Day 9

Today we woke up to church bells. They started ringing. We found out they ring about every fifteen minutes--in all hours of the night. After we got ready, we traveled to Cork City where we visited the RedFM Radio Station. There were many different people who were kind enough to speak with us, such as: the production manager, a Gaelic language specialist, and an advertisement and sales agent. Each person told us about their specific job within the radio station. RedFM is meant for a younger age group, so the radio station itself reflected this demographic. They decorated the interior of the building in a young feeling mood with lots of red colors. They also play music according to what the age group wants to hear. They also showed us around the production room which was pretty neat. At the end of the visit we all got a free pen; I have to admit free souvenirs are my favorite.

Then we went to the Blarney Castle. I took a lot of photos and kissed the Blarney Stone. Now I will have good luck for the rest of the year! The whole process of actually climbing up the stairs of the castle was more intense than whole kissing ordeal. The staircase was very tight, and the stairs themselves were narrow and steep. When we finally reached the top, we saw out over the Irish countryside. It was so pretty but very high up. We got to the stone and I was the first one to kiss it. I laid down and bent over backwards to kiss it. For a split second I looked down; it was very scary. I am also short, so I had to scoot down so the man who was holding on to me was just barely grabbing my knees. It was fairly frightening but totally worth it. It was one of the best experiences of my life. While at Blarney, I also got a lot of my souvenir shopping done. I bought an aren sweater for myself. Ireland is known for its nice sheep's wool.

Well I'm off to bed. We are traveling again in the morning and I have to pack. We will be headed to Killarney which should be a fun day. After kissing the Blarney Stone today, I have the luck of the Irish, so I hope to spread it to you!