Oct 27, 20214 min read

The Legend of Blarney Castle

Updated: Apr 23

Why does everyone want to kiss the Blarney Stone? Well, of course, gain the gift of eloquence. But what is that all about?

The Legend of Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle takes us back in time to the era of kings, knights, witches, and fairies so sit back and allow me to tell you about this wonderful place.

Blarney castle sits on sixty acres of surrounding 1500 acres of parkland. It includes the Blarney Castle house, Blarney Castle (the fortress residence), gardens, a small café, and of course a gift shop. The grounds are stunning, with shades of green that are beyond imagination and trees with odd shapes that are said to be over one thousand years old.

What we know as Blarney Castle is actually the fortress residence. It has multiple rooms including the Great Hall, several bedrooms, a banquet hall, a chapel, a kitchen, and the battlements at the top. Keep in mind everything is stone, centuries-old, and the rooms are very small. You will take a small and winding staircase to get to the top. The stairs are very small, as you would imagine, and it is said that the stairs were built this way to make it difficult to ascend in the event of an invasion and easy to defend. The Blarney Stone is at the top .

Why do we say, “That’s Just Blarney”?

As the story goes, Cormac McCarthy, known as Lord Blarney, was being asked to relinquish his land under to another under order of Queen Elizabeth I. But, Lord Blarney, would have none of it. He responded to her in letters protesting the request but at the same time would fill the letters with flattery. Having had enough of these ongoing letters, she one day shouted, “This is all Blarney, he never means what he says.” So now, when someone tries to deceive you but not offend you, you’ll know where “Blarney” came from.

Why do we kiss the stone?

There are so many stories behind the origin of the stone itself, much lost in time, so it is not clear what is true. We know “Robert the Bruce” sent the stone to Cormac McCarthy in 1314 as a thank you for sending troupes to fight the English in Scotland. The legend around the magic of the stone is a bit more consistent but varies like most legends.

The story that persists is this. To determine if a person charged with being a witch was truly a witch, the individual was bound and thrown in the water. If she surfaced, she was a witch, if not, she was not a witch. While it doesn’t seem, there is ever a good ending to this ritual, this witch ended up downstream and was saved from drowning by a McCarthy. Some say he had a speech impediment, others say he wanted to influence the queen’s decision on the land. Either way, the witch, being grateful for being saved, told the story of a magical stone that gave the gift of eloquence is you kissed it. So now political leaders, literary figures, celebrities, and people just like you and I, climb the 127 tiny stairs to kiss the stone.

Kissing the stone requires laying on your back and being fed into a small opening to reach the stone. There are bars to prevent you from falling through and castle staff clean the stone after each person kisses it.

The Castle Grounds

The ground of the castle also hosts part of what is said to have been a Druid settlement. Called Rock Close, it contains prehistoric rocks, passages, and sits in a secluded area. The path will lead you to the water garden with waterfalls. The Wishing Steps are here. To receive all of your wishes you must walk backwards down the stairs with your eyes closed.

Don’t miss the poison garden with cages carefully placed over the particularly poisonous plants. Harry Potter fans don’t miss the mandrake!

Most tours give you enough time to kiss the blarney stone, see a bit of the gardens, then grab a quick bite to eat. If you have more time walk the grounds, check out some of the gardens, and take a walk around the lake. If you are on your own and want a leisurely day allow 4-5 hours to see it all.

This is a magical pace to be sure and worth a visit. If not for the magic, come to cross the Blarney Stone off your bucket list. You will be glad you did.

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