Many homes keep a holy water font beside the front door, and it is customary for people to dip their fingers in it and then bless themselves as they leave the house. Older people often make the sign of the cross when passing a church, a funeral procession, or a cemetery, or when an ambulance passes with its sirens on.

Sure, thousands of tourists swarm Blarney Castle in southern Ireland every year, but it's still worth a visit. Here, you can kiss the notorious Blarney Stone and, as legend has it, get the "gift of the gab." Climb 10 flights of stairs to reach the stone at the top of the castle's main tower.