Lisa And Luisa Visit Ireland

Did You Know? - Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional dish of the British Isles made of sausages and mashed potatoes, and may consist of one of a variety of flavoured sausages made of pork, lamb, or beef, or a Cumberland sausage.

The dish is sometimes served with onion gravy, fried onions, or peas.
Bangers and mash served with peas

This dish, even when cooked at home, may be thought of as an example of pub grub, meaning it is relatively quick and easy to make in large quantities.

More up-market varieties, with exotic sausages and mashes, are sold in gastropubs, with less sophisticated alternatives being available in regular public houses (pubs).

Did You Know? - The French Church, a former Franciscan Friary and also known as Greyfriars Abbey it was built in 1241 on what is now Greyfriars and Baileys New Street, Waterford. At the entrance to the ancient church stands a monument to Luke Wadding, the famous 17th century Waterford born priest. This friary was one of the first to be built in Ireland, being founded by the Anglo-Norman Knight Sir Hugh Purcell.

Did You Know? - The bridge, a landmark structure for Waterford City and surrounding areas, features the longest bridge span in Ireland. This cable- stayed bridge has a single main concrete pylon. A series of stay cables fan out from the top of the tower to support the main span. The deck is a composite reinforced concrete slab and steel structure. The main span over the river was constructed using the cantilever method.

Did You Know? - The River Suir Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the River Suir in Ireland. It was built as part of the N25 Waterford Bypass, and opened to traffic on the 19 October 2009, some ten months ahead of schedule.

The Viking settlement at Woodstown was discovered during the project and the route of the southern approach roads was altered to preserve the site.

The 230 metre main span has the longest single bridge span in the Republic of Ireland, taking that record from the Boyne River Bridge on the Dublin to Belfast M1 motorway. By comparison, the main span of the Foyle Bridge in Northern Ireland is four metres longer.

Did You Know? - Blarney Castle (Irish: Caisleán na Blarnan) is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland, and the River Martin. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446.

The Blarney Stone is among the machicolations* of the castle.

*A machicolation (French: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. A smaller version found on smaller structures is called a box-machicolation.

Did You Know? - Blarney Castle, as viewed by the visitor today, is the third to have been erected on this site. The first building in the tenth century was a wooden structure. Around 1210 A.D. this was replaced by a stone structure which had the entrance some twenty feet above the ground on the north face. This building was demolished for foundations. In 1446 the third castle was built by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster of which the keep still remains standing.

Did You Know? - The Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446.

Did You Know? - Hidden behind the Castle battlements, you will find the new poison garden, which you must enter at your own risk. In this garden, the plants are so dangerous and toxic that they may be kept in large cage like structures. This part of the grounds contrasts largely with the bright green scenes that greet you everywhere else in the grounds.

It contains a collection of poisonous plants from all over the world including Wolfsbane, Mandrake, Ricin, Opium and Cannabis. Many of these are labelled with information about their toxicity and traditional and modern uses. A large number of plants that we now know to be toxic were once used widely as herbal remedies for all sorts of ailments.

The old expression "It will either kill you or cure you" could not have been more apt!

Did You Know? - Legend says that if you walk down and back up the Wishing Steps with your eyes closed while thinking only of a wish, that wish will come true within a year. The wish will be granted by the Blarney Witch, because she steals firewood from the Estate for her kitchen. In order to pay for this stolen firewood, she has to grant the wishes of those who walk these stairs.