In episode three, James explores the people and places at the heart of Ireland’s heritage. He begins by visiting the world famous Blarney stone at Blarney Castle. According to Irish folklore, anyone who kisses the stone receives the ability to speak with eloquence, or the gift of the gab.
James meets Sir Charles Colthurst, who lives in Blarney House and discovers that his great uncle was offered half a million pounds in the 1930’s by America, to rent the stone for 6 months and take it to the United States.
He also visits the poison garden in the grounds of the castle, which houses some of the most toxic plants on the planet. Head Gardener Adam explains that medieval gardens would have had something similar and they would have been grown by the supposed witches and wizards of the day.
James gets his hands dirty by helping Adam to prune an American Poison Ivy plant which can cause rashes, burning and blistering. He dons a fleece and protective gloves before attacking the plant with a pair of secateurs.
Back at the castle, James kisses the stone and meets Dennis, whose job it is to tip visitors upside down so they can reach the stone. He takes a turn at Dennis’s job and proclaims it to be the, “Best fun I’ve had in a while actually.”
We then visit a tourist attraction very close to James’ heart; Barry’s Amusements, Ireland’s largest theme park, in the seaside town of Portrush in Northern Ireland. James visited the park many times as a child and had one of his first jobs here, manning the big dipper. We catch up with Colim Qiunn who is in his 60th year of working at the park and remembers young Jimmy as the park clown.
We explore Ireland’s rich musical heritage and meet married couple and professional musicians, Zoe Conway and John McIntyre.
Zoe says: “I’ve toured with Riverdance for many years as the fiddle player, and played classical with orchestras and soloists with orchestras and played in Rock and
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