off from an ancient mold on the inside of the Blarney castle, I intend to keep doing things this way.

Thanks,

Willie