A visit to the Butterfly Farm in Straffan Co. Kildare
When making our plans for this weekend, my boyfriend and myself tripped over signs to the Butterfly Farm in Straffan Co. Kildare. Lacking any other ideas, we decided, a trip to the farm was worth a shot.

And rightly so: The Straffan Butterfly Farm is located in the lovely setting of the Irish countryside and can easily be reached via the M4 from Dublin. At the entrance, we were greeted by Iris, the heart and soul behind the Butterfly Farm. And the experience starts right at the entrance: With a well thought-out education area and exotic (living) animals like Roger, a rather lazy black and white snake, a couple of tarantulas (one of them clearly in “show-off” mood while we were there - quite amusing, actually), a living example of the biggest moth in the world (I should make a closer acquaintance with other members of his “family” later on...) and Iggy the Iguana.

In the education area, there is also a widespread exhibition of all sorts of well-preserved butterflies (both native to Ireland and exotic ones). They are beautifully exhibited in framed glass-boxes with internal mountings and presented in different categories such as “Butterflies of Ireland”, “Butterflies of South America”, “Butterfly Tails”, “Butterfly Eyes”. I have taken a couple of photos in the education area to give you an idea of the extent of the collection presented:

Afterwards, we head off to the “heart” of the Butterfly Farm: The Tropical House. The experience here can be described as anything between interesting, fascinating and funny.

Interesting because the little inhabitants just “fly by you” as you move around in their “home” and because there is an exhibition of the different stages of development of butterflies as most of the butterflies homed in the butterfly farm are actually bred there.

Fascinating because you would not get to come that close to those beautiful small creatures unless you travelled to their home-countries (which, in some cases can be a bit of a trip...) and...

Funny because some of them just don't mind their visitors at all – on the contrary: a jacket or a hand can be a welcome resting-place for a while as well. This is where I made a close acquaintance with one of the “exhibits”: He picked the back of my jacket and felt quite comfortable there. My boyfriend tried to take a picture of my new “best friend” - with questionable success. Due to the environment natural to the butterflies, both the humidity and the temperature in the Tropical House are not “camera-friendly” - and neither of us is particularly good with the camera... On the photo, you can see (or guess) the moth sitting right on my back:

Blarney Castle, by now nearly 700 years of age, is home to many interesting (and scary) stories and legends. Its name is closely linked to many names of historical importance – not only from an Irish point of view but also from an English and Scottish perspective.

Cormac McCarthy, a 14th century King of Munster and one of Ireland’s greatest historical chieftains, is known as “the builder” of what is known today as Blarney Castle. Even though the original foundations of the site dates back as early as the 10th century, the so-called “Blarney Stone Curse” relates to Blarney Castle as we know it today. But more about that later. Cormac McCarty is also known as a supporter to Robert the Bruce, supplying him 4000 men from Munster for the famous Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Legend has it, that the “Blarney Stone”, supposedly the other half of the Stone-of-Scone, was given to McCarthy as a thank-you-gift for his support for Robert the Bruce in the battle that, for Robert the Bruce and his Scottish countrymen, should mark a major milestone in achieving independence from the English Crown.

But the list of famous names can be extended even further: Queen Elizabeth I is said to have commanded the Earl of Leicester to take possession of the castle. But the McCarthy family then managed to delay the matter long enough for Blarney Castle not to be taken by the Crown on this occasion.

Through the following centuries, Blarney Castle changed hands a couple of times: Taken by force by a certain Lord Broghill, one of Cromwells generals, sold on by the Sword Blade Company to Sir James St. John Jefferyes. Through intermarriage with the Colthurst family of Ardrum, Inniscarra and Ballyvourney, Co. Cork, and Lucan, Co. Dublin, Blarney Castle finally came into the hands of its current owners, the Colthursts.

There are several different legends that relate to Blarney Castle or its contents. Probably the most famous ones are the “magical powers” the Blarney Stone is supposed to have. The story tells us that, way back in time, a witch cast a spell over the stone in gratitude to a king who had saved her from drowning. From then on, the stone is believed to have to power to give the gift of eloquent speech to everyone. After kissing the Blarney stone, so the legend says, you will never suffer from loss of words again.

Another legend closely linked with Blarney Castle is the story about the Witch's Kitchen. It is believed that this place was home to the very first Irish cave dwellers long before our time. At the end of the so-called Wishing Steps is the Witch's Kitchen and, offset from it, her stone. The legend says that the witch is magically imprisoned within that stone in daytime and freed from it at night. The guardians of Blarney are said to provide her with firewood so that she can keep herself warm and work her magic during the night. Some say that, if you get to Blarney Castle early enough in the morning, you might still be able to see the dying embers of her fire...And up to the present day, many people believe that the witch who cast the spell over the Blarney Stone and the one imprisoned in the stone in the Witch's Kitchen are one and the same...

Probably the most scary legend in conjunction with Blarney Castle is the curse it is believed to have. Apparently, however tempting it might be, it is does not do your fate any good, if you remove a stone of any kind from the grounds of Blarney Castle (and yes, it can be stones as small as the gravel on the path...). Several cases have been reported so far where people have suffered from significantly bad luck after acquiring (whether legally or not does not seem to matter) a stone from Blarney Castle. As recently as mid-june this year, an estate-agent from South Carolina told an Irish newspaper her story. She says that, after buying a stone from Blarney Castle at an as a gift for her daughter who is living in Ireland her luck took a turn to the worse. Shortly after taking the stone home, the woman lost her workplace and started to experience a significant downturn in her mood (she describes it as unexplained depression). She then decided to post the stone to her daughter with a note asking her to return it to its original place. Interestingly enough, the “curse-victim” stated that she felt “a sense of relief” immediately after handing the parcel over to the postal clerk. The administration meanwhile has confirmed having received the stone. It is not clear however, if those stones have to be put back exactly to where they have been taken from or if it suffices to (only) return the stone(s) to their original home (for the sake of the people affected by the curse, hopefully the latter). Even though Charles Colthurst, the owner of Blarney Castle today, has confirmed that it is not uncommon to receive “Blarney stones” in the post. Therefore, the exact ending to this story has to remain open.

Readers of our blog are welcome to discuss the different possibilities in our commentary-section. Personally, I hope returning the stone to the grounds of Blarney Castle should do the “trick”.

What do you think?

LIDL, the second biggest discounter in Germany, opened its first store in Ireland in 1999. The chain is recognized as one of the fastest growing food-retailers in Europe. At first, people were a little bit sceptical about the quality of products. But now, roughly 12 years later, LIDL has proved a very big success on the island with currently more than 115 retail units. And since the beginning of the recession in 2007, the annual turnover has increased even further.

As a German immigrant to Ireland myself, I have to say that, having the option of doing your shopping in a familiar retailer, does give you a certain feeling of comfort. About half of the goods sold in LIDL are the same as you would find in Germany, Austria or any other country LIDL has expanded to. The other half is supplied by Irish companies and wholesalers. By doing it this way, LIDL can guarantee “the best of both worlds”. On the one hand, people who are familiar with LIDL-stores in Germany, will recognize the brands and products. On the other hand, Irish customers will take comfort in finding locally produced goods.
Recently, LIDL have started expanding their range of products even further. It is quite common for LIDL customers in Germany to be able to buy freshly baked bread in every LIDL-store. Whoever went shopping in LIDL-stores around Ireland in the recent past, might have been wondering, what all the building was about. From today on in, at least the LIDL customers in Maynooth, a smallish town in Co. Kildare (at the western outskirts of Dublin), got their answer:

LIDL have started baking their own bread... From today on, they offer a wide range of freshly baked products every day. The range goes from different types of breads (from the traditionally German country loaf based on sourdough – had to get it first thing this morning... YUMMY! to French Baguettes, Vienna Rolls and stone baked Ciabatta Rolls), breadrolls, pastries, croissants etc. Beeing a German, needless to say, I had to try everything and compare to what I remember of the taste of similar products at home.

All I can say is: WELL DONE, GUYS (I am still wondering which baker had to handover his recipes...)

In order to celebrate the “new arrivals” in the store, LIDL organized a bit of a festival for just about everyone. There were walking croissants (man, that suit must have been warm...), face painting, a wheel of fortune and a bouncy-castle for the kids with free tea and coffee for the parents. I took a couple of photos in the store today to give you a bit of an idea of the range of products:

Personally, I have to say, this new extension to the products in LIDL is both long overdue – Irish bread is lovely, but you need a bit of a change every so often... - and WELCOME. So, if anyone plans to travel to Ireland soon, you can now, within one travel, experience both the tasty Irish cooking as well as aspects from the German way of doing it. And, if you really want to stretch it , you can always go to one of the numerous Polish shops to expand your horizon even further. Given that you only have to travel once, that's pretty good for your “list of new experiences”.