Blarney Castle Or Why I Thought That Hanging Upside Down Over A Six Story Drop Was A Good Idea At The Time

Blarney Castle

     For a fun and relaxing day trip from Dublin head to Blarney Castle.  This famous Irish site is located just outside of the city of Cork and is just a two hour ride by train or a leisurely four hour drive by car.  When you arrive at the castle, the first thing you will notice, is the elegant park grounds.  Blarney Castle is located on some of the most picturesque scenery Ireland has to offer,with it's rolling green hills and a slow moving stream, it will immediately remind you of why you came to Ireland in the first place.  As for the castle, it is a massive fortified tower, which is about six stories tall and dates back to 1446.  Although it is currently unfurnished, and very much in disrepair, the place definitely has a charming quality about it.  In spite of it's condition, most travelers come to Blarney Castle to kiss it's infamous stone.  Legend has it, that if you kiss The Blarney Stone, you will forever be blessed with "the gift of gab".  Sounds easy enough, right?  First of all, you have to climb a six story medieval tower, which amounts to over 350 steps.  Once you make it to the top of this windy tower, you have to lean over backwards, over a three foot gap in the floor and smooch the  large stone.  You will have an attendant holding you, while you make this death defying act, but it is most certainly not for the faint of heart or those who are absolutely terrified of heights.  However, if falling to your untimely demise does not bother you, then this can be a lot of fun and the views from the top of the tower are absolutely amazing!

     Why all of this hype about a stone?  Well, according to legend, The Blarney Stone is a piece of The Stone of Scone, or the a piece of the royal thrown of Scotland.  It was originally from the Holy Land where it was Jacob's stone from the bible and later brought to Scotland during the crusades.  The stone was finally brought to it's resting place when Robert the Bruce gave it to Cormac Laidir MacCarthy as a reward for the support he gave him during the battle Bannockburn.  The Blarney Castle became famous when Queen Elizabeth of England asked the Lord of the castle for his loyalty.  Instead of committing his loyalty to a bunch of foreign invaders, he simply lavished the Queen with compliments.  She became so infuriated with these remarks, that she claimed that Lord Blarney was full of untruth.  Thus, the saying that someone was "full of Blarney" was created.

    So does the stone really work?  Well my wife will be the first to tell you that I never know when to keep my mouth shut.  So as for flapping my gums constantly, then I would whole heartily agree with with that, but as for gaining an elegance to my speech, well not so much.  However, for another aspiring traveler, who knows?

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