I is for Interesting Places in Ireland

I is for Interesting Places in Ireland

Lynch Castle

In 1493, James Lynch Fitzstephen was the mayor of Galway. He was received in Spain with open arms, and wished to return the hospitality by offering to take the host's son back with him to Galway.

The mayor also had an only son. His name was Walter.  Unfortunately, Walter did not keep company with the best Galway had to offer. Si the Mayor was pleased when his son finally took notice of a young woman who came from a good family. He had hoped his son would change his ways. Who knows, perhaps Walter would have eventually changed his ways if he hadn’t believed his young lady fancied the Spaniard his father had brought home with him. One night George followed the Spaniard when he left the castle, stabbing him, and leaving him to die.

James was furious when he found the Spaniard had been killed. He vowed to hang the culprit. Unfortunately, he was not aware it had been his son who did the evil deed when he made this vow. Upon realizing the truth, it was too late to retract his words. He hanged his son from the window of the castle.

The inscription recalls reads: ‘This memorial of the stern and unbending justice of the chief magistrate of this city, James Lynch Fitzstephen, elected mayor in A.D. 1493, who condemned and executed his own guilty son, Walter, on this spot.’ He was one son who was not spared.’

Below this is a stone with a skull and cross-bones and this inscription: “1524 Remember Deathe Vaniti of Vaniti and al is but Vanti.”

St. Michan’s Church

I shook hands with an 800 year old mummy thought to be a crusader. No lie. Our tour of St. Michan’s included the visit beneath the church where five mummies are housed. The identities of these five souls remains unknown. Our tour guide claimed if we shook the hand of the crusader, we would all have good luck. A few hours later it hit me: I shook hands with a dead guy. Let me tell you, I couldn’t find a washroom fast enough.

Not surprisingly, many visitors to the vaults have heard mysterious disembodied voices and others have felt ice-cold fingers run down their neck as they bend to inspect the corpses. Fortunately, I did not.

St. Michen’s was built on the site of an early Danish chapel (1095), and the current structure dates back to 1686. It is probably the only church on the north side of the Liffey that has a Viking foundation.

The Blarney Stone

For over 200 years people have climbed the steps to the Blarney Stone so they could gain the gift of eloquence.

The Stone is set in the wall below the battlements. To kiss it, you must hold onto the railings and lean backwards from the parapet walk. My brothers went before me and I almost chickened out. I stood there staring down …all the way down, and my legs started shaking. I never knew I was afraid of heights until that moment. Only determination not to miss out on this opportunity prevented me from bolting.

There are many more interesting places in Ireland, but we’ll save those for another day.

In my vampire tales, TWILIGHT'S ETERNAL EMBRACE and LOVE'S ETERNAL EMBRACE, both stories are set  in medieval Ireland.

Have you been to Ireland? Do you live there? Please share an interesting place to visit. If you haven't been there, do have a place you'd like to visit in Ireland?

Here's the list to the other A to Z Challenge participants.