I kissed it, and I'm glad.
But do not miss Blarney Castle--what a history lesson--the brutality of life in the middle ages in stark reality. Go into the dungeon. The grounds surrounding it are beautiful.
Caire Castle is another history lesson. So is Kilkenny Castle, in a different way.
Like any place you've never been before, Ireland is full of surprises. The biggest surprises to me were: I couldn't find any shamrocks. Ireland is more like the U.S. than England is. Ireland was very cold, even in the summer.
You have to drive on the left side; that's hard. The Irish people tend to be very friendly and very likeable. Irish...uh...cuisine is not exactly French cuisine.
A wonderful mysticism suffuses Ireland.