Cobh and Blarney Castle, Ireland

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The Apex stopped at Cobh, a port where Irish imigrants left for the New World. Below is the sculpture of Annie Moore and her two brothers. Annie Moore was the first emigrant to be processed on Ellis Island in New York: there is a statute of her there, facing Ireland. Cobh was also the last port of call for the Titanic before it went down.
Did not have time to walk around yet, had to board the bus leaving for Blarney Castle. Below are photos of the Castle.
I decided not to join the hour long line to kiss the Blarney stone. Used the time to stroll through the lovely grounds of the Castle instead.
Next to the castle was a shopping village, did some browsing; did not buy anything although the beautiful Irish throws were very tempting.
After the bus dropped us back to the cruise terminal, I visited the Cobh Heritage Center to look at the exhibits, including a reproduction of the Titanic poster.
Walked around town and took photos of the colorful houses on steep streets.
To end the day, I stopped at a pub for a drink. Sat next to an older local gentleman with a thick Irish accent and asked him to recommend the local brew. He swore by Beamish, so I tried it. It was great, but I still like Guiness better. We chatted about life in Cobh (he was well travelled) before I had to get back onboard.

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